Newport, 14 July 2013 | APiainternational.com.au

Martina Hingis’s tennis life started right from birth and her days playing with a racquet began barely after she learned to walk.

It was only fitting that she became one of the youngest players to be enshrined in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Hingis led a large 2013 class that was inducted on Saturday during an on-court ceremony that lasted just over 90 minutes, including a 25-minute rain delay on Newport’s grass courts.

Born in the former Czechoslovakia before moving to Switzerland at a young age, Hingis was named after a women’s tennis great.

“My biggest influence was my mom because she was a professional player, too,” Hingis said during a news conference before the ceremony.

“She started me when I was 2 years old. Another was Martina Navratilova, obviously – (my mom) gave me the name so that was the destiny that was programed already. When I started playing at 2 years old, that was the path.”

After the rain delay, Hingis, dressed in a purple sleeveless dress with her hair still soaked, told the crowd: “Thank you, tennis. You gave me the world, and now I honestly am out of words, because there are no words to explain what I feel. You chose to give me a place here for eternity.”

Hingis is the fourth youngest to be inducted – behind Tracy Austin (30), Bjorn Borg (31) and Hana Mandlikova (32).

The 32-year-old Hingis burst onto the professional scene when she was 14. Two years later, she won three of the four major tournaments, taking the titles at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open in 1997.

In her career, Hingis won five Grand Slam singles championships – including three straight at the Australian Open from 1997-99 – and 43 singles titles overall. She also was a part of 37 doubles titles.

Often troubled by foot injuries, Hingis retired for a second time in 2007 when she drew a two-year suspension for testing positive for cocaine at Wimbledon. Hingis denied taking the drug but did not appeal the ruling.

Stan Smith, the president of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, called her “one of the most complete players.”

Also enshrined were 94-year-old Australian great Thelma Coyne Long (pictured), inducted in the master player category, and industry leaders Ion Tiriac, Cliff Drysdale and Charlie Pasarell. Rod Laver accepted for Long. Six other were inducted in the masters category posthumously.