Martina Hingis - Controversies

Controversies

As a teenager, Martina Hingis was known for being outspoken. During her career, Hingis has made a number of statements about her fellow players that have subsequently become the focus of attention and the source of controversy, such as:

• Referring to Amélie Mauresmo, who was described as having "broad shoulders" and who was open about being homosexual, Hingis told reporters, "She's here with her girlfriend. She's half a man."
• After the Williams sisters (Venus and Serena) had complained of discrimination against them, Hingis told Time magazine in 2001: "Being black only helps them. Many times they get sponsors because they are black. And they have had a lot of advantages because they can always say, 'It's racism.' They can always come back and say, 'Because we are this color, things happen.'"
• At the peak of the Williams sisters' and Hingis' competitive and fierce rivalry, Hingis stated in a press conference during the 1999 US Open referring to the sisters' remarks, "They always have big mouths. They always talk a lot. It's happened before, so it's gonna happen again. I don't really worry about that."
• On the long-dominant player, Steffi Graf, in 1998 Hingis said, "Steffi has had some results in the past, but it's a faster, more athletic game now than when she played.... She is old now. Her time has passed."
• Responding in a 1999 press conference on why she terminated her doubles partnership with former Wimbledon champion Jana Novotná, Hingis said she's "too old and slow."