Murray seeks new partner as Hingis hangs up racket
Jamie Murray is searching for a new mixed doubles partner after Martina Hingis announced her retirement from tennis for a third time.
The 37-year-old Swiss, who had forged a unbeaten partnership with the Scot that brought them ten victories in ten matches and grand slam glory at both Wimbledon and the US Open earlier this year, revealed the news at the WTA Finals in Singapore, where she is playing in the doubles event with partner Chan Yung-jan.
Quoted on srf.ch, Hingis said: “It’s the right time for me. It’s better to stop at the peak and I can say I had a very good time.
“The successes I’ve had over the past three years have been great and it’s going to be hard to beat anyway. And my priorities change, too, of course.”
Hingis returned to the sport for the third time in 2013 and enjoyed a hugely successful career in doubles, winning ten more grand slam titles, taking her overall tally to 25. She retires ranked as the doubles world No 1 and as the holder of the US Open women’s doubles title as well as the mixed titles at Wimbledon and in New York. Hingis prompted speculation about her future at the US Open when she stopped short of committing to going for a third straight mixed crown with Murray at the Australian Open.
Hingis was a child prodigy and the youngest ever grand slam champion, winning the women’s doubles with Helena Sukova at Wimbledon in 1996 at the age of just 15. The following year she dominated in singles, winning the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open titles and reaching the French Open final.
She was ranked world No 1 aged 16 and added two more grand slam singles titles in her teens as well as completing the women’s doubles Grand Slam in 1998. But Hingis began to struggle with ankle problems and first retired from tennis in 2003 aged just 22.
Four years later Hingis returned with more success, winning two WTA Tour singles events in 2006 and qualifying for the WTA Finals as wellaswinningherfirstmixed doubles grand slam title.
But injuries began to take their toll once more and then in November 2007 Hingis announced she had tested positive for a metabolite of cocaine at Wimbledon. She appealed but was given a twoyear ban by the International Tennis Federation and retired again,butwasbackin2010 playing in the seniors doubles events at several grand slams.
After being inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in the summer of 2013, Hingis announced she was making another comeback on the main tour, this time only in doubles. She won just her second slam title in 13 years with Sania Mirza in the women’s doubles at Wimbledon in 2015 and then added the mixed title with Leander Paes the following day.
Hingis and Mirza won 41 straight matches, racking up titles at the US Open, WTA Finals and Australian Open.
Hingis’ subsequent achievements also included a first Olympic medal when she and Timea Bacsinszky claimed silver in the women’s doubles in Rio last summer. Meanwhile, Venus Williams, pictured, reversed her Wimbledon final loss to Garbine Muguruza to reach the semifinals of the WTA Finals with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over the Spaniard. This was a straight fight for the knockout stages between the two and Muguruza’s loss also ends her hopes of finishing the season ranked world No 1.
Williams is likely to face Caroline Wozniacki in the semi-finals while Karolina Pliskova will meet the runnerup in the Red Group, which will be decided today. England depart for Australia tomorrow hoping to return in the new year having retained the Ashes, though it is a man who will not be on the flight that may hold the key.
Vice-captain Ben Stokes will not be one of the 16 players on the plane due to an ongoing police investigation, which opened after the all-rounder was arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm following an incident outside a Bristol nightclub last month. He was released without charge but remains under investigation.
Stokes has not been ruled out of the five-match Test series, which begins in Brisbane on 23 November, but is out of consideration for selection until further notice, and England will certainly be a stronger side should he be available Down Under.
The question is whether they can win without him, particularly in a country where their last Test contests ended in a 5-0 whitewash defeat.
Moeen Ali believes they can still emerge victorious even without his fellow allrounder.
“If he’s not there, then we’re going to have to play well without him,” said Moeen. “[But] I definitely feel we can still win.
“He’s one of the main players we have, and it would be great to have him out there, but we’ll see what happens.”
Yet ex-england skipper Michael Vaughan believes the hosts will be “clear favourites” if Stokes is not out there. He said: “I’ve not seen too many celebrations from the Australians but I’m sure in private they have cracked open a few bottles of Penfold.”