Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.

Martina Hingis won her first Grand Slam event in 1997, when she was just 16 years old, winning three majors in the singles. A year later in 1998, she won her first doubles crown at the US Open, which wasn’t surprising, given that she was only 15 years old, joining Helena Sukova in 1996 to win Wimbledon.

On Sunday in New York, the now 35 year old won another doubles crown, winning the 2015 US Open with Sania Mirza. The Swiss Hingis has now won 20 Grand Slam events, five singles, 11 doubles and four mixed doubles.

She says that she has yet to lose her luster.

“No, especially now I think it means even more. It’s different,” Hingis said.  “Of course, singles titles, those five no one can ever take away from me. I will be forever proud about what I achieved in my early days.

But being the youngest one here and there, what I was able to do, like looking back at it is incredible. When I see 15, 16 years old today, it’s like playing juniors and all that has — so much has changed. Everything for me it a bonus.”

Hingis played singles as well as doubles, even when she was No. 1, rarely getting tired. These days, it’s rare. While No.1 Serena Williams will occasionally play in the doubles at the Grand Slam with her older sister, Venus, but some other top competitors like Maria Sharapova, Simona Halep, Caroline Wozniacki and Ana Ivanovic hardly ever play the doubles. According to Hingis, one of the reasons why the Italian Flavia Pennetta won the 2015 US Open singles is because she played a ton of singles and doubles and that helped her have more variety.

As Hingis says, maybe more of the top players should do the same.

“In the women’s game, we have a lot of singles players playing the game, but sometimes they just don’t go through,” Hingis said. “Flavia won the title yesterday, but we beat them [Pennetta and Sara Errani] in the semifinals. It’s not necessary that the women’s singles player don’t play, but sometimes they are successful, like Errani or [the singles finalist Roberta] Vinci was, and that helps them in the singles game.

“Flavia was a great. She has two Grand Slam titles. I think in the women’s game you see that a lot more that you have singles players play the game, but are very successful. You have the top 5. They sometimes don’t even play because they weren’t very good. It’s not like Halep tried. Wozniacki played, Ivanovic, but they don’t win Slams. They try to focus more on the singles. Definitely lately it’s been in the women’s that they also try to play, but doesn’t mean that they have to win right away.”

Copyright © 2015. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.