I’m a former US Open champion.. now I have my own perfume line and my niece dates Lionel Messi’s team-mate
GABRIELA Sabatini's 1990 US Open victory over Steffi Graf has quickly become an iconic Flushing Meadows moment.
The Argentine burst onto the tennis scene at just 15 at Roland Garros five years earlier, belying her tender age to reach the semi-finals.
"After all the years of effort and dedication, my dream came true. I could never have imagined such joy and feeling of liberation and I began to enjoy the tennis even more."
Amazingly Sabatini never felt resentful towards Graf, instead crediting her rival for making her a better player.
She added: "Steffi was a stroke of luck for me. She got the best out of my tennis and was a very decent, reserved person off court. Over the years, when we stopped playing tennis, a friendship developed."
Having won the US Open at 20 years old, many would have expected Sabatini to go on to win plenty more majors.
But despite going deep in a number of slams over the following few years, she eventually lost the desire to compete - retiring at just 26.
Asked if she had any regrets over hanging up her racquet so early, she later reflected: "No. I had already been on the pro tour for twelve years and felt very tired and unmotivated. When I woke up, I thought: 'Now I have to train again, even though I don’t really want to.'
As for the upcoming US Open, Sabatini will presumably be supporting her fellow Argentines.
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But outside of her compatriots? Sabatini believes in a rising Czech star, and a flashy Frenchwoman.
She said: "I like Karolina Muchova a lot. Her game, her temperament. And also Caroline Garcia, I really like the way she plays."