Martina Hingis once handed Monica Seles the worst loss of her career in the semifinals of the 2000 Miami Open. After the brutal drubbing, Pam Shriver explained why Hingis was so ruthless in her match against the nine-time Grand Slam champion.
Despite her legendary accomplishments, Seles struggled to challenge Hingis on the court, as evidenced by her 5-15 losing record against the Swiss. But it is also worth mentioning that all of their matches took place after Seles’ tragic stabbing incident, while Hingis was in her prime.
The most shocking match of their rivalry took place in the semifinals of the 2000 Miami Open, as Hingis claimed a clinical 6-0, 6-0 victory over Seles, who was dealing with a sprained ankle. The nine-time Grand Slam champion was even booed off the court after experiencing the first double-bagel of her career.
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In a 2008 article for The Guardian, tennis journalist Jon Wertheim recalled asking Pam Shriver why Martina Hingis hadn't shown Monica Seles any mercy and allowed her to win at least one game during the match. However, Shriver pointed out that Seles wouldn't have thought twice about steamrolling the Swiss in her prime.
"Think Monica would have done any different in her prime?" Shriver questioned.
Nevertheless, Seles was very disappointed by her performance against Hingis. In her post-match press conference, the Yugoslav-born American admitted that she had much higher expectations of herself than the level she had displayed.
"Well, it's hard not to be down after a performance like today. If you're an athlete, when you're out there not playing at all well, that would be terrible if I would be feeling happy after a match like this. I definitely feel very disappointed. It's the semifinals. I really expected a lot more of myself than what I showed today," Seles said.
Despite her ruthless showing on the court, Martina Hingis later gave props to Monica Seles for not quitting despite being in pain throughout the match.
"I was mortified" - Monica Seles on suffering 'worst defeat' of her career to Martina Hingis
Monica Seles' crushing 6-0, 6-0 loss to Martina Hingis definitely stuck out in the nine-time Grand Slam champion's memory since she opened up about the "mortifying" experience in her 2009 autobiography, 'Getting a Grip: On My Body, My Mind, My Self.'
Seles recounted how embarrassed she felt when the crowd booed and jeered her as she struggled to leave the court because of her ankle injury.
"It was the worst defeat of my career and the quickest: a measly thirty-nine minutes. I was mortified. The fighter in me had refused to default even though it would have been the smarter choice," the nine-time Major champion wrote.
"As the crowd threw raucous catcalls, boos and whistles at me, I could feel my face flushing with embarrassment and I hobbled off the court as quickly as my ankle would let me. For the first time in my career I had failed to win even one game. Not one," she added.
Monica Seles once also revealed that Martina Hingis was one of her "least favorite" rivals, explaining that the Swiss was the "most unpredictable" player to face.
