Arantxa Sanchez Vicario: I Have No Regrets About My Career

Spanish tennis greats Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Anabel Medina, Emilio Sánchez Vicario and Albert Costa were part of an event in Spain this week titled, 'Four decades of sport in democracy', where they spoke about their own careers and about tennis in Spain.

Three-time Roland Garros champion Sanchez-Vicario said she had no regrets about her career, according to EFE. "Now that so much time has passed I can reconsider and say that I broke barriers. (In the 1989 French Open final) I went game by game, passing rounds, and reaching the final with Steffi was already historic. I couldn't sleep from the nerves of the final. With 6-5 and a game to win I remember that I I was shaking. When I won, I let go of the racket and cried. I was just a girl and I was not aware of what I had achieved until I had the Cup in my hands. I knew that I had all of Spain present and now that I think about my career I do not regret anything. It has been very beautiful. I have come back stronger after having been away from family issues for a long time."

Her brother, Emilio Sanchez,  winner of three Grand Slam doubles titles, commented, "We trained in a slightly different way and we had a culture of effort that is impregnated. I broke the ice, but each one has been improving so far with Rafa Nadal. Now things are getting better, with more help and tournaments, but we cannot lose what is the essence of the Spanish player giving everything on the court. We must keep that."

2002 French Open champion Albert Costa recalled his own career and also suggested ways to develop the sport in Spain. "The first was the bronze medal at the Sydney Olympics. The same year the Davis Cup came and it was very difficult to qualify for that team. I am very proud to have participated in that team, although losing in the final with Lleyton Hewitt was the most painful of my career. (In recent years) things have been done very well from clubs and federations with budgets that cannot be compared. We should ask the Federation to go to the grassroots and bring tennis to schools so that there are more children playing."

Two-time Roland Garros Doubles champion Anabel Medina acknowledged the efforts of Arantxa Sánchez Vicario and Conchita Martínez in what they did for Spanish tennis. "That they compared me with them generated a lot of pride, but it was not an extra pressure, although I hated losing a lot and that at times has not allowed me to enjoy this sport."

The President of the Royal Spanish Tennis Federation, Miguel Díaz, was also present at the meeting and commented, "The key to the four decades of success in tennis is the result of the work behind it. In Spain, we have a thousand and one clubs that do a tremendous job with great technicians and a good tournament base in tennis."

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2TaLzL0