Sabatini elected to Hall of Fame

Every tennis generation produces a player of such grace, it is a joy to watch her. Maria Bueno, the great Evonne Goolagong, Hana Mandlikova, and today's Amelie Mauresmo are all examples. In the mid- to late 80's, it was Gabriela Sabatini, who has been elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Though the rivalry between Steffi Graf and Monica Seles is the one most talked about during that period, there was also a strong rivalry between Graf and Sabatini, and the two were sometimes doubles partners.

Sabatini, with her athletic grace, hard hitting, and impressive topspin play, was often able to best Graf, but not in the really big events. The one exception was the 1990 U.S. Open, in which she defeated Graf, 6-2, 7-6, after beating Mary Joe Fernandez, Leila Meskhi, and Helena Sukova in preceding rounds. Sabatini was a finalist in the 1988 U.S. Open, and the 1991 Wimbledon championship. She also won a silver medal at the 1988 Olympics, and she won the WTA Year End Championships in 1988 and 1994. Sabatini was a Grand Slam semifinalist multiple times. Sabatini and Graf won the Wimbledon doubles title in 1988.

Sabatini has 27 career singles titles and 14 career doubles titles. She played on Argentina's Fed Cup team for several years, and is the first woman from Argentina to be elected to the Hall of Fame.