Gabriela Sabatini, the best Argentine tennis player in history turns 54 this Thursday. Champion of 27 individual titles, she joined a generation of brilliant women and left an important legacy in the country and the world, which continues to arouse recognition from great tennis players for being the owner of a collectible backhand and a prodigious doll that carried the flag. Argentina to the top of world tennis.
Grand Slam champion and Olympic medalist in Seoul 1988, she was just two points away from becoming world number one. Additionally, in 2006 she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Born in Villa Devoto and trained in River, she shared an entire decade with the best: the Czech Martina Navratilova, the German Steffi Graf, the Serbian Mónica Seles, the North Americans Chris Evert, Jennifer Capriati and Lindsay Davenport and the Spanish Arantxa Sánchez Vicario and Conchita Martinez.
At only 15 years old, she amazed from the beginning, and in 1985 she became the youngest player to reach the semifinals of Roland Garros, an instance she would repeat on four other occasions. That time she lost against Evert, who was a seven-time champion in Paris, but she was already beginning to leave a mark.
His first title was that same year at the Japan Open and he continued a dizzying rise that culminated with winning the US Open on September 8, 1990. In the final he defeated Graf 6-2, 7- 6 (4). Before she had left behind Kathy Jordan (United States), Isabelle Demongeot (France), Sabine Appelmans (Belgium), Helena Sukova (Czech Republic), Leila Meshki (Georgia), Mary Joe Fernández (Dominican Republic).
The decisive point was achieved with a drive to the left of the German and the ball was so open that it generated a few seconds of doubt before the celebration with jumps, excitement and the hug with her brother Osvaldo, her usual travel companion.
His last title was the 1994 Masters played at Madison Square Garden in New York, a tournament he also won in 1988. After declining considerably in his game, he surprised the tennis world by announcing his professional retirement after the 1996 US Open, with only 26 years old and when he was ranked 29. Behind him were 12 years as a professional, 39 titles between singles and doubles, 149 weeks as number three and a string of admirers throughout the entire planet, who still today admire him. They pay well-deserved tribute to the few times that Gaby, always introverted and humble, makes a public appearance.
Roger Federer: “Sabatini was one of my favorites when I was a kid”
In the run-up to his duel against Alexander Zverev in 2019 in Argentina, the Swiss star confessed that Sabatini was one of his favorite players during his childhood and explained his relationship with her. “Gaby is fantastic. The last time I came she invited me to her apartment, here in Buenos Aires, and she cooked for us. Tony, my manager, and Gaby have known each other for a long time and remembered Monica Seles and Mary Joe Fernández, who played against she.
“Also, Gaby knows my wife, who in turn was on the circuit. I have always been a big fan of the women’s circuit, not just because of my wife, because she was only there for a short time, I still follow it quite a bit. And Gabriela Sabatini was a one of my favorite players when I was a kid and watched her rivalry with Stefi Graff.
Rafael Nadal and his mixed doubles match with Gabriela Sabatini: “She is a great icon”
Before partnering with Gabi in an exhibition match in Argentina in November last year, the Mallorcan tennis player was full of praise for her. “For me it is a great illusion. I know that Gabi is a great icon within this country and also within the world of sports and especially Latin sports,” he explained.
“Sharing a track with her is a great satisfaction and excitement. For both Casper and me it will be nice to experience a moment like this in her country,” mentioning Ruud, who paired with Gisela Dulko on that occasion.
2024-05-16 12:03:00
#admiration #history #important #legacy #left
