TENNIS

Aranxta Sanchez in India to cheer Jr French Open hopefuls

arantxa-finalist2 Arantxa Sanchez is in New Delhi to promote and host a clinic for the young Indian players | Arvind Jain

"My legs were shaking," says the former world number 1, recounting her clash with Steffi Graf

The indelible image of a 17-year-old Aranxta Sanchez Vicario—a short girl with chubby cheeks, her dark hair tied up in a ponytail with a white scrunchy—beating the then world number one Steffi Graf at Roland Garros in 1989, is as much about the Spanish girl beating Graf as it was about Graf losing. It was one of the longest matches she had played that week, winning it in an exhaustive three-setter—7-6,3-6,7-5. She became the youngest player to win the title at French Open. 

At 45, the former world number one, who won four Grand Slam singles titles, six Grand Slam doubles, and four Grand Slam mixed doubles, looks completely different. Sanchez's hair is blonde. The stout, short girl is a svelte woman today. But one thing that has not changed is her dogged approach to life and tennis. Known as “Barcelona Bumblebee”, opponents had to overcome her absolute refusal to concede a point. She repeated the same mantra to young Indian players, as part of the Rendezvous Roland Garros wild card event in the capital. "I was not the tallest not the strongest. Never give up.”

The four times Olympic medallist Sanchez took to tennis at the age of four. By 13, she had turned pro and at 17 a Grand Slam winner. She  recounted her taking on one of the living legends of women's tennis- Steffi Graf. The Golden Grand Slam winner Graf, till she lost to Sanchez in that French Open women's singles final had not lost a title to anyone in the last two and a half years. The match is still etched clearly in her memory. 

"We went 1-0, 1-1, 2-1, 2-2, and it went to the tie-break. The French crowd was with me. They gave me energy and motivation. I won the first set in an hour and 10 minutes. Everyone realised that it was going to be different. Lost the second 3-6, and was losing 3-5 in the third.

"But I broke for 4-5, and again for 6-5. Serving for the match, my legs were shaking and I was nervous. When I eventually won, I threw my racquet in the air and rolled on the ground. Only when I went to the net to shake hands with Graf, I knew it was real. I was the happiest girl in the world, and enjoying the moment like a baby. It took me three days to realise what I had done," said Sanchez.

She encouraged the participating young players to give their best. She may have won multiple number of titles on the WTA tour but she cherished the Olympic medals she won equally, if not more. “There are Grand Slams every year but an Olympics comes once in four years. You prepare to win a medal and if you lose, you have to wait for four more years.” The Spaniard was under tremendous pressure to win the gold at her home Olympics—Barcelona where she ended up winning the bronze in singles and silver in the doubles competition. 

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