WTA: A touch of melancholy: Federer will miss “Swiss Miss” Hingis

Roger Federer also regretted the surprising resignation of Martina Hingis. However, the 37-year-old left a back door open for a comeback.

Roger Federer was by no means as surprised as many others. But that did not save the perhaps biggest tennis player of all time from a nostalgic look into the future. A future on the tour, in which Martina Hingis, the woman with the fascinatingly brilliant understanding of the game, will be missing. 23 years after her debut in the WTA circuit, the “Swiss Miss” will end at the end of the year.

“We’ll never see them again. It’s going to be completely different without her,”said Federer on the fringes of his home tournament in Basel and rolled out the red carpet once again for his countrywoman:”Martina is one of those who showed me how it’s done:” It was an immense stroke of luck,”enthused the 19-times Grand Slam champion,”to have a caliber as big as her in Switzerland.

Only a few hours earlier, Hingis, the youngest number one in the world to date, had been surprised to see himself in Singapore, some 14,143 kilometres away,”I would not have expected my decision to remain secret for so long. But now the cat is out of the bag,”said the 37-year-old at the WTA final of the top eight doubles teams – showing her unmistakable grin:” It’s better to stop at the climax, so it’s the best time for me.

On Thursday, curiously enough, a Spanish newspaper first reported on Hingis’s forthcoming resignation at the end of the year. A colleague of hers was just talking.

At the beginning of the season, Hingis had already decided to resign for the third time in a row. The native Czechoslovakian inaugurated only her closest surroundings with the 25 major titles (5 in singles, 13 in doubles, 7 in mixed). Her double partner Chan Yung-Jan from Taiwan, with whom she will be contesting the semi-finals against Timea Babos/Andrea Hlavackova (Hungary/Czech Republic) on Saturday in Singapore, knew the decision before she agreed to cooperate.

Hingis is considered a pioneer. In 1997, the Kosice-born right-hander entered the tennis throne at the age of 16 for the first time.”That feels as if it had been in a different life,” said the former rival of the German tennis icon Steffi Graf recently.

Hingis was the first global star of Swiss sport. The hearts never closed in on her. Success on the square and millions on the account can make you lonely.

In 2007, after a positive cocaine test, Hingis ended her career for the second time. And she did not return as a single player – only as a double and mixed professional (2013).

As history shows, I have rarely been able to stay away from tennis for a long time…”she wrote on Facebook.

Anyway, Federer would surely be happy about a new return. In connection with her fellow countryman, Hingis once formulated a phrase that was as astonishing as it was apt to find out whether she was bothered by the fact that Federer got the admiration she never received.

“Those who precede pave the way. The honour goes to those who follow,”said Hingis, who never complained about her role. Martina seems to be totally at peace with herself and her resignation decision,”said the Maestro.