Marcelo Ríos facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal family name is Ríos and the second or maternal family name is Mayorga.

Quick facts for kids
Marcelo Ríos

Ríos in 1998

Country (sports)

Chile

Residence

Santiago, Chile

Born

26 December 1975 (age 49)
Santiago, Chile

Height

1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)

Turned pro

1994

Retired

2004

Plays

Left-handed (two-handed backhand)

Prize money

US$9,713,771

Singles

Career record

391–192 (67.07%) (67.1%)

Career titles

Highest ranking

No. 1 (30 March 1998)

Grand Slam singles results

F (1998)

QF (1998, 1999)

4R (1997)

QF (1997)

Other tournaments

Tour Finals

RR (1998)

Grand Slam Cup

W (1998)

Olympic Games

1R (2000)

Doubles

Career record

36–57 (38.7%)

Career titles

Highest ranking

No. 141 (7 May 2001)

Grand Slam doubles results

US Open

Q2 (1995)

Medal record

Pan American Games

Silver	2003 Santo Domingo	Men's Singles
Silver	2003 Santo Domingo	Men's Doubles

Marcelo Andrés Ríos Mayorga (born 26 December 1975) is a Chilean former professional tennis player. He became the world No. 1 in men's singles, a first for a male player from Latin America. Ríos won 18 singles titles on the ATP Tour, including five big Masters events. He was also a finalist at the 1998 Australian Open. He is the only male player in the Open Era to reach world No. 1 without winning a major Grand Slam tournament.

Ríos was the first player to win all three major clay court Masters tournaments (Monte Carlo, Rome, and Hamburg) since 1990. In 1998, he also achieved the "Sunshine Double" by winning both Indian Wells and Miami Masters in the same year. Standing at 1.75 meters (5 feet 9 inches), Ríos is the shortest man to ever hold the No. 1 ranking. He was also the top-ranked junior player.

Ríos stopped playing professional tennis in July 2004 because of a long-term back injury. He was only 27 years old when he played his last ATP Tour tournament at the 2003 French Open.

Tennis Journey

Marcelo Ríos became a professional tennis player in 1994. He finished the years 1997, 1998, and 1999 ranked among the top ten players in the world. Throughout his career, Ríos won 18 singles titles and one doubles title at the highest level of tennis.

Starting Tennis Young

Ríos began playing tennis when he was 11 years old. He learned the game at the Sport Francés golf club in Vitacura, which is part of Greater Santiago, near his home.

Junior Tennis Success

As a junior player, Ríos reached the No. 1 ranking in singles. He also reached No. 141 in doubles.

In 1993, Ríos made it to the semifinals of the junior French Open without losing a single set. He was defeated by Roberto Carretero-Diaz. Later that year, he won the junior US Open, losing only one set in the entire tournament. He also won his first small professional tournament, called a Satellite tournament, in Chile.

Becoming a Pro in 1994

This was Marcelo Ríos' first year as a professional player. He quickly gained international attention at Roland Garros. At just 18 years old, he played against the famous Pete Sampras in the second round. Ríos fought hard but eventually lost the match. His unique left-handed style, long hair, and backwards visor caught the media's eye. In the same year, he won his first Challenger tournament in Dresden, Germany.

Big Wins in 1995

In May 1995, at 19 years old, Ríos won his first main tournament title in Bologna, Italy. He defeated Marcelo Filippini from Uruguay. This win helped him enter the world's top 50 players for the first time. In June, he won both the singles and doubles titles at the Amsterdam tournament. He also won the tournament in Kuala Lumpur. Ríos reached the final of his home country's tournament in Santiago. He finished 1995 ranked No. 25 in the world.

Breaking into the Top 10 in 1996

In 1996, Ríos showed excellent performances in the Masters Series tournaments. He reached the quarterfinals in Stuttgart and Rome, and the semifinals in Indian Wells, Monte Carlo, and Canada. He won his fourth career title in Sankt Pölten, Austria, by defeating Félix Mantilla. Ríos reached the finals again in Santiago, and also in Barcelona and Scottsdale. For much of 1996, Ríos was ranked in the top 10, becoming the first Chilean player to achieve this. He ended the year ranked No. 11.

Getting Closer to the Top in 1997

In 1997, Ríos reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time at the Australian Open. He did it again at the US Open. He also won his first Masters title at Monte Carlo. Two weeks later, he was a finalist at the Rome Masters. Ríos had a very consistent year, being the only player to reach at least the fourth round in all Grand Slams. He reached No. 6 in the rankings and finished the year in the top ten at No. 10.

World No. 1 in 1998

The year 1998 was the peak of Marcelo Ríos' career. He reached the No. 1 spot in the world rankings. He started the year by winning the tournament in Auckland, New Zealand. Then, he reached the final of the Australian Open, but lost to Petr Korda. The following months brought more success, including winning the Masters Series title at Indian Wells.

His biggest achievement came in the final at Key Biscayne, Florida. On 29 March, Ríos defeated Andre Agassi in the final. In Chile, thousands of people celebrated this historic win. Ríos became the first Chilean, Latin American, and Spanish-speaking male player to reach the sport's No. 1 ranking. He took the top spot from Pete Sampras, who had been No. 1 for a long time. Ríos held the No. 1 ranking for four weeks. He lost it after an injury prevented him from playing in Monte Carlo. In May, he reached the quarterfinals of the French Open.

In June, Ríos had an early exit at Wimbledon. However, on 10 August, he regained the No. 1 spot for another two weeks. In 1998, Ríos won seven titles, including three Masters Series titles. He finished the year ranked No. 2, just behind Pete Sampras.

1999: Continued Success and Injuries

Ríos continued to play at a high level in 1999, but his season was often interrupted by injuries and surgeries. This meant he couldn't defend all the points he earned from reaching the Australian Open final the previous year, causing his ranking to drop. He reached the final of the Monte Carlo Masters, but had to stop playing due to another injury. Ríos then won the Hamburg Masters in a long match. Two weeks later, he won in Sankt Pölten for the second year in a row. In October, he won in Singapore and reached the final in Beijing. He also reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros. Despite his injuries, Ríos finished his third straight year as a top-ten player, at world No. 9.

2000: More Injuries

Rios serving at 2000 French Open

From 2000 until the end of his main career, Marcelo Ríos struggled to maintain his top level of play. This was mainly due to repeated and serious injuries. He still managed to win the tournament in Umag, Croatia. He also reached the semifinals at the Hamburg Masters. Ríos finished the year ranked No. 37 in the world.

2001–2002: Ranking Drops

In 2001, Ríos won the first tournament of the year in Doha. However, his performance in later tournaments was weaker because of an ankle operation. This caused him to drop out of the world's top 50 for the first time since he was a teenager. In September, Ríos won another title in Hong Kong. He also won a Challenger event in Santiago, his home country. Ríos ended 2001 as No. 39 in the world.

In early 2002, Ríos had some good results, but a back injury stopped him from having a successful season. This was the same injury he had already had two operations on. His best results were reaching the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and the semifinals at the Miami Masters. Ríos finished in the top 25 in the world at No. 24, but his injuries continued to bother him.

2003: Long Break from Tour

Ríos reached the final of the Viña del Mar tournament in Chile, but he lost. This was the fourth time he reached a final in his home country but couldn't win it. However, he helped Chile win the World Team Cup in Düsseldorf, playing alongside Fernando González and Nicolás Massú. In the same year, he won silver medals in singles and doubles at the 2003 Pan American Games. In May, Ríos played his last ATP-level match at Roland Garros, where he had to stop playing due to injury. In 2003, Ríos played very few tournaments and often had to withdraw because of injuries. As a result, he ended the year at No. 105 in the world, his lowest ranking yet.

2004: Saying Goodbye to Pro Tennis

In 2004, six years after being world No. 1, Marcelo Ríos returned to competition after a long break. He won a small Challenger Series tournament in Ecuador. He played his very last competitive match in early April 2004 at a Challenger in Mexico.

Finally, on 16 July 2004, after years of constant injuries, Ríos announced his retirement from tennis. He was only 28 years old. He organized a farewell tour in Chile, meeting fans and playing friendly matches with other tennis stars. The tour ended on 22 December 2004, with his final match against Guillermo Coria.

Later Years and Comeback Attempts

In 2015, the Chile Tennis Federation and Ríos asked the International Tennis Federation to look into his 1998 Australian Open final opponent, Petr Korda, for possible doping.

In 2018, after successful elbow surgery, Ríos announced he wanted to make a comeback. He hoped to become the oldest winner of a Challenger tournament, but these plans did not happen. On 21 December 2018, Ríos played an exhibition match in Chile, defeating Nicolás Lapentti.

ATP Champions Tour

Playing with Legends in 2006

On 29 March 2006, Marcelo Ríos, at age 30, joined the ATP Champions Tour. This tour is for former professional players. In his first tournament in Doha, Qatar, he won the title. The next week, he won again in Hong Kong. Ríos won six tournaments in a row and ended the year as the No. 1 player on the Champions Tour. He set a record by being the only player in history to be No. 1 as a junior, a professional, and a veteran.

2007 and 2008

Ríos did not play on the Champions Tour in 2007. He tried to return to the main ATP Tour in February, but his back injury stopped him. On 30 March 2007, Ríos played an exhibition match against Andre Agassi in Chile.

In 2008, Ríos returned to the veteran's tour and won tournaments in Barcelona and Algarve. He played against Pete Sampras in a final in Brazil. On 24 June 2008, Ríos defeated Sampras in an exhibition match celebrating his 10-year anniversary of reaching the No. 1 ranking.

Personal Life

Marcelo Ríos was born in Santiago, Chile. His father, Jorge Ríos Jarvis, was an engineer and businessman, and his mother, Alicia Mayorga, was a teacher. He has an older sister named Paula.

Ríos married Giuliana Sotela in December 2000 in Santiago. They had a daughter named Constanza, born in June 2001. They divorced in March 2004.

In April 2005, Ríos married model María Eugenia "Kenita" Larraín. They separated later that year.

In May 2008, Ríos married Paula Pavic. They have five children together: daughters Isidora (born December 2008) and Colomba (born June 2010), and triplets, a son named Marcelo Jr. and two daughters named Antonella and Agustina (all born December 2011). Ríos and Pavic divorced in 2023.

In March 2008, a book about Ríos was published in Spanish. It was called El extraño del pelo largo (The strange man with long hair).

In May 2014, Ríos mentioned in an interview that he might have Asperger's syndrome. In November 2016, he confirmed he had been diagnosed with Asperger's twice in his life. He moved his family to Sarasota, Florida, in late 2018.

Major Finals

Grand Slam Singles Final: 1 (1 Runner-up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	1998	Australian Open	Hard	Petr Korda	2–6, 2–6, 2–6

Grand Slam Cup Singles Final: 1 (1 Title)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1998	Munich	Hard (i)	Andre Agassi	6–4, 2–6, 7–6^(7–1), 5–7, 6–3

Masters Series Singles Finals: 7 (5 Titles, 2 Runner-ups)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1997	Monte Carlo Masters	Clay	Àlex Corretja	6–4, 6–3, 6–3
Loss	1997	Italian Open	Clay	Àlex Corretja	5–7, 5–7, 3–6
Win	1998	Indian Wells Masters	Hard	Greg Rusedski	6–3, 6–7^(15–17), 7–6^(7–4), 6–4
Win	1998	Miami Open	Hard	Andre Agassi	7–5, 6–3, 6–4
Win	1998	Italian Open	Clay	Albert Costa	w/o
Loss	1999	Monte-Carlo Masters	Clay	Gustavo Kuerten	4–6, 1–2 ret.
Win	1999	German Open	Clay	Mariano Zabaleta	6–7^(5–7), 7–5, 5–7, 7–6^(7–5), 6–2

Career Statistics

Marcelo Ríos played 583 singles matches in his career, winning 391 and losing 192. This means he won about 67.1% of his matches. He earned over 9.7 million US dollars in prize money.

Top 10 Wins

Ríos defeated a top 10 ranked player 22 times during his career.

Images for kids

Rios serving at 2000 French Open