Gabriela Sabatini – Biography, Interesting Facts You Need To Know

Quick Facts

There many women who have made a huge impact in the world of tennis and Gabriela Sabatini happens to be one of them. The former professional tennis player from Argentina made giant strides during her career and was one of the best players in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Her excellent athletic abilities saw her clinch several grand slam titles during her career. In addition, she also won a silver medal at the 1988 Olympics and also won two WTA championships in 1988 and 1994 respectively.

Asides tennis, Gabriela is also an entrepreneur and she owns a perfume brand which she runs in partnership with a German perfume company called Muelhens. For her remarkable contributions to women’s tennis, she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in July 2006. Learn more about the former tennis star below.

Gabriela Sabatini Biography

The former tennis star was born as Gabriela Beatriz Sabatini on the 16th day of May 1970, in the Argentine city of Buenos Aires. She is the daughter of Beatriz Sabatini and her husband, Osvaldo, who worked as an executive at General Motors. She spent her early years in Buenos Aires where she grew up with her older brother.

There is no much information regarding her educational background including the schools she attended. However, it is already known that she started playing tennis at the young age of 6 and won her first championship when she was 8 years old. When she turned 13, Gabriela made history as the youngest player to win the Orange Bowl competition. This happened after she emerged winner of the tournament which was held in Miami, Florida in 1983. After that, she went on to win six major international junior championships; hence, becoming the World No.1 Junior Player in 1984.

Professional Career

Turning pro in 1988, the female tennis prodigy featured in her first grand slam single that year in a tournament held in the United States. Although she reached the finals of the competition, she lost to Germany’s Steffi Graf in three rounds. She would later team up with Steffi to win the Wimbledon Doubles later in the same year.

Gabriela Sabatini also represented Argentina at the 1988 Summer Olympics which took place in Seoul. After putting up an impressive performance, she came second, hence taking the silver medal. She wrapped up the year by winning the WTA Tour Championship.

The talented tennis player clinched her first Grand Slam singles after defeating Seffi Graf at the 1990 US Open held in New York. She further reached her third grand slam singles final at Wimbledon the following year but was beaten by Steffi in three rounds. At the time, she became a serious contender for the World No. 1 alongside Graf and Monica Seles. In 1992, Gabriela was able to win five tournaments; nevertheless, she didn’t make it to any grand slam finals.

By the mid-90s, the tennis player experienced dwindling performances which geared up her retirement in 1996. After playing her last singles match against Jennifer Capriati at the European Indoors, Gabriela successfully bowed out of the game in 1996.

In her prime, she reached World No. 3 in 1989 and her impressive career saw her clinch 27 singles titles and 14 doubles. Five years after her retirement, Gabriela Sabatini was honored with the Diamond Konex Award for being Argentine’s most important Sportsman of the Decade.

Personal Life

While Gabriela Sabatini has made her mark in the sands of international tennis competition, the athlete is equally successful in her personal life. She has had her fair share of romantic relationships; nevertheless, she never made it down the aisle.

She previously had a brief relationship with Guillermo Roldan in the late ‘80s. After their breakup, she dated in 1989 as well as Frank Unkelbach until early 1990. In 1991, she had a short-lived affair with and the following year, she dated . She was also rumored to have dated other celebrities including Howard Carpendale, Leo Montero, and ; however, these speculations were never authenticated.

In recent times, Gabriela has been keeping a low profile and there has not been any news of her subsequent relationships to date. The much we know is that she is still single and doesn’t have any kids at the moment.

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Other Interesting Facts You Need To Know

1. Gabriela Sabatini became an Italian citizen in 2003. Her paternal great grandfather was originally from Italy but migrated to Argentina during the 19th century.

2. She attained the highest level in her professional career in 1988 when she became World’s No. 3 female tennis player.

3. She is also a philanthropist and has supported various charitable causes that help poor children.

4. Sabatini currently splits her time between Buenos Aires (Argentina), Boca Raton (United States), and Pfäffikon, Schwyz (Switzerland).

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.