Arantxa S nchez Vicario¹ (born December 18, 1971) is a former tennis player from Barcelona, Spain. She is the sister of Javier and Emilio S nchez, also professional tennis players.

In 1989, the then virtually unknown S nchez Vicario joined Michael Chang of the United States in making tennis history: At the age of seventeen, both players became the youngest ever to win the French Open titles, S nchez Vicario winning the women's version one day before Chang's men's championship.

S nchez Vicario went on to become the number one player in the world by 1995, and she returned to that spot several times before the end of her career, in the process becoming one of the few women to have been ranked number one in singles and doubles. After her brother Emilio retired, he became her coach. She competed in the Olympic Games five times, a record for a tennis player, and the four medals she won made her the most-medalled Spaniard in Games history.

Affectionately known as conejo (rabbit in Spanish), S nchez-Vicario is known for her tenacious fighting spirit and willingness to scamper around the court, refusing to concede a point. Though Steffi Graf dominated their rivalry, S nchez-Vicario won many battles by engaging the powerful German in long baseline rallies and winning the war of attrition. Her most notable victories over Graf are the 1989 French Championships and 1994's Canadian and U.S. Opens.

In total, S nchez Vicario won 29 singles titles (4 Grand Slams) and 69 doubles titles (6 women's doubles Grand Slams and 4 mixed doubles Grand Slams). She also contested 8 further Grand Slam finals, reaching the final at every Grand Slam at least twice during her career. She has wins over all the major competitors of her era including fellow world number ones Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati and Justine Henin-Hardenne.

S nchez Vicario got married, and soon after, in November 2002, she shocked many tennis experts and fans by announcing her retirement from the courts. In 2004 however, S nchez Vicario returned to professional tennis, playing doubles in selected events throughout the year and is expected to do the same in 2005.

Note

¹ Vicario is not her married name. It is her mother's maiden name; in the Spanish naming system, the mother's maiden name follows the family name. When she started her professional career, she was known as S nchez, but later requested that her mother's maiden name be added.

Grand Slam titles (4)

 1989 Roland Garros Steffi Graf 7-6, 3-6, 7-5 1994 Roland Garros Mary Pierce 6-4, 6-4 1994 U.S Open Steffi Graf 1-6, 7-6, 6-4 1998 Roland Garros Monica Seles 7-6, 0-6, 6-2 

External Links

Official WTA Tour Profile (http://www.wtatour.com/players/playerprofiles/playerbio.asp?PlayerID=190008)