All the divided opinions it could generate Marcelo Rios for his untidy life off the court, he transformed it into a unanimous admiration within it. What she was capable of with her racket in her hand had not been seen before and, for many, not after her. She left her mark.
Chino’s career was meteoric if one takes into account that at the age of 20 he was already knocking on heaven’s doors, being the first representative of his country to appear as number 1 in the world. The privilege lasted only weeks, although it was known that he could return at some point. However, a debacle soon began that took him away from the limelight until he ended up fading away and retiring very young, with a long possible path ahead. Also, as said, Marcelo Rios With little time offered, he ended up falling in love with great figures like Björn Borg, who considers him one of the best.
“He was an incredible player, a great player. I saw him play so many times, he was incredible playing tennis, ”said the Swede in an interview with La Tercera in 2020. At that time he was in South America accompanying his son Leo in some tournaments, who was taking the first steps on the professional circuit. . “Maybe he wanted to do other things with his life, but when he played he was one of the best; he was the best. Following him and watching him play was beautiful,” she added.
The aforementioned trip included passes through Uruguay and Brazil, but not through the land of the trans-Andean reference, which he greatly regretted, alleging that old acquaintances could be found there. “I played against Gildemeister, Fillol and Cornejo. So yes, I have many friends in Chile. They are very nice, ”he assured. Likewise, he said: “I know they have a lot of good tournaments and players, so I’m already looking forward to going to Chile in the future.”
Same way
Beyond the admiration that Borg expresses about Marcelo Rios, there is a very particular situation that unites them: the decision to retire very young. The Scandinavian decided to hang up his racket at the age of 26 because he felt that he had already fulfilled all of his objectives in tennis and that it was time to take a break enjoying himself from another side.
“I was happy with what I had done in tennis, but I was also happy when I made the decision to step back and walk away,” he said. In addition, he added: “I have no regrets, nothing. I did many things for myself and I fulfilled everything I set out to do”. He had already given too much to his sport.
