How many slams would Martina Hingis have won in a wooden racket era?

I've been reading a few Hingis threads lately. Let me quote a poster, BTurner.

This woman would have been far more of a threat in earlier eras, especially with wood rackets. The Big Babe Brigade swing away without much penalty thanks to the larger sweet spots in modern rackets, their timing does not have to be pristine, and their sheer pace means winners from several feet behind the baseline even with slight mishits. That kind of unbridled aggression would lose them a lot more matches than it would win them, with smaller rackets. But Hingis had exquisite timing, perfect balance and great hands, she'd be winning a lot more majors than they, with smaller sweet-spots and less powerful equipment. She played a placement game, a tactical game in the very last years such a game could succeed.

In an era of wooden rackets, say seventies and/or eighties, would Hingis have had a more successful career and would she thus be regarded more highly than she is today?

What do you think?
 
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tennistiger

Professional
Difficult to say, her play was made for that but she had little power herself. She always needed and wanted rackets giving her high shot speed. That in contrast could have been a problem.
 

CyBorg

Legend
Probably more in the 70s for various reasons. If she didn't play WTT, she could have feasted on those French Opens without Chris Evert.

And it's true her style was probably better suited for that era.

But wasn't Hingis's real problem psychological? Tennis was not less stressful in the 70s.
 

PDJ

G.O.A.T.
I've been reading a few Hingis threads lately. Let me quote a poster, BTurner.



In an era of wooden rackets, say seventies and/or eighties, would Hingis have had a more successful career and would she thus be regarded more highly than she is today?

What do you think?
Yes l think Hingis would have won more with wood, certainly than say the Williams sisters, Davenport, Muguruza et al.
My only reservation is she could be petulant and too quick to end rallies by being clever, so she would never have had the success of Evert.
I think Barty would do well with a wooden racquet.
 

mistik

Hall of Fame
She would wın double dıgıt slams but ı stıll don thınk She ıs better than C Everett so ıt wont be 18 slams or somethıng
 
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skaj

Legend
Her problem was power, or rather lack of it. In the era when the pace was much lesser she would probably win twice as much. Hingis was a bit like Evert with a net game, only not as strong mentally.
 

boredone3456

G.O.A.T.
With her game I think she would have had less trouble with wood than many others of her generation. That being said, I don't know how she would have handled other top players of the 60's and 70's. Her ego would have taken a bit of a beating from them I think.
 
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PDJ

G.O.A.T.
Her problem was power, or rather lack of it. In the era when the pace was much lesser she would probably win twice as much. Hingis was a bit like Evert with a net game, only not as strong mentally.
Evert's power was deceptive - contemporaries of the time said no one hit the ball harder than her and Austin when both were at the top of the game.
 

Patriots

Semi-Pro
The women of that era (60's and 70's) were no pushovers.

Martina Hingis facing a tuned in Billie Jean King or a focused Margaret Court or even the streaky Evonne Goolagong could have psychologically caved in. Hingis' issue was she didn't take adversity very well...
 

skaj

Legend
The women of that era (60's and 70's) were no pushovers.

Martina Hingis facing a tuned in Billie Jean King or a focused Margaret Court or even the streaky Evonne Goolagong could have psychologically caved in. Hingis' issue was she didn't take adversity very well...

She had a couple of infamous missed opportunities, but she was actually not a weak player mentally.
 

Fedinkum

Legend
Hingis hit the scene at perfect time with the mid size graphite racket. Any earlier, she would be underpowered by the wood, any later she would have got overpowered by the bab and poly.
 

PDJ

G.O.A.T.
For that time. Today that's nothing.
But that's not relevant to the OP: which is how Hingis would fare with wood. And given Hingis had similarities to Evert, and Austin, I'd say it was pertinent.
 

skaj

Legend
But that's not relevant to the OP: which is how Hingis would fare with wood. And given Hingis had similarities to Evert, and Austin, I'd say it was pertinent.

The point was that Hingis would be "powerful" enough for that era.
 

PDJ

G.O.A.T.
The point was that Hingis would be "powerful" enough for that era.
Ok. Then wouldn't it be accurate to compare Hingis to the two most powerful/consistent hitters of the last era to use mostly wood?
 

boredone3456

G.O.A.T.
The women of that era (60's and 70's) were no pushovers.

Martina Hingis facing a tuned in Billie Jean King or a focused Margaret Court or even the streaky Evonne Goolagong could have psychologically caved in. Hingis' issue was she didn't take adversity very well...

Hingis's issue was she thought she was the definition of IT. 1997 was a blessing and a curse for her. It was her best year, and it made her think on some level she really didn't need to do much else to her game to adapt to other players rising with her. Her frustration at that came out in some of her nasty remarks about other players like Mauresmo, Graf, The Williams..ironically Davenport beat the stuffing out of her several times and she left her alone. Maybe getting handled by Court, King, Bueno, Goolagong and Evert a few times in her young, formative years, would have actually changed her demeanor and motivated her to be an even better player than she was. She had so much ability, she just got in her own way.
 

PDJ

G.O.A.T.
Hingis's issue was she thought she was the definition of IT. 1997 was a blessing and a curse for her. It was her best year, and it made her think on some level she really didn't need to do much else to her game to adapt to other players rising with her. Her frustration at that came out in some of her nasty remarks about other players like Mauresmo, Graf, The Williams..ironically Davenport beat the stuffing out of her several times and she left her alone. Maybe getting handled by Court, King, Bueno, Goolagong and Evert a few times in her young, formative years, would have actually changed her demeanor and motivated her to be an even better player than she was. She had so much ability, she just got in her own way.
What also might have helped Hingis was if she played regular doubles with BJK - that would have helped her mature. Even playing with Virginia Wade as she wouldn't have stood for the Hingis petulance.
Hingis and Bueno - gosh can you imagine how incredible that doubles pairing would have been. And again good for Hingis development as there would only be room for one diva, and she'd be called Maria!
:)
 

Patriots

Semi-Pro
What also might have helped Hingis was if she played regular doubles with BJK - that would have helped her mature. Even playing with Virginia Wade as she wouldn't have stood for the Hingis petulance.
Hingis and Bueno - gosh can you imagine how incredible that doubles pairing would have been. And again good for Hingis development as there would only be room for one diva, and she'd be called Maria!
:)

Maria was an angel !
Not.
 

boredone3456

G.O.A.T.
What also might have helped Hingis was if she played regular doubles with BJK - that would have helped her mature. Even playing with Virginia Wade as she wouldn't have stood for the Hingis petulance.
Hingis and Bueno - gosh can you imagine how incredible that doubles pairing would have been. And again good for Hingis development as there would only be room for one diva, and she'd be called Maria!
:)

I agree. All the champions of the 60's and 70's would have quickly put Martina in her place. ASV/Graf didn't really have the personality to clap at Martina. Seles was going through so much of her own problems to be worried about her. BJK, Evert, Court, King, Wade...none of them would have stood for it. At the same time, they would have been an amazing guide for Martina as well I Think. Martina came in as a transition champion in in so many ways. She won young and it went to her head. Players of the 60''s and 70's would have smacked that back...and they also would have stood alongside her and through doubles helped her grow as a player and showed her how to respect her partners (not treat them the way she would treat Novotna and Kournikova)
 
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BTURNER

Legend
Been gone awhile. Hingis would have loved the tactical side of the wooden era sport. She was so good at creating opportunities out of nothing, using her touch and her variety. Her returns and passing shots and lobs were sublime. Anyone thinking King, Court, Wade etc would be walking all over her, I think are wrong. Whie she was not a mentally disciplined as Chris was, Martina had an added benefit Evert did not, because she really could take the net away against serve volley types, either on second serve returns or by Serve and volleying herself and she was not afraid to try anything to change the dynamic of a match. I think some BJK v Hingis matches or Goolagong -v Hingis would have been fascinating. Literally every volley, groundstroke, serve and shot in tennis would have been evident and in patterns nobody expects.
 
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goldenera

Semi-Pro
Been gone awhile. Hingis would have loved the tactical side of the wooden era sport. She was so good at creating opportunities out of nothing, using her touch and her variety. Her returns and passing shots and lobs were sublime. Anyone thinking King, Court, Wade etc would be walking all over her, I think are wrong. Whie she was not a mentally disciplined as Chris was, Martina had an added benefit Evert did not, because she really could take the net away against serve volley types, either on second serve returns or by Serve and volleying herself and she was not afraid to try anything to change the dynamic of a match. I think some BJK v Hingis matches or Goolagong -v Hingis would have been fascinating. Literally every volley, groundstroke, serve and shot in tennis would have been evident and in patterns nobody expects.
Great thread..more than Mandlikova and Austin and as many as Goolagong at least
 

NicoMK

Hall of Fame
How many slams would Martina Hingis have won in a wooden racket era?
Answer : a lot!

She is so
talented that she can play with barely everything and still win titles.
 
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