Friday, April 02, 2010

Memorable Martina Moment: Australian Open Final 1997









Nothing more memorable then Hingis's very first grand slam title beating Mary Pierce at the tender age of 16.

I must admit I don't remember much of the match itself (probably because it was so one sided as it often was with Hingis throughout her career).

But I do remember the closing ceremony (a great reminder of just how far she has come with her English).

It was at this tournament and at that moment that I became a fan of hers. I just remember seeing this young kid with so much guile, cheekiness and poise.

Showing a lot of emotions that many players at the time just didn't do (many still don't in fact).

I think many people often saw her confidence at such a young age as arrogance, but it never came across that way to me.

I found it refreshing that someone so young was so fearless (especially on such big occasions as Grand Slams).

Most people at her age just chocked and could barely win a game being too intimidated by either the player they were facing or the event itself.

But not with Martina she just took it all in stride. That to me made her that much more intriguing to watch.

Watching old matches like these always makes me long for the good old days... *sigh*.

At least we'll be seeing a lot of her this summer, to say I'm looking forward to it would be the understatement of the year.

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