More about the year 1999
It is the first changeover of the final between Martina Hingis and Mary Pierce when suddenly applause surges through the hall for a “fellow player” sitting in the stand for the honorary guests. Only a few weeks after officially retiring from tournament tennis, Steffi Graf is a guest in Filderstadt. Martina Hingis holds her racket up in the direction of her former rival as if to say, “Come down, do you want to play for me?” Smiling, Steffi Graf declines. She is enjoying being an observer of the tennis scene that she had dominated for a decade. At her sixth Porsche Tennis Grand Prix appearance, Martina Hingis wins her third Porsche — and does so without Steffi’s support.