Martina Hingis to bid adieu to tennis after WTA Finals

Johannesburg [South Africa], October 27 (ANI): Swiss tennis star Martina Hingis has announced that she will bid adieu to the game after this week's WTA Finals and put an end to her 23-year long illustrious career.

Prior to this, the 37-year-old had retired twice -- once as a 22-year-old in 2003 and again in November 2007 -- after a hip injury and testing positive for a metabolite of cocaine.

However, the former world number one player is going to call curtains on her career for the third time now after the ongoing WTA Finals in Singapore.

"Here we are for the third, and final time. Looking back now, it's hard to believe that almost exactly 23 years ago I made my professional debut," Hingis announced on Facebook.

"The years that followed have been some of the most rewarding years of my life, both personally and professionally, but I believe the time has come for me to retire, which I will be doing after my last match here in Singapore," she added.

The announcement came after Hingis' 6-3, 6-2 women's doubles win alongside Chan Yung-Jan over Germany's Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Czech Republic Kveta Peschke.

The Swiss tennis player took the tennis world by storm when she lifted her first three major titles--the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open in 1997--at the age of just 16.

Having enjoyed a considerable success since her reincarnation as a doubles specialist, Hingis is putting an end to her career at the top of the rankings and with 20 major titles in doubles and mixed doubles.

Recently, Hingis has also bagged this year's Wimbledon and US Open mixed doubles titles. (ANI)