Drug test spurs Hingis to retire
In an out-of-nowhere end to Martina Hingis’ comeback, the five-time Grand Slam champion revealed Thursday she tested positive for cocaine at Wimbledon and will retire for a second time rather than fight what she called a “horrendous” accusation.
“I am frustrated and angry,” the 27-year-old Hingis said at a news conference in Zurich, Switzerland, her voice breaking as she fought back tears. “I believe that I am absolutely, 100 percent innocent.”
She read a prepared statement ending with the vow, “I have never taken drugs,” then left without taking questions.
Hingis tested positive June 29, the day she lost to American Laura Granville in the third round at Wimbledon. It was her first tournament after missing 1 ½ months with hip and back injuries.
She said the positive test, which could lead to a doping suspension of up to two years, led to her retirement because she doesn’t want to spend years fighting the case.
Hingis returned to the sport two years ago after a three-year absence due to injuries.
Although doping charges usually are announced by a sports league or event, athletes are told if a sample tests positive. A second, backup sample then is tested. Mario Widmer, Hingis’ manager, said she learned of the first positive test result in mid-September and the second two or three weeks later.
“I find this accusation so horrendous, so monstrous, that I have decided to confront it head-on by talking to the press,” she said.
She said she hired an attorney who found “various inconsistencies” with the urine sample from Wimbledon.
“He is also convinced that the doping officials mishandled the process,” she said.