Gabriela Sabatini was an icon in the world of tennis in the late '80s and early '90s.  Her exotic good looks, South American tan and gorgeous smile had fans swooning to the tennis tounaments to catch a glimpse of their favourite star. The girl from Argentina at least 39 singles and doubles titles, including one US Open Grand Slam win in 1990. And at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, she won a silver medal in the singles. 

In an era when women's tennis was often outshone by the Boris Beckers and Stefan Edbergs, Sabatini was a role model for the ladies' game across the world.  She was glamorous but  successful, determined but also gentile. Sabitini's looks did more for ladies tennis than people think!

The girl from Buenos Aires won a staggering 632 matches on the WTA tour and remains a female tennis legend.

'In an era when women's tennis was often outshone by the Boris Beckers and Stefan Edbergs, Sabatini was a role model for the ladies' game across the world'


Sabatini took her role-model behaviour off the court, too. She has her own perfume range and her natural beauty has led to her being a sought-after model since retiring from the WTA tour in 1996.  But she has given back to tennis what tennis had given her. She regularly funds tournaments in her home country and set up clinics for youngsters to help develop their games and become future champions. 

In 2006, she won a prestigous Olympic Committee award for 'Women in Sport', outlining her generosity to the sport in Argentina and for being an ambassador for tennis across the world. No one has a bad word to say about her.

Argentina was once known only for men's tennis with the likes of Guillermo Vilas and now David Nalbandian making the headlines regularly, but Sabatini has single-handedly fought for Argentinian tennis players to be recognised alongside their male counterparts. 

Tennis to some people has too much glamour on court and not enough competitiveness. Players can sometimes make more money from photo-shoots than they do for actually playing matches. Sabatini, of course, is no exception but her charity work and role-model behaviour counteracts these claims of glamour ruining the women's game. She has given back so much to the game and is adored by millions for it.