Between the years 1985 and 1996, Sabatini advanced to the semifinals of at least one Grand Slam singles tournament each year. Her ultimate achievement came at the 1990 United States Open, which she won.

The story of women who participate in sports is frequently relegated to the background of the conversation. We have made it our aim to change that, to highlight their achievements, and to weave a tapestry of stories that are both inspiring and empowering. The purpose of our weekly column, Latin Women in Sports, is to celebrate their victories, to break down barriers, and to advocate for the concept that every voice deserves to be heard in different aspects of life, including sports.SEATTLE – The Gabriela Sabatini is the name that is most frequently mentioned first when discussing the history of women’s tennis in Latin America. She is the first person to spring to mind when discussing this topic. The Argentine native was one of the most talented athletes in the world, and she made her debut on the Women’s Tennis Association tour in 1985, when she was just 15 years old.

For a considerable amount of time prior to her transition to the tour, Sabatini’s name was already well-known and widely recognized in the women’s game. When she was only 14 years old, she was already considered to be the finest junior player in the world. By the time she was 18 years old, she had already reached the semifinals of the French Open. With a total of 632 victories in 821 matches played over the course of her career and 27 singles titles won along the way, her record pretty much speaks for itself.

Her accomplishment of becoming the first and, to this day, the only Latin American woman to ever win a singles Grand Slam title in 1990 was the defining moment of her professional career. A few months after suffering her sixth loss of her career at a Grand Slam semifinal, Sabatini stormed over the hard courts of New York, dropping a total of thirteen games over the course of four sets on her way to the final. She was playing in the final of the tournament.

One of Sabatini’s most formidable adversaries during the latter half of the 1980s and the early 1990s was none other than the Hall of Famer Steffi Graf, who was her direct opponent. There was something about Sabatini that was different this time around, despite the fact that the German had won 18 of their previous 21 matches up to the final of the World Cup in 1990. Her opponent was completely controlled by her, and she emerged victorious in two sets, so claiming the first and only Grand Slam title of her professional career.

Sabatini was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in the previous year. In addition, she has won more than 14 titles in doubles competition and has won an Olympic medal. As the recipient of the Philippe Chartrier Award, which is presented to persons or organizations who have made major contributions to the sport of tennis both on and off the court, she was honored with the highest accolade that tennis has ever received in 2019. She is considered to be one of the best Latinas in the history of sports.

Even though she was one of the best players in the world, the Argentine star decided to call it quits at the age of 26, putting an end to her spectacular career.