They should make a movie out of Martina Hingis’s tennis career. First the meteoric rise, five Grand Slam singles titles while still a teenager, the world number one ranking and her dazzling smile adorning magazine covers around the world.
 Then there were the accidents, injuries, relationship bust-ups, retirements, two comebacks and a two-year suspension for testing positive for cocaine in 2007.
 Older and wiser, the former ‘Swiss Miss’ added another line to an already rich plot on Sunday when, 20 years after playing in her only previous Games in Atlanta, she added an Olympic medal to her collection in Rio.
 It was not the colour Hingis wanted as she and partner Timea Bacsinszky were beaten to gold in a 6-4, 6-4 defeat by Russians Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina and there were plenty of tears shed at the end.
 But a while later the 35-year-old, who came out of retirement for a second time in 2013 and has won three Grand Slam doubles titles to add to the nine she managed earlier in her career, reflected on her achievement.
 “Of course, you are a little disappointed (not to win gold), but looking back it’s been an incredible journey,” said Hingis, who had hoped to partner Roger Federer in a dream mixed doubles match-up until he was forced out by injury.
 The Swiss, who recently announced that she had split with doubles partner Sania Mirza, said the tears were a mixture of joy and relief after a tension-packed week.
“It’s different when you are winning Grand Slams at 16, you think you have another 10 years, at least, at the top of the game,” said Hingis. “But now that I know it’s coming towards the end and everything is behind me, today is the way it is.”
 Back in the 1996 Olympics, Hingis lost in the second round of the singles and reached the quarter-finals of the doubles with Patty Schnyder. She went on to establish herself as the leading player of her generation, winning five Grand Slam singles titles between 1997 and 1999. But she retired in 2003 with a knee injury before returning to the Tour in 2006.
 Hingis has yet to commit to playing at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo when she’ll pushing 40. “I think if you asked me 10 years ago if I would be here in Rio, I would say you’re crazy...”