A renowned Argentine muralist paid tribute to two great tennis figures at Palacio Bosch, the residence of the United States ambassador to Argentina.
Ambassador Marc R. Stanley and Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, the State Department’s top official for Diversity and Inclusion Affairs, unveiled a new mural by artist Martin Ron showing Gabriela Sabatini and Serena Williams on a tennis court.
Abercrombie-Winstanley attended the ceremony as part of its recent visit to Argentina and Chile.
Stanley and his wife, Wendy Stanley, an avid tennis player, commissioned the new mural.
Ron is recognized worldwide for his creation of large-scale murals incorporating vibrant colors and exacting details.
Gabriela Sabatini, who attended the event, is a native of Buenos Aires and one of the leading tennis players of her generation. She won 41 titles, including the women’s doubles title at Wimbledon in 1988, and the singles silver medal at the Olympics in South Korea that same year. She won the women’s singles title at the US Open in 1990. In 2006 she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. In 2018 the magazine Tennis He declared her as one of the great tennis players of the last 50 years.
Serena Williams has the major titles achieved in singles, doubles and mixed doubles, totaling 39. Her 14 major titles for women’s doubles were all with her sister Venus. The Williams sisters are credited with ushering in a new era of power and athleticism in women’s professional tennis.
Diego Schwartzman, Argentine tennis player, who ranks eighth among the top singles players in the world, is also featured on the mural. Adding to the new artwork is one that Ron created in 2016, of tennis stars Andre Agassi and Juan Martin del Potro. Schwartzman and del Potro were present at the unveiling of the new mural.
The tennis stars present at the ceremony shared information with 30 students who came with the Foundation My First Rallya nonprofit organization that helps kids from low-income neighborhoods learn to play tennis by building tennis courts in their neighborhoods, offering lessons, and creating opportunities to practice and learn.
“This mural serves as a symbol of the enduring friendship between the United States and Argentina and is a vivid example of the importance of empowering young women so they know they can grow up to be strong sports icons who make a difference around the world. Stanley said.
