The day he conquered New York, his Olympic medal and when he was two points away from being number 1 in the world: great memories of Gabriela Sabatini

Gabriela Sabatini It was that enthusiastic young woman who, from a very young age, demonstrated that she had all the potential to become one of the best tennis players of all time. And although he never reached the top of the world ranking, he played hand in hand with historical tennis players, those who are part of a golden age for the discipline in its history.

In that group was also Gaby, than with the passage of time it became a legend for the Argentine sport. Inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2006, Sabatini already marked from the beginning that she was going to be an elite tennis player. After completing a great stage as a junior, she became the youngest player to reach a semifinal of a Grand Slam tournament, when she reached that instance in the 1985 edition of Roland Garros with only 15 years and three weeks of age.

Over the years, Gabriela settled on the WTA circuit. And in 88 he raised his name in popular regard with glittering performances. In that season he won the first of four tournaments at the Italian Open in Rome, he was crowned at the end of the year when he triumphed in the Masters and was able to beat his sports nemesis, Steffi Graf for the first time.. That was also a special year for Sabatini because, for the first and only time in his career, he competed in the Olympic Games in Seoul 1988.

In a global context marked by the Cold War, more than 8,000 athletes from 159 countries competed in South Korea. At just 18 years old, the Argentine tennis player was the standard bearer for the delegation and was in charge of carrying the flag at the Olympic stadium in the Asian city. After beating the Yugoslav Sabrina Goals in the initial round, Sabatini found herself in the eighths with the German Silvia Hanika, an accessible rival for her, but the more than four hours she had played the previous day in a doubles match with her friend Mercedes Paz put her on the ropes. He lost the first set due to a beating (1-6), but managed to recover to win the next two sets and advanced to the stage.

Once she beat Belarusian Natalia Zvereva, she secured a medal and then immediately beat Manuela Maleeva of Bulgaria in the semifinals to fight for gold. In the final, he found himself against Graf, who dominated the decisive points and took the Olympic title by a double 6-3. Gabriela couldn't cut the 36-year drought streak for Argentine sport without winning a gold medal since that of the rowers Tranquilo Capozzo and Eduardo Guerrero in Helsinki 1952, but climbed onto a podium that he will remember forever.

As had already happened with the victory in the Masters, New York was always a special place in Sabatini's career. It was there that he obtained the greatest conquest of his 27 titles: in 1990, when he was going through one of the best moments of his career, Gaby beat Steffi Graf 6-2, 7-6 in the definition of the US Open to win what was finally her only Grand Slam championship. at Flushing Meadows. "From the first day I thought I was going to lift the cup," recalled the Argentine tennis player several years later about her unforgettable achievement.

That was not one more season for the daughter of Beatriz and Osvaldo. In November she returned to the Big Apple to play the tournament with the best of the year and reached the final against Mónica Seles, in what was the first five-set match to be played in the history of professional women's tennis.

A year later, in 1991, Sabatini was one step away from becoming number 1 in the world ranking. Before playing Wimbledon, Gaby had won five titles: Tokyo, three in the United States – Boca Raton, Hilton Head and Amelia Island – plus the Italian Open in Rome. What's more, he had reached the Roland Garros semifinals, but his big goal was to go far on the pitch of All england. And so he did. In what was one of her 40 duels in her career, she was within two points of beating Graff to reach the top of women's tennis.

After losing the first set 4-6, he recovered and won the second set (6-3). In the third and final he had an advantage and with his serve: he was 5-4 in front and the tenth game was 30 equal, but he could not liquidate the German and finally fell 8-6. Some time later, Sabatini declared that he had to have had a little more courage to end the duel in his favor, but despite the defeat, Gaby had demonstrated her quality to face one of the best of all on a difficult surface. time.

Gabriela Sabatini had great moments in her career that ended on October 24, 1996 when she announced her retirement at her second home, New York. With 27 individual titles and another 12 in doubles, one of the best Argentine athletes in history can be happy. And not just because today turns 50. But also for having marked a generation and showing that with effort, dedication and work, the dream of your life can be fulfilled.