At the age of 32, Martina Hingis is the fourth youngest player to be inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame at Newport, Rhode Island.
Before the ceremony that took place on Saturday July 13th, Hingis spoke to the crowd about how humbled she was by this honour. She said: “Thanks you tennis. You gave me the world.”
Although Hingis had a relatively short career in tennis, it was a very successful one, which included five grand slam titles – the 1997 Wimbledon and 1997 U.S. Open and the 1997, 1998 and 1999 Australian Opens. Hingis also held the number one ranking for an impressive 209 weeks from 1997-2001 in a battle with Lindsay Davenport.
Announcing her arrival to the world stage at just 12 years old, Hingis wowed the tennis crowds when she won the 1993 French Open junior title. She turned professional just before her 14th birthday and continued to win several youngest-ever awards.
Recurring injuries forced her into early retirement at just 22, having won nine grand slam doubles titles and a mixed doubles title in addition to her single’s success. She made a comeback four years later, but retired again after testing positive for cocaine.
Carrying on her youngest-ever winning streak, Hingis follows Tracy Austin (30), Bjorn Borg (31) and Hana Mandlikova (32), as the fourth youngest player to be enshrined into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Speaking about her inclusion in this prestigious ceremony, she said: "You chose to give me a place here for eternity."
Hingis was born in Czechoslovakia in 1980 and moved to Switzerland when she was seven-years-old, where she was holding a tennis racket before she could walk. Starting so young and working hard as a child provided Hingis the opportunity to reach career highs at a very young age.
It begs the question of whether you are ever too old to start playing tennis, and the implications to starting the sport later than early childhood. What will you need to keep in mind as an older player?
Here are our top five tips for those entering this sport:
Have a goal in mind
If you are keen to learn how to play tennis, and get good at it, you will need to have a clear focus on what you want to achieve. Are you in it to increase your fitness? Looking for something fun to occupy your free time? Or are you invested into becoming a tennis athlete?
Be realistic about the time you can spare and what your first goal will be, so you can have something to work towards as you steadily improve as a player.
Kit yourself out in the correct gear
The old racket you think you might have in the garage will just not do, especially if you want to return serve with any gusto. If you are completely clueless as to which racket to get, then do some research on a few different sites and see if your style of play will require a specific racket.
The next most important item will be your tennis shoes, coming in a range of designs depending on your court usage. Millet Sports offer a wide selection of tennis shoes specifically designed for the range of movement expected in tennis. You will need to tick the three boxes of comfort, support and grip.
Know your limits
Tennis is a very demanding sport, which will highlight any flaws in your fitness. It is high in cardio, especially when playing a match, as well as being hard on your joints. It is vital that you stay as fit as you can be while playing, while still knowing your limitations. If you are prone to back problems then be wary of this while training, giving your body the rest it needs between practices.
View mistakes as part of the learning process
Don’t be too hard on yourself. If you have a few setbacks in training, and you can’t seem to get something right, try to see this as part of your journey to greatness. Setbacks can dull your enthusiasm and stop all progress if you let them, so keep that end goal in sight!
Get your body ready
Warm-ups and cool downs are essential in tennis, as injuries can easily happen if going for a tricky shot, going over on your ankle or trapping a nerve while going for an overhead shot. Your skill and ability in this sport can only be executed if your body is fit and injury free. Try these tennis fitness training exercises from top names such as Rafael Nadal.
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