Martina Hingis is former tennis player and World No. 1. Known as the "Swiss Miss", she won five Grand Slam singles titles (three Australian Open, one Wimbledon, and one US Open) before her retirement in November 2007.
She also won nine Grand Slam women's doubles titles, winning a calendar year Grand Slam in 1998, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title. She spent a total of 209 weeks as World No. 1 and set a series of "youngest-ever" records before ligament injuries in both ankles forced her to temporarily withdraw from professional tennis at the relatively early age of 22.
On November 29, 2005, after several surgeries and long recuperations, the 25-year-old Hingis announced that she would return to the WTA tour. During her comeback Hingis climbed as high as No. 6 in the world rankings and won three titles (at the Tier I tournament in Rome, the Tier III tournament in Kolkata, India, and the Tier I tournament in Tokyo).
The Swiss star denied ever taking drugs and said the accusations against her were "horrendous and monstrous". "I have tested positive, but I have never taken drugs and I feel 100% innocent," said the 27-year-old former world number one in a statement. "The reason I have come out with this is because I do not want to have a fight with anti-doping authorities." Hingis, a five-time Grand Slam champion and former Wimbledon winner, lost in the third round at the All England Club to Laura Granville. She then underwent a routine drugs test, carried out under the auspices of the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
Her statement continued: "When I was informed I had failed my 'A' test following my defeat at Wimbledon I was shocked and appalled. I have no desire to spend the next seven years fighting doping officials. I'm frustrated and angry, and accusations such as these don't provide me with the motivation to continue."Because of my age and my health problems, I have also decided to retire from professional tennis."
In a statement, WTA Tour chief executive Larry Scott said his organisation knew nothing about any drugs test failure by Hingis. "We have not received any official information regarding the positive doping test result referred to by Martina Hingis, and as a result we are not in a position to comment on the matter," he said. "However, it is important to remember that in the area of anti-doping, all players are presumed innocent until proven otherwise."
A spokesperson for the Swiss tennis association told BBC Sport: "Our association makes it very clear that drugs is not, in any way, part of our sport. "It is sad to hear this news, but we have yet to have been informed of the details from the tests." BBC Radio 5 Live tennis correspondent Jonathan Overend added: "The tennis anti-doping policy protects a player's anonymity until the completion of any tribunal process. Hingis, in her words, has decided to confront the issue head on."
The Swiss star first retired in 2003 because of persistent injuries before returning to top-flight tennis at the start of 2006 and winning three more titles. She brought her season to a premature end last month because of hip problems and is currently ranked 19th in the world.
Hingis's admission and second retirement brings the final curtain down on a glittering career which first took off in 1997.
In that year, she won her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, aged 16 years, three months and 26 days, and was world number one by March. In July, she became the youngest player in the open era to win a singles title at Wimbledon, and also claimed the US Open in September. She defended her Australian Open crown in 1998 and 1999, but was hampered by a succession of injuries in subsequent seasons and quit the sport in 2003, vowing never to return.
(Source BBC)
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