The narrative of women in sports often finds itself relegated to the sidelines. It is our mission to change that, to amplify their accomplishments and to weave a tapestry of stories that inspire and empower. Our weekly column Latin Women in Sports seeks to applaud their triumphs, break down barriers, and champion the idea that in sports, as in life, every voice deserves to be heard.
SEATTLE – When talking about the history of women’s tennis in Latin America, the name of Gabriela Sabatini is the one that comes up first more often than not. The Buenos Aires native was one of the sports brightest talents, making her debut at the WTA tour in 1985 just at age 15.
The name of Sabatini was already a staple in the women’s game long before she made the switch to the tour. At age 14, she was considered as the best junior player in the world and, a year later, she was already playing at the semifinals of the French Open. Her record speaks for itself, having amassed 632 wins in 821 career matches and collecting 27 singles titles along the way.
The pinnacle of her career came in 1990, when she became the first and still only Latin American woman to win a singles Grand Slam title. A few months after suffering the seventh loss of her career at a Grand Slam semifinal, Sabatini took over the hard courts of New York, dropping a total of 13 games over four matches on her way to the final.
