5 of the best WTA World No. 1s

#5 Martina Hingis

Martina Hingis will always be remembered for what she could have become rather than what she became

It is rather unusual for me to include a player who has won only 5 singles Grand Slams as against the minimum of 18 won by those mentioned earlier in this list. However, the prodigy, the force that Martina Hingis was back in her heyday merits her inclusion here.

Martina Hingis remains the youngest Grand Slam champion when she won the women's doubles title with Helena Sukova at the All England Championships at Wimbledon in 1996 aged just 15 years and 9 months. She became the world number one the next year.

She became the youngest Grand Slam singles title winner at 16 years and 3 months by winning the Australian Open. She then won the singles title at the All England Championships at Wimbledon, becoming the youngest champion at the venue in 110 years. She also won the US Open defeating Venus Williams (who would eventually become world number one and is now regarded as an all-time great). In 1998, she won the women's doubles title at every Grand Slam, becoming just the fourth woman to do so.

Injuries then wrecked her career. She underwent operations on both of her ankles and retired at the age of 22 having won 40 singles and 36 doubles titles. She made a comeback and has been extremely successful in singles having won 13 women's doubles Grand Slams and 7 mixed doubles Grand Slams. In all, she has won 25 Grand Slams and an Olympic Silver medal in mixed doubles. As sad as it is, the world will always wonder what she could have become rather than appreciate what she became.