Arantxa Sanchez Vicario Bio (Biography)
Real name:
Aranzazu Isabel Maria Sánchez-Vicario
Date of birth:
December 18. 1971
Place of birth:
Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain
Astrology Sign:
Sagittarius
Height:
5' 6½" (1.69 m)
Tags:
Biography
Arantxa Sanchez Vicario is a professional tennis player. She is a former World No. 1 player and has won 4 Grand Slam singles titles and 6 Grand Slam doubles titles over the course of her career.
Arantxa Sanchez Vicario was born in Barcelona, Spain in 1971, and started playing tennis at the age of four. She became the youngest tennis player to ever win the women's singles title of the French Open in 1989 when she was only seventeen years old. In the final of the French Open that year, she defeated World No. 1 player Steffi Graf. Arantxa's tenacious playing style during this tour earned her the nickname of the "Barcelona Bumblebee".
In 1991, Arantxa was on the team that led Spain to victory over the United States, winning the Fed Cup for Spain for the first time in history. As of early 2007, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario still has more wins in singles and doubles than any other player in the history of the Fed Cup, as well as the record for the greatest number of years participating.
In 1994 Arantxa would have her greatest year as a singles player, winning the U.S. Open and French Open singles titles among eight tournament victories. A year later, in 1995, she became the World No. 1 singles player for a twelve week duration, while holding the No. 1 ranking both for singles and doubles, the first woman to do this since Martina Navratilova eight years previously.
Arantxa Sanchez Vicario retired from professional tennis in 2001, not long after leaving her husband of nearly one year, sports journalist Joan Vehils. However, she has returned to play occasionally in professional competitions since 2004. In recent years, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario has been listed in TENNIS Magazine's "40 Greatest Players of the TENNIS Era", and has been the first Spanish woman to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Arantxa Sanchez Vicario was born in Barcelona, Spain in 1971, and started playing tennis at the age of four. She became the youngest tennis player to ever win the women's singles title of the French Open in 1989 when she was only seventeen years old. In the final of the French Open that year, she defeated World No. 1 player Steffi Graf. Arantxa's tenacious playing style during this tour earned her the nickname of the "Barcelona Bumblebee".
In 1991, Arantxa was on the team that led Spain to victory over the United States, winning the Fed Cup for Spain for the first time in history. As of early 2007, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario still has more wins in singles and doubles than any other player in the history of the Fed Cup, as well as the record for the greatest number of years participating.
In 1994 Arantxa would have her greatest year as a singles player, winning the U.S. Open and French Open singles titles among eight tournament victories. A year later, in 1995, she became the World No. 1 singles player for a twelve week duration, while holding the No. 1 ranking both for singles and doubles, the first woman to do this since Martina Navratilova eight years previously.
Arantxa Sanchez Vicario retired from professional tennis in 2001, not long after leaving her husband of nearly one year, sports journalist Joan Vehils. However, she has returned to play occasionally in professional competitions since 2004. In recent years, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario has been listed in TENNIS Magazine's "40 Greatest Players of the TENNIS Era", and has been the first Spanish woman to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.