Oct 27th, 2017

Oct 27th, 2017

Former world No.1 Martina Hingis has retired from tennis, saying this time she gets to walk away from the sport on her own terms.

It's the third time the 37-year-old will have retired - the last time being in 2007 after she tested positive to cocaine at Wimbledon.

She will walk away as soon as her commitments playing doubles at the WTA Finals in Singapore are complete.

That is not quite yet, as she and partner Yung-Jan Chan of Chinese Taipei beat the Czech Republic's Kvete Peschke and Germany's Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6-3 6-2 on Thursday evening.

The five-time singles and 13-time doubles grand slam winner says this time, it is for good.

"Now it's definite, so it's different, because before I walked away thinking I might come back, and if I didn't, so that was it," Hingis said.

"I think it's the right thing to do this time around."

Hingis says all her doubles and mixed doubles partners already knew that this would be her last year.

"My partners already knew it and the rumour was out there," she said.

"I told (Yung) from the start, Hey, this will probably be my last year.

"You want to stop on top and not when you're already going backwards."

Hingis is the youngest ever grand slam champion, winning the women's doubles at Wimbledon in 1996 aged 15.

The following year she dominated in singles, winning the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open titles and reaching the French Open final.

She was ranked world No.1 at 16 years of age and added two more grand slam singles titles in her teens.

But Hingis began to struggle with ankle problems and announced her retirement aged 22 in 2003.

Four years later Hingis returned with more success, winning her first mixed doubles grand slam title.

But injuries began to take their toll once more and then in November 2007 came the positive cocaine test.

She appealed but was given a two-year ban by the International Tennis Federation and retired again.

She was back in 2010 and won yet more grand slam titles over the next seven years in doubles and mixed doubles.

Hingis says she won't be lost to the game,.

"I'll be always part of the game of tennis (but) I will definitely take some time out," she said.

"I have done coaching before. I can help my mum at her tennis school."

©AAP2017