Even the greatest Grand Slam champions need guidance to win.
So who taught the young Roger Federer to win championships?
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Martina Hingis—and she doesn't let Federer forget it.
In an interview with the Times of India, Martina reveals she often reminds Roger that she taught him to win during their run to the 2001 Hopman Cup title.
"You could always see the talent. I tell him I was the one who taught him how to win titles," a giggling Hingis told the Times of India. "Before that he played a few finals but didn't win anything. Hopman Cup was his first big title and he has won a few after that, isn't it?"
In 2001, Hingis was the star attraction and Federer a rising young talent when they joined forces to lead Switzerland to the Hopman Cup championship with a win over Monica Seles and Jan-Michael Gambill in the final.
Hingis and Federer remain good friends. The Grand Slam king, who once served as a ball boy during a Hingis match, revealed he is the former No. 1's "biggest admirer."
In this International Tennis Hall of Fame video tribute to Hingis, Federer praises his former mixed doubles partner.
"I was always the biggest admirer of her," Federer says. "How, at a young age, she was able to handle the pressure and play so well. And then obviously the whole combination was just incredible."
Photo credit: Christopher Levy