"We're so much prettier than all the other women in sports" - When Martina Hingis threw shade at Cynthia Cooper, Teresa Weatherspoon & the entire WNBA

Martina Hingis is one of the greatest tennis players to ever play the sport, bursting onto the scene as a teeanger in 1994. In 1997, at the age of just 17, she was already a World No. 1 in the WTA, the first ever player from Switzerland to achieve the honor.

As widely as she was known for her tennis prowess, Hingis also earned a reputation as something of a fire-brand, never shying away from speaking her mind. The Swiss has become entangled in several controversies with other players, including the likes of Serena Williams and Venus Williams.

Hingis' shade-throwing ways did not stop with just tennis. In 1998, speaking in an interview with Detour magazine, the reporter told her that he was doing a story on the WTA Tour that year. The five-time Grand Slam champion responded with a direct dig at the WNBA players at the time, saying that she and other tennis players were way more prettier than them.

"I'm glad you're doing this story on us and not on the WNBA. We're so much prettier than all the other women in sports," Martina Hingis said.

The WNBA, at the time, was nowhere near as popular as it was today, and had 10 teams in the league with 30 regular-season games. That year, the Houston Comets won their second WNBA Championship.

Cynthia Cooper, playing for the Comets, won the WNBA Finals MVP award and the WNBA MVP award for the season. Considered one of the greatest women's basketball players of all-time, Cooper went on to become a successful coach, coaching USC and Texas Southern women's basketball teams, among others.

Meanwhile, Teresa Weatherspoon, representing New York Liberty, won the WNBA Defensive MVP award. She has also become a coach now, working with the Chicago Sky last year before joining Unrivaled's Vinyl Sky this year. The 1998 WNBA Tour also included the likes of Suzie McConnell Serio, Isabelle Fijalkowski, Tracy Reid and Isabelle Fijalkowski.

How did Martina Hingis fare in the 1998 season?

Day Fourteen: The Championships - Wimbledon 2024 - Source: Getty

As for her own 1998 season performance, Martina Hingis started the year at World No. 1 but ended it at No. 2 in singles. She won the Australian Open and the WTA FInals, with five titles to her name overall. In doubles, she finished World No. 2 as well, climbing one spot up from World No. 3 at the start of the year.

Hingis has previously spoken about her early entry into the world of tennis and how it prevented her from enjoying a normal teenager life. The Swiss, interestingly, stated that she did not regret how her life turned out, thanking her mother for helping her keep her life intact despite the constant travelling.

“In my case I definitely wouldn’t want to change what I went through with anyone. It’s a lot cooler than having to go to school.”

“I did education until I was 14 when I turned pro and then some later on as well, but I think this is the best education you can get. My mom always made sure that when we traveled to different cities and countries that we also took something from there to learn about," Martina Hingis said (via CNN).

Hingis retired from tennis for good in 2017, ending with five singles Slams, 13 women's doubles Slams and seven Majors in mixed doubles.