“She just did something crazy,” Steffi Graff had sympathies with Martina Hingis over cruel French Open debacle
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Martina Hingis, Steffi Graff
Martina Hingis and Steffi Graff were fierce rivals back in the late 90s. Their last meeting came at the French Open final in 1999, which will be remembered for several reasons. In an interview dating to 2009, Steffi Graff opened up on the the final in Paris, and sympathized with her opponent who went through a range of emotions.
The French Open 1999 final meant a lot to Steffi Graff as it was her last major title, before announcing her retirement later that year. The German legend reflected that she felt pretty calm and composed on the day of the finale, despite it being such a huge occasion.
“The first picture is just of me standing there, almost having a little smile on my face , being super happy and looking at the crowd. In the match, usually you’re tensed you’re nervous, you go through all these emotions and I was just happy being on the court. It was weird, you know, you’re in the final, you’re supposed to be nervous,” Graff said.
Steffi Graff came from behind to win the match in three sets and add another title to her tally. The German won 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 in an absolute thriller of a final.
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“You don’t wish that for anybody,” Steffi Graff on Martina Hingis’ meltdown during the final
Martina Hingis lost control of her emotions in the third set, and played some tricks which upset the fans in the stadium. The Swiss legend was mocked by the fans in the final set, and she cut into an emotional figure by the end of the match. Steffi Graff sympathized with her former rival and stated that tennis could be a brutal sport at times.
“I can understand it from her point, I mean, she didn’t know at this point what to do and she just did something crazy,” she added.
“Such a cruel moment in the sense and you know, as a tennis player you go through all of these moments in a different way and you always feel for your opponent, there’s no question, you don’t wish that for anybody,” the German continued.
Steffi Graff ended her career with 22 major titles, whereas, Martina Hingis had five major singles titles to her name. Post her defeat in the French Open final in 1999, the Swiss legend did not achieve much success in singles, but made a huge impression on the Doubles Tour in the 2010s.
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Nirmit Mehta
(2425 Articles Published)