That was already a big deal for me, just to play there.”The first time I actually saw the Centre Court was when I played the first time against Steffi Graf.” Hingis laughed at the recollection from 1995 “That was my first match, my first loss, on Centre Court. There was a big crowd there – first round, Hingis-Graf – but it wasn’t a great experience.”It was kind of disappointing for me. “Well, the juniors weren’t allowed to go there, so I didn’t even try it I just watched the matches on TV I played the finals on Court One. Every Grand Slam tournament is very specific, but Wimbledon is something special.”So, too, is Hingis. As a 13-year-old, having made a successful defence of her French title, she became the youngest winner of the Wimbledon junior singles championship.She had yet to visit the Centre Court. I was thinking that it’s a big tennis tournament for every player, and everybody wants to win it once, at least, and for me it was a big thing just to be there already.”Did the experience live up to expectations? “I had watched a couple of times on television, when Martina Navratilova won there, or Steffi Graf, and the atmosphere is just so different from all the other tournaments.

“I never had a problem changing surfaces, and I just tried to play a couple of times on grass,” she recounted. “I went there on Thursday, a week before the juniors started, and made the semi-finals from the first point on, and it didn’t really affect me that I hadn’t played on grass.”Everybody was saying, `Yes, it’s grass, it’s Wimbledon, it’s a big deal’. Her immediate objective, however, was the junior event at Wimbledon. “Personally, I don’t have any problems with the grass,” she said, “even though I’ve never played on grass.”Her mind dictated that she would not be intimidated by the prospect. In the course of her media interview, Hingis said she already felt “capable of playing with the big girls”. I was only 12 at that time, and that was also one of my records. I felt very confident, and I felt very happy with the city and everything.”The date was 6 June, 1993.

During the French Open, for example, Hingis declared that it was her right to play on the Centre Court, because she was No 1.Hingis has grown accustomed to global travel. She endeavours to compete to the best of her ability while not neglecting to enjoy the ambience of the contrasting locations Paris ranks high on her list of favourites. “I also like the tournament, because my first big win at a Grand Slam was at the French Open when I was a junior. Martina has lived in Trubbach, Switzerland, since the age of seven, although her mother and Mr Zogg divorced in September last year.