Russian female tennis players

She was my favorite on the tour! Had a classic, beautiful game.
Thanks for Martina

ZÜRICH, Switzerland - In sensational circumstances, former world No.1 Martina Hingis announced her retirement from tennis for the second time on Thursday, bringing the curtain down on one of the most successful careers in the history of the sport. After retiring once in 2003 due to a persistent left-ankle injury, she made a successful return to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour at the start of the 2006 season, but a succession of injuries and a recent doping case have forced her to call it a day for the second time.

“I attempted a comeback after a three-year break and succeeded in winning three tournaments and bringing my ranking to No.6 in the world,” Hingis said. “But in the meantime, I’m now 27-years-old and after the problems I have been having with my hip, realistically I’m too old to play top class tennis and have decided to no longer compete on the Tour.”

Hingis first announced herself to the tennis world in 1996 when she became the youngest-ever Wimbledon champion by capturing the doubles title with Helena Sukova. The following season the ‘Swiss Miss’, as she was affectionately known, swept all before her, capturing 12 titles - including the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open crowns - on her way to the summit of the women’s game. Hingis’s success continued for the next five years with 28 more titles coming her way, including two more Australian Open singles triumphs and doubles victories at all four majors.

In 2003 Hingis announced she would be taking an indefinite break from the game due to a long-standing left-ankle injury. However, less than three years later she announced her plans for a comeback and in 2006 she embarked on a fairytale return, capturing two Tour titles and firmly re-establishing herself amongst the world’s Top 10. Season 2007 has been a more problematic one, with the Swiss star suffering more injury heartache and a loss of form in the second half of the season, although she still managed to win the prestigious Tokyo [Pan Pacific] title in February.

When announcing her retirement at a press conference on Thursday, Hingis also revealed she had tested positive for cocaine during a routine drugs test at Wimbledon. The 27-year-old adamantly denies taking the drug and has vowed to clear her name.

“I have been accused by an outsource testing company of taking cocaine during the Championships at Wimbledon,” Hingis said. “I find this accusation so horrendous, so monstrous, that I have decided to confront it head-on by talking to the press. I’m frustrated and angry and I believe that I’m absolutely, 100% innocent, but accusations such as these don’t provide me with motivation to even make another comeback.”

On the heels of Martina’s announcement, Sony Ericsson WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott stated that while the Tour was not in a position to comment on an ongoing anti-doping case, “it is important to remember that in the area of anti-doping, all players are presumed innocent until proven otherwise. The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to doping in sport, and fully supports the Tennis Anti-Doping Program. The Tennis Anti-Doping program is both rigorous and comprehensive, and is designed to keep our sport clean.”

Focusing on her incredible career, Scott added “With respect to her retirement announcement, Martina Hingis is a tremendous champion and a fan favorite the world over. In her most recent comeback, she proved again that she can perform at the very highest levels of the game. Martina will always be respected for not only having achieved the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour World Number #1 ranking, her five Grand Slam singles titles, nine Grand Slam women’s doubles titles and two Sony Ericsson Championships titles, but just as much for her incredible touch, on-court intelligence and off-court professionalism.”

Poor Anna Kournikova having to dry the court