Domination.
In discussions about the state of tennis this word is being thrown around more than any other. Novak Djokovic? Domination. Serena Williams? Domination. “SanTina”? What is that?
Doubles has pretty famously been neglected by, well, pretty much everyone. Journalists, pundits, the media, fans, you name it, they tend to ignore it. But every now and then the doubles world forces these groups to stand up and pay attention. “SanTina” is one of those occasions.
“Santina” is the self-titled partnership name of Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis, unquestionably one of the most dangerous doubles pairings in recent history. The duo have been together for less than a year but already have twelve doubles titles, including the last three Grand Slams.
After claiming the Australian Open title, the pair have now set their short-term sights on breaking the 26-year-old record of 44 consecutive victories set by Jana Novotna and Helena Sukova. With 36 victories on the trot, the world #1s need just 9 more straight victories to surpass this figures. If they surpass it they will only be behind the 109 straight victories by Pam Shriver and Martina Navratilova between 1983 and 1985.
The chances of them surpassing that record are highly unlikely in the modern era, but the way they have taken over the women’s doubles tour by the scruff of the neck demonstrates quite how badly they want to rule the roost. The Bryan Brothers have long been the recognizable name on the doubles circuit but with their decline it seems like “SanTina” are ready to take over the mantle of leading the doubles community.
So why are they such a formidable duo?
Unlike many of the higher seeded doubles pairs, “SanTina” have pushed singles by the wayside and are dedicating all of their time to the doubles tour. A brief look at the rankings will show that players just below them – Kristina Mladenovic, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Elena Vesnina, Lucie Safarova – are all players who are also slogging it out week-in-week-out on the singles tour.
They talk themselves about how their two different styles complement each other. Speaking about her partner after the Australian Open victory, Martina Hingis said:
“She’s one of the hardest-hitting players out there. Like her groundstrokes, her return is really amazing, and her forehand is, if not the best in the world – okay, maybe Serena can hit it as hard. But, yeah. There’s not many people who can match her in the forehand rallies and me on the backhand side at the net.”
You barely need to watch more than twenty minutes of one of their matches to see exactly what Hingis means. Mirza’s raw power forces their opponents to hit a weaker, often loopier return and Hingis’ nimble footwork and clinical volleying finishes the point off. A simple, yet supremely effective tactic.
We talk about Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams having almost double the amount of ranking points as anyone else, but “SanTina” actually do. Whilst the two of them are level on 12,925 points, their closest rival is Casey Dellacqua, way below them on 5,810.
Surpassing the unbeaten run of Novotna and Sukova is a fun side project but the main focus of the pair will be on the red clay at Roland Garros. Should they win, they will secure the “SanTina Slam”. Clay is the pair’s least effective surface but even so, few would bet against them becoming the third ladies doubles pair to hold all four majors at the same time since 1990.
They are in action this week at the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy and will move to consecutive win number forty if they come away with the title. The singles tours are going through a period of domination, but “SanTina” are truly proving that it’s not just Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams that are worthy headline makers.
