The 1999 French Open Final had it all…
Precocious teenager and world no. 1 Martina Hingis squared off against 21-time Grand Slam singles champion and tennis legend Steffi Graf.
Swiss sensation Hingis was the pre-eminent force in women’s tennis by the mid to late ’90s, having won the Australian Open in 1997 at the age of 16.
The child prodigy added Wimbledon and US Open titles that same year and claimed two more victories Down Under in 1998 and 1999.
Hingis also held a calendar year slam in doubles in ’98 and was the consensus best player in the world – but the French Open title still eluded her.
Five-time French Open winner Graf, meanwhile, was over ten years Hingis’ senior and hadn’t won a major title in three years, largely due to injuries.
The match took a contentious turn when Hingis disputed a line call, despite the umpire upholding the call after reviewing the mark.
Hingis then broke convention – and the rules – by walking over to Graf’s side of the net and pointing to the mark she felt proved her point.
The Parisian crowd took exception to her behaviour and jeered loudly.
Hingis refused to play and returned to her chair while requesting that the tournament referee investigate further.
Tournament referee Gilbert Ysern emerged onto the court and denied Hingis the overrule while threatening disqualification.
She was given a point penalty from the umpire and eventually returned to the court, losing the game as Graf made it 2-1.
