THINK of any 16 year-olds you know. It might be a sweeping statement, but they’re probably at least a bit stroppy and fairly unproductive. I certainly was at 16. Then think of a 16-year-old being the best in the world, and claiming the most prestigious prize, in a sport that literally millions of people play.

That’s the scenario that Martina Hingis found herself in exactly two decades ago. This summer is the 20th anniversary of Hingis winning Wimbledon for the first time. It is hard to articulate quite how remarkable an achievement that was and it is certainly arguable that the Swiss didn’t get the credit she deserved for it.

In fact, her Wimbledon victory came as little surprise. The previous year, aged just 15, she had become the youngest ever grand slam winner by taking the ladies doubles title at the All England club alongside Helena Sukova. She then began 1997 in imperious form, winning the Australian Open to become the youngest grand slam singles champion of the 20th century and reaching the final of the French Open.

Hingis’ victory over Jana Novotna in the 1997 Wimbledon final made her the youngest champion at SW19 since Lottie Dod in 1887 and by that point, she was already world No.1. I remember watching that Wimbledon final and in some ways, I could relate so closely to Hingis because she was only a couple of years older than me. But in other ways, she was like an alien life-form – I considered myself a half-decent teenage badminton player yet was playing nowhere more glamorous than the Kelvin Hall, whereas Hingis was plying her trade on Centre Court. It was, frankly, unbelievable and to put it into a modern-day context, only four of the world’s top 100 women’s singles players are currently teenagers, never mind 16-year-olds.

Hingis followed her Wimbledon victory with her third grand slam title of the year, at the US Open. It was an astonishingly dominant period, made all the more breathtaking by the fact she was basically still a child.

What is quite so remarkable about Hingis though, is that she is still playing at the highest level. While her career had some serious downs – including a positive drugs test for a metabolite of cocaine – she has been back competing with the best in the world, albeit on a doubles and mixed court, for the past four years, adding seven grand slam titles and an Olympic silver medal to her tally.

Her resurgence has been a joy to watch, with her touch, variation and chess-like tactics highlighting quite how much natural talent she possesses. With women’s tennis so overwhelmingly dominated these days by big-hitters, a player of Hingis’ ilk is exactly what the game needs. Hingis makes tennis interesting and unpredictable and engaging.

The Swiss is one of the favourites to add further to her grand slam count this Wimbledon and at the age of 36, she could well have another good few years in her. It’s arguable that she never quite got the plaudits she deserved for her precocious talent and achievements and with Serena Williams’ recent superiority dominating all conversations about women’s tennis, Hingis’ achievements have been somewhat swept aside. So when you flick on the Wimbledon coverage on television over the next fortnight and Hingis is playing, take half an hour to watch her and recognise that she is one of the most exceptional tennis players to ever have picked up a racket.

AND ANOTHER THING…

The 2017 Tour de France kicks off tomorrow with three-time winner and defending champion Chris Froome the bookies favourite to be wearing the yellow jersey in three weeks time. With Richie Porte, Nairo Quintana and Alberto Contador all looking strong though, this year’s race is shaping up to be a good one.

However, what might be the most interesting aspect of this summer’s Tour is the reception that Froome and Team Sky receive from the French crowd. Two years ago, Froome was on the receiving end of some pretty despicable behaviour by the fans who lined the roadside, with the Brit reportedly being spat at and having urine thrown at him following accusations by the media of doping. Nothing was ever proven and no evidence was even presented yet there was enough seeds of doubt planted to rile the French crowd.

This year’s race comes on the back of some quite ruinous headlines for Team Sky, with revelations of jiffy bags, TUEs and general nefarious behaviour blackening their name. This is the team, remember, which entered the sport by shouting about how transparent and open they were going to be in an attempt to try to rid cycling of much of the mistrust that surrounded it following years of doping scandals.

Team Sky may or may not be cheats but they have done everything they possibly can to arouse suspicion about their conduct. The French crowds, for whatever reason, have never taken Team Sky or its riders to their heart and now, with these rumours hanging over its riders like the heaviest of French rainclouds, it will be interesting to observe the reception the team receives over the next three weeks. It could get ugly – and frankly, Team Sky deserve every ounce of condemnation they get.

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