Arantxa Sánchez Vicario facts for kids
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Arantxa Sánchez Vicario holding the Australian Open trophy
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| Full name | Aránzazu Isabel María Sánchez Vicario | ||||||||||||||||
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| Country (sports) |  Spain |
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| Residence | Barcelona, Spain | ||||||||||||||||
| Born | 18 December 1971 Barcelona, Spain |
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| Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 1985 | ||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 2002 | ||||||||||||||||
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) | ||||||||||||||||
| Prize money | $16,942,640
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| Int. Tennis HoF | 2007 (member page) | ||||||||||||||||
| Singles | |||||||||||||||||
| Career record | 764-296 (72.1%) | ||||||||||||||||
| 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) | ||||||||||||||||
| Other tournaments | |||||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam Cup | QF (1998, 1999) | ||||||||||||||||
| Tour Finals | F (1993) | ||||||||||||||||
| 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) | ||||||||||||||||
| Other doubles tournaments | |||||||||||||||||
| Tour Finals | W (1992, 1995) | ||||||||||||||||
| 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) | ||||||||||||||||
| Coaching career (2015–) | |||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (born December 18, 1971) is a famous Spanish tennis player. She was once ranked number one in the world for both singles and doubles tennis. Arantxa won 14 major tennis titles called Grand Slams. These included four in singles, six in women's doubles, and four in mixed doubles. She also earned four Olympic medals and helped Spain win five Fed Cup titles. In 1994, she was named the ITF World Champion.
Contents
Her Amazing Tennis Career
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario started playing tennis very young. She was only four years old! She would follow her older brothers, Emilio Sánchez and Javier Sánchez, to the tennis court. Both of her brothers also became professional tennis players.
Becoming a Young Champion
When Arantxa was just 17, she made history. She won the women's singles title at the 1989 French Open. She beat the world's top player, Steffi Graf, in the final match. This made her the youngest winner of that tournament at the time. Another player, Monica Seles, broke her record the next year.
A Tough Player to Beat
Arantxa quickly became known for her incredible determination. She never gave up on a point! A famous tennis commentator, Bud Collins, called her the "Barcelona Bumblebee." He said she was always chasing every tennis ball. She would return them again and again, making it hard for her opponents.
Grand Slam and Team Success
Arantxa won many titles in doubles tennis. She won six Grand Slam women's doubles titles. These included the US Open in 1993 and Wimbledon in 1995. She also won four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles.
She was a key player for Spain's national team. She helped Spain win its first-ever Fed Cup title in 1991. Spain won the Fed Cup again with her help in 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1998. Arantxa holds the record for the most matches won in Fed Cup history (72). She also played in the most Fed Cup matches (58). She was also part of the Spanish teams that won the Hopman Cup in 1990 and 2002.
Retirement and Honors
Arantxa retired from tennis in November 2002. By then, she had won 29 singles titles and 69 doubles titles. She briefly returned in 2004 to play doubles in a few tournaments. She even played in the 2004 Summer Olympics. This made her the only tennis player to compete in five Olympic Games.
She won four Olympic medals for Spain: two silver and two bronze. This made her Spain's most decorated Olympian in history for a while. In 2007, she was welcomed into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. She was only the third Spanish player and the first Spanish woman to receive this honor.
In 2009, a tennis court in Madrid was named after her. It's called Court Arantxa Sánchez Vicario.
Her Life Off the Court
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario has been married twice. She has a daughter, born in 2009, and a son, born in 2011. Her older sister, Marisa, also played professional tennis for a short time.
Images for kids
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Arantxa Sánchez Vicario holding the Australian Open trophy
See Also
In Spanish: Arantxa Sánchez Vicario para niños
- WTA Awards
- World number 1 ranked female tennis players
