Martina Hingis, one of tennis's biggest stars in the 1990s and early 2000s, saw her career end at age 27 after testing positive for a cocaine metabolite and receiving a two-year ban from the sport. The Swiss former world No. 1 also faced public scandal when her first husband accused her of adultery.
Grand Slam Success and Rapid Rise
Hingis won 25 Grand Slam titles across singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, including multiple Wimbledon victories. She became the youngest Grand Slam singles champion of the 20th century when she won the 1997 Australian Open at 16. By 1997, she had secured five major singles titles and held the world No. 1 ranking for 209 consecutive weeks from March 1997—the fifth-longest reign in WTA history.
Positive Drug Test and Retirement
In 2007, at age 27, Hingis held a press conference to announce she had tested positive for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, during Wimbledon that year. She stated: "I have tested positive but I have never taken drugs and I feel 100% innocent. I am frustrated and angry. I find this accusation so horrendous, so monstrous, that I have decided to confront it head-on by talking to the press." Her sample contained 42 nanograms per millilitre of benzoylecgonine, which the International Tennis Federation's report described as a low quantity. Hingis appealed on grounds of contamination, but the appeal failed. In 2008, a tribunal imposed a two-year ban, prompting her immediate retirement from professional tennis.
Marriage Breakdown and Adultery Claims
Hingis's personal life also drew media attention. Her first husband, French equestrian Thibault Hutin, alleged he discovered her in bed with another man just one year after their marriage. He said: "Martina has a very personal conception of morality. She has always been like that; I think she has always been unfaithful to her boyfriends." The couple divorced.
Later Life and Reflection
In 2018, Hingis married former sports physician Harald Leemann and they had a daughter. However, by 2022, the couple separated. Hingis confirmed: "Yes, Harry and I have separated. We have different life plans and different goals and have grown apart from each other." Reflecting on her career, Hingis told ESPN: "My weapon on the tennis court is and always was one single thing: the game, the ingenuity on court. And for this style of tennis, there is only one performance enhancer—the love of the game."
