Wikipedia

Arantxa Sánchez Vicario

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Sánchez and the second or maternal family name is Vicario.

Aránzazu Isabel María "Arantxa" Sánchez Vicario (Spanish pronunciation: [aˈɾanθaθw isaˈβel maˈɾi.a aˈɾantʃa ˈsantʃeθ βiˈkaɾjo];[a] born 18 December 1971) is a Spanish former world No. 1 defensive baseliner type of tennis player in both singles and doubles. She won 14 Grand Slam titles: four in singles, six in women's doubles, and four in mixed doubles. She also won four Olympic medals and five Fed Cup titles representing Spain. In 1994, she was crowned the ITF World Champion for the year.

Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
Arantxa Sánchez Vicario holding the Australian Open trophy
Full nameAránzazu Isabel María Sánchez Vicario
Country (sports) Spain
ResidenceBarcelona, Spain
Born (1971-12-18) 18 December 1971 (age 53)
Barcelona, Spain
Height1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Turned pro1985
Retired2002
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money$16,942,640[1]
Int. Tennis HoF2007 (member page)
Singles
Career record764-296 (72.1%)
Career titles29
Highest rankingNo. 1 (6 February 1995)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenF (1994, 1995)
French OpenW (1989, 1994, 1998)
WimbledonF (1995, 1996)
US OpenW (1994)
Other tournaments
Grand Slam CupQF (1998, 1999)
Tour FinalsF (1993)
Doubles
Career record676–224
Career titles69
Highest rankingNo. 1 (19 October 1992)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenW (1992, 1995, 1996)
French OpenF (1992, 1995)
WimbledonW (1995)
US OpenW (1993, 1994)
Other doubles tournaments
Tour FinalsW (1992, 1995)
Mixed doubles
Career record68–29[2]
Career titles4
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian OpenW (1993)
French OpenW (1990, 1992)
Wimbledon3R (1990)
US OpenW (2000)
Team competitions
Fed CupW (1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998)
Hopman CupW (1990, 2002)
Coaching career (2015–)
Medal record
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1992 Barcelona Doubles
Silver medal – second place 1996 Atlanta Singles
Bronze medal – third place 1992 Barcelona Singles
Bronze medal – third place 1996 Atlanta Doubles

Career

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Arantxa Sánchez Vicario started playing tennis at the age of four, when she followed her older brothers Emilio Sánchez and Javier Sánchez (both of whom became professional players) to the court and hit balls against the wall with her first racquet. As a 17-year-old, she became the youngest winner of the women's singles title at the 1989 French Open, defeating World No. 1 Steffi Graf in the final. (Monica Seles broke the record the following year when she won the title at age 16.)

Sánchez Vicario quickly developed a reputation on the tour for her tenacity and refusal to concede a point. Commentator Bud Collins described her as "unceasing in determined pursuit of tennis balls, none seeming too distant to be retrieved in some manner and returned again and again to demoralize opponents" and nicknamed her the "Barcelona Bumblebee".[3]

She won six women's doubles Grand Slam titles, including the US Open in 1993 (with Helena Suková) and Wimbledon in 1995 (with Jana Novotná). She also won four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. In 1991, she helped Spain win its first-ever Fed Cup title, and helped Spain win the Fed Cup in 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1998. Sánchez Vicario holds the records for the most matches won by a player in Fed Cup competition (72) and for most ties played (58). She was ITF world champion in 1994 in singles.[4] She was also a member of the Spanish teams that won the Hopman Cup in 1990 and 2002.

Over the course of her career, she won 29 singles titles and 69 doubles titles before retiring in November 2002.[5] She came out of retirement in 2004 to play doubles in a few select tournaments as well as the 2004 Summer Olympics, where she became the only tennis player to play in five Olympics in the Games' history.[6] Sánchez Vicario was the most decorated Olympian in Spanish history with four medals—two silver and two bronze.[7] Her medal count has since been surpassed by David Cal and Saúl Craviotto with five medals each.[8]

In 2005, TENNIS magazine ranked her in 27th place in its list of 40 Greatest Players of the TENNIS era and in 2007, she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. She was only the third Spanish player (and the first Spanish woman) to be inducted.

In 2009, Sánchez Vicario was present at the opening ceremony of Madrid's Caja Mágica, the new venue for the Madrid Masters. The second show court is named Court Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in her honour.[9]

Personal life

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She has been married twice: her first marriage to the sports writer Juan Vehils in July 2000 ended in 2001. She then married businessman Josep Santacana in September 2008, with whom she has a daughter (born 2009) and son (born 2011).[10][11][12] In 2019, Sánchez Vicario and Santacana divorced.[13]

In 2012, Sánchez Vicario published an autobiography in which she claimed that, despite having earned $60 million over the course of her career, her parents had exerted almost total control over her finances and lost all of her money.[14] The same year, Sánchez Vicario sued her father and older brother Javier for the alleged mishandling of her career earnings. The court case continued over three years, and in 2015 concluded in a private settlement.[15]

She has faced multiple court proceedings relating to charges of tax evasion and fraud. In 2009, Sánchez Vicario was found guilty of tax evasion and ordered to repay €3.5 million.[16] In 2015, Banque de Luxembourg successfully filed complaint against her for credit and property fraud amounting to $5.2 million; however, they were unable to recoup it. In 2018, Sánchez Vicario was once again charged with fraud, for deliberately misleading the courts on her financial set-up during the previous case.[17] As of 2021, Barcelona prosecutors are seeking a four-year jail term for Sánchez Vicario, due to further allegations of fraud relating to the transfer of assets to avoid paying her debts from a previous lawsuit.[18] In 2024, she received a suspended sentence.[19]

As well as tennis-playing siblings Javier and Emilio, Sánchez Vicario also has an older sister—Marisa—who briefly played professional tennis, peaking at world no. 368 in 1990.[20][21]

Career statistics

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Main article: Arantxa Sánchez Vicario career statistics

Grand Slam performance timelines

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Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# P# DNQ A Z# PO G S B NMS NTI P NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (P#) preliminary round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze Olympic/Paralympic medal; (NMS) not a Masters tournament; (NTI) not a Tier I tournament; (P) postponed; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

Singles

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Tournament 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 SR W–L
Australian Open NH A A A A SF SF SF F F QF 3R QF 2R QF A 1R 0 / 11 41–11
French Open Q1 QF QF W 2R F SF SF W F F QF W SF SF 2R 1R 3 / 16 72–13
Wimbledon A 1R 1R QF 1R QF 2R 4R 4R F F SF QF 2R 4R 2R A 0 / 15 41–15
US Open A 1R 4R QF SF QF F SF W 4R 4R QF QF 4R 4R 3R 1R 1 / 16 56–15
Win–loss 0–0 4–3 7–3 15–2 6–3 19–4 16–4 18–4 23–2 21–4 19–4 15–4 19–3 9-4 15–4 4–3 0–3 4 / 58 210–54

Doubles

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Tournament 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Career SR
Australian Open A A A A 3R W QF SF W W SF QF QF 1R A F A A A 3 / 11
French Open 3R 1R QF QF SF F QF A F SF SF SF QF 1R 1R 1R A 1R 1R 0 / 17
Wimbledon 1R 1R 1R QF QF SF QF F W QF QF QF 3R 3R QF A A 1R A 1 / 16
US Open 2R 2R 1R QF 3R SF W W QF F SF 3R SF 3R QF 1R A A A 2 / 16
Grand Slam SR 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 4 1 / 4 1 / 4 1 / 3 2 / 4 1 / 4 0 / 4 0 / 4 0 / 4 0 / 4 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 0 0 / 2 0 / 1 6 / 60

Grand Slam finals

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Singles: 12 (4 titles, 8 runners-up)

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Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Win 1989 French Open Clay   Steffi Graf 7–6(8–6), 3–6, 7–5
Loss 1991 French Open Clay   Monica Seles 3–6, 4–6
Loss 1992 US Open Hard   Monica Seles 3–6, 3–6
Loss 1994 Australian Open Hard   Steffi Graf 0–6, 2–6
Win 1994 French Open Clay   Mary Pierce 6–4, 6–4
Win 1994 US Open Hard   Steffi Graf 1–6, 7–6(7–3), 6–4
Loss 1995 Australian Open Hard   Mary Pierce 3–6, 2–6
Loss 1995 French Open Clay   Steffi Graf 5–7, 6–4, 0–6
Loss 1995 Wimbledon Grass   Steffi Graf 6–4, 1–6, 5–7
Loss 1996 French Open Clay   Steffi Graf 3–6, 7–6(7–4), 8–10
Loss 1996 Wimbledon Grass   Steffi Graf 3–6, 5–7
Win 1998 French Open Clay   Monica Seles 7–6(7–5), 0–6, 6–2

Doubles: 11 (6 titles, 5 runners-up)

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Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1992 Australian Open Hard   Helena Suková   Mary Joe Fernandez
  Zina Garrison		 6–4, 7–6(7–3)
Loss 1992 French Open Clay   Conchita Martínez   Gigi Fernández
  Natasha Zvereva		 3–6, 2–6
Win 1993 US Open Hard   Helena Suková   Amanda Coetzer
  Inés Gorrochategui		 6–4, 6–2
Loss 1994 Wimbledon Grass   Jana Novotná   Gigi Fernández
  Natasha Zvereva		 4–6, 1–6
Win 1994 US Open Hard   Jana Novotná   Katerina Maleeva
  Robin White		 6–3, 6–3
Win 1995 Australian Open Hard   Jana Novotná   Gigi Fernández
  Natasha Zvereva		 6–3, 6–7(3–7), 6–4
Loss 1995 French Open Clay   Jana Novotná   Gigi Fernández
  Natasha Zvereva		 7–6(8–6), 4–6, 5–7
Win 1995 Wimbledon Grass   Jana Novotná   Gigi Fernández
  Natasha Zvereva		 5–7, 7–5, 6–4
Win 1996 Australian Open Hard   Chanda Rubin   Lindsay Davenport
  Mary Joe Fernandez		 7–5, 2–6, 6–4
Loss 1996 US Open Hard   Jana Novotná   Gigi Fernández
  Natasha Zvereva		 6–1, 1–6, 4–6
Loss 2002 Australian Open Hard   Daniela Hantuchová   Martina Hingis
  Anna Kournikova		 2–6, 7–6(7–4), 1–6

Mixed doubles: 8 (4 titles, 4 runners-up)

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Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 1989 French Open Clay   Horacio de la Peña   Manon Bollegraf
  Tom Nijssen		 3–6, 7–6, 2–6
Win 1990 French Open Clay   Jorge Lozano   Nicole Provis
  Danie Visser		 7–6, 7–6
Loss 1991 US Open Hard   Emilio Sánchez   Manon Bollegraf
  Tom Nijssen		 2–6, 6–7
Loss 1992 Australian Open Hard   Todd Woodbridge   Nicole Provis
  Mark Woodforde		 3–6, 6–4, 9–11
Win 1992 French Open Clay   Todd Woodbridge   Lori McNeil
  Bryan Shelton		 6–2, 6–3
Win 1993 Australian Open Hard   Todd Woodbridge   Zina Garrison
  Rick Leach		 7–5, 6–4
Loss 2000 Australian Open Hard   Todd Woodbridge   Rennae Stubbs
  Jared Palmer		 5–7, 6–7
Win 2000 US Open Hard   Jared Palmer   Anna Kournikova
  Max Mirnyi		 6–4, 6–3

Summer Olympics

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Singles: 2 medals (1 silver medal, 1 bronze medal)

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Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Bronze 1992 Barcelona Clay Tied DNP
Silver 1996 Atlanta Hard   Lindsay Davenport 6–7(8–10), 2–6

Note: Arantxa Sánchez Vicario lost in the semi-finals to Jennifer Capriati 3–6, 6–3, 1–6. In 1992, there was no bronze medal play-off match, both beaten semi-final players received bronze medals

Doubles: 2 medals (1 silver medal, 1 bronze medal)

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Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Silver 1992 Barcelona Clay   Conchita Martínez   Gigi Fernández
  Mary Joe Fernandez		 5–7, 6–2, 2–6
Bronze 1996 Atlanta Hard   Conchita Martínez   Manon Bollegraf
  Brenda Schultz		 6–3, 6–1

Year-end championships finals

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Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)

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Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Loss 1993 New York City Carpet   Steffi Graf 1–6, 4–6, 6–3, 1–6

Doubles: 6 (2 titles, 4 runners-up)

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Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 1990 New York City Carpet   Mercedes Paz   Kathy Jordan
  Elizabeth Smylie		 6–7(4–7), 4–6
Win 1992 New York City Carpet   Helena Suková   Larisa Neiland
  Jana Novotná		 7–6(7–4), 6–1
Loss 1994 New York City Carpet   Jana Novotná   Gigi Fernández
  Natasha Zvereva		 3–6, 7–6(7–4), 3–6
Win 1995 New York City Carpet   Jana Novotná   Gigi Fernández
  Natasha Zvereva		 6–2, 6–1
Loss 1996 New York City Carpet   Jana Novotná   Lindsay Davenport
  Mary Joe Fernandez		 3–6, 2–6
Loss 1999 New York City Carpet   Larisa Neiland   Martina Hingis
  Anna Kournikova		 4–6, 4–6

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ In isolation, Vicario is pronounced [biˈkaɾjo].

References

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  1. ^ "Career Prize Money Leaders" (PDF). Women's Tennis Association.
  2. ^ "ITF tennis bio". Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  3. ^ Collins, Bud; Hollander, Zander, eds. (1996). Bud Collins' Tennis Encyclopedia. Visible Ink Press. pp. 434. ISBN 1-57859-000-0.
  4. ^ "Aranxta Sanchez Vicario WTA Bio Page". Archived from the original on 16 April 2008. Retrieved 17 March 2009.
  5. ^ "PLUS: TENNIS; Sánchez-Vicario Ends Her Career". The New York Times. 13 November 2002. Retrieved 12 May 2009.
  6. ^ "Notebook: Rower makes history". USA Today. 1 July 2004. Retrieved 12 May 2009.
  7. ^ "Arantxa sanchez Vicario". International Tennis Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 12 May 2009.
  8. ^ "Saul Craviotto makes history". 7 August 2021.
  9. ^ Clarey, Christopher (9 May 2009). "Tennis Stadium Opens (and Closes) in Madrid". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
  10. ^ Wedding Bells: Sanchez-Vicario Gets Married! Tennis.com, 21 September 2008
  11. ^ Arantxa Sanchez Vicario gave birth to a baby girl Archived 27 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine Zimbio.com, 3 March 2009
  12. ^ "Arantxa Sánchez Vicario alumbra a su segundo hijo". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 3 November 2011. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  13. ^ Guerra, Andres (21 March 2019). "Arantxa Sánchez Vicario ya está divorciada". La Vanguardia. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  14. ^ "Sanchez Vicario says $60M in career earnings gone". USA Today. 8 February 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  15. ^ Lynch, Donal (30 June 2018). "Game, set and... cash troubles: how Wimbledon stars like Becker, Borg and Sanchez courted controversies". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  16. ^ Galaz, Mabel (6 May 2014). "Naming and shaming the celebrity tax dodgers". La Vanguardia. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  17. ^ Adicott, Adam (25 February 2002). "Former No.1 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario Facing Financial And Personal Upheaval". La Vanguardia. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  18. ^ Syed, Yasmin (22 December 2021). "Former world No 1 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario facing four-year jail term for fraud". express.co.uk. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  19. ^ Landauro, Inti (17 January 2024). "Former tennis star Arantxa Sanchez Vicario given suspended jail term". reuters.com.
  20. ^ "ATP Marisa Sanchez Vicario Bio". WTA Website. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  21. ^ Taules, Silvia (23 March 2019). "Marisa Sánchez Vicario, la silenciosa hermana del clan: viuda, empresaria, tenista". El Confidencial (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 July 2020.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arantxa Sánchez Vicario.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Steffi Graf
Steffi Graf
Steffi Graf
 World No. 1
6 February 1995 – 19 February 1995
27 February 1995 – 9 April 1995
15 May 1995 – 11 June 1995 		Succeeded by
Steffi Graf
Steffi Graf
Steffi Graf
Awards
Preceded by
Steffi Graf
 ITF World Champion
1994 		Succeeded by
Steffi Graf
Preceded by Prince of Asturias Award for Sports
1998 		Succeeded by
  Steffi Graf
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