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Arantxa Sánchez

Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
Arantxa Sanchez Vicario.JPG
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in 2003
Country (sports)  Spain
Residence Barcelona, Spain
Born (1971-12-18) 18 December 1971 (age 45)
Barcelona, Spain
Height 1.69 m (5 ft 6 12 in)
Turned pro 1985
Retired 2002/2004
Plays Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money US$ 16,942,640
Int. Tennis HoF 2007 (member page)
Singles
Career record 759–295 (72.01%)
Career titles 29
Highest ranking No. 1 (6 February 1995)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open F (1994, 1995)
French Open W (1989, 1994, 1998)
Wimbledon F (1995, 1996)
US Open W (1994)
Doubles
Career record 676–224 (75.11%)
Career titles 69
Highest ranking No. 1 (19 October 1992)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open W (1992, 1995, 1996)
French Open F (1992, 1995)
Wimbledon W (1995)
US Open W (1993, 1994)
Mixed doubles
Career record 68–29 (70.1%)
Career titles 4
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Australian Open W (1993)
French Open W (1990, 1992)
Wimbledon 3R (1990)
US Open W (2000)
Team competitions
Fed Cup W (1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998)
Hopman Cup W (1990, 2002)

Aránzazu Isabel María "Arantxa" Sánchez Vicario (Spanish pronunciation: [aˈɾantʃa ˈsantʃeθ biˈkaɾjo]; born 18 December 1971) is a Spanish former World No. 1 professional tennis player. She won four Grand Slam singles titles, six Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. In 1994 she was crowned the ITF World Champion for the year.

Arantxa Sánchez Vicario started playing tennis at the age of four, when she followed her older brothers Emilio Sánchez and Javier Sánchez (both of whom became professional players) to the court and hit balls against the wall with her first racquet. As a 17-year-old, she became the youngest winner of the women's singles title at the 1989 French Open, defeating World No. 1 Steffi Graf in the final. (Monica Seles broke the record the following year when she won the title at age 16.)

Sánchez Vicario quickly developed a reputation on the tour for her tenacity and refusal to concede a point. Commentator Bud Collins described her as "unceasing in determined pursuit of tennis balls, none seeming too distant to be retrieved in some manner and returned again and again to demoralize opponents" and nicknamed her the "Barcelona Bumblebee".

She won six women's doubles Grand Slam titles, including the US Open in 1993 (with Helena Suková) and Wimbledon in 1995 (with Jana Novotná). She also won four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. In 1991, she helped Spain win its first-ever Fed Cup title, and helped Spain win the Fed Cup in 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1998. Sanchez Vicario holds the records for the most matches won by a player in Fed Cup competition (72) and for most ties played (58). She was ITF world champion in 1994 in singles.

Sánchez Vicario was also a member of the Spanish teams that won the Hopman Cup in 1990 and 2002.

Over the course of her career, Sánchez Vicario won 29 singles titles and 69 doubles titles before retiring in November 2002. She came out of retirement in 2004 to play doubles in a few select tournaments as well as the 2004 Summer Olympics, where she became the only tennis player to play in five Olympics in the Games history. Sanchez Vicario is the most decorated Olympian in Spanish history with four medals – two silver and two bronze.


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