Gabriel Sabatini He came back last year to play Roland Garros. After 27 years of what had been his last match on Parisian brick dust -in the quarterfinals of the 1995 edition- and 26 after his retirement, he played the Tournament of Legends of the French Grand Slam together with Gisela Dulko and reached the final. And it looks like Gabby He liked to feel the adrenaline of the competition again, because in this 2023 he has decided to accept the invitation of the Parisian competition again.
“Delighted to have been invited again to participate in the Legends TrophySee you at Roland Garros from June 6 to 11,” wrote the best Argentine player in history in a post on her Twitter account. instagramalso shared by his partner, former world number one in doubles.
The goal will be, as in 2022, to have fun, have fun and give part of its magic to the public. Even if, knowing Sabatini’s competitive side -who will be 53 when the tournament takes place-, the two will certainly also be looking for a rematch for the title that eluded them last year, when they lost the final 1-6, 7 -6 (7-4) and 10-6 with the Italians Flavia Pennatta -Dulko’s former touring partner (together they won the 2010 Women’s Masters and 2011 Australian Open)- and Frances Schiavone.
In the group stage they had added two victories (against the Americans lindsay davenport AND Maria Joe Fernandez and ahead of the Croatian VAT Maioli and the French Maria Pierce) and a defeat (with the local also Tatiana Golovin AND Nathalie Tauziat).
“It made me a little nervous at first, I wasn’t really sure,” she admitted in a statement to ESPN shortly before her debut. “What made me more nervous was returning to the environment, because I feel that this belongs to the past and that I am mixed with tennis players again… It gives me one thing to go to the locker room, for example. I haven’t been yet and I don’t know if I’ll go, I feel like I don’t belong, it’s my feeling.”
The sensations were very different after completing their participation.
“All these days have been incredible. From the moment we were invited, the emotions have already appeared. Every little moment has been a moment of happiness. Sharing all this with Gise has been very special, because everything we have experienced outside the The pitch was very nice. A very nice moment. The group was put together, I think we will miss all of this a lot,” commented Sabatini after the final.
In a couple of months Gaby, with whom he had the pleasure of sharing the field in November Rafael Nadal in the exhibition that the Spaniard created together with the Norwegian Casper Ruud in Parque Roca- he will be able to relive that experience, when he picks up a racket again and tramples the Parisian brick dust, where he had many good memories during his short but successful career.
“It was one of my dreams to win this tournament and it never happened. I lost so many times in the semifinals and I was never happy with the result. I always thought it was one of the most prestigious Grand Slam tournaments,” he commented. a few weeks ago in chat with the official Roland Garros page.
“Remembering when I won the tournament as a junior always makes me smile, because it was one of the best moments of my career. Even though I was only 14, maybe I wasn’t aware of what was going on.” she commented, recalling his consecration in 1984.
The following year, now as a professional and only 15 years old, he played for the first time main design. She reached the semifinals and lost with chris evert. He achieved that instance again in 1987, 1988, 1991 and 1992. He never managed to lift the trophy, but the porteña has fond memories of the “great” Frenchman.
“The audience here is very special, because they are very involved in the games. And I always felt that they supported me,” he recalled. “When I look back, I see everything I’ve achieved and I’m proud of what I’ve achieved, because it’s not easy to reach the semi-finals of Roland Garros. And I’ve done it five times.”
Although he still had the desire to be crowned in Paris, Sabatini’s career was full of successes. He has won 27 titles, including the U.S. Open 1990THE WTA Championships of 1988 and 1994 and silver in the Seoul Olympics 1988. He also reached the third step of the world rankings, an achievement that no other player could match in singles.
Will he finally be able to lift a trophy on the brick dust of the legendary Bois de Boulogne this year?
Source: Clarin
Jason Root is the go-to source for sports coverage at News Rebeat. With a passion for athletics and an in-depth knowledge of the latest sports trends, Jason provides comprehensive and engaging analysis of the world of sports.