Argentina has one of the richest tennis tradition, especially thanks to great champions like Guillermo Vilas, David Nalbandian, Gaston Gaudio, and of course, Gabriela Sabatini and Juan Martin Del Potro.
The latter two came together to speak with Roland Garros’ social media, and together they created their perfect tennis player. Of course, none of the members of the ‘Big Three’ were left out when it came to the men, and Serena Williams and Martina Navratilova were some of the picks on the women’s side.
On the ATP side, they chose Roger Federer, winner of 20 Grand Slams, for his serve and his elegance. Meanwhile, they picked Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, as the one with the “highest tennis IQ,” while 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic was selected for his backhand.
They also picked Carlos Alcaraz for best dropshot, and Gael Monfils as the fastest player. When it came to the forehand, Sabatini was clear: Juan Martin Del Potro. “If she says so,” the 2009 US Open champion joked.
WTA’s perfect player by Del Potro and Sabatini
When it came to the women, they chose 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams for the best serve, Aryna Sabalenka’s forehand and Ons Jabeur’s backhand. When asked for the best dropshot, Del Potro suggested Karolina Muchova, “who is very talented.”
For best volley, they chose Martina Navratilova, who won 18 Grand Slams in singles. The fastest player, according to Sabatini, was her biggest rival and friend Steffi Graf, winner of 22 major singles titles. “She was very fast,” she said. And, finally, for tennis IG, they went with Polish star, Iga Swiatek.
The parallelism between Sabatini and Del Potro’s careers
Both Sabatini and Del Potro are among the greatest players of their respective generations, and have very similar achievements. Sabitini reached World No. 2, remaining in the world’s Top 10 for 508 consecutive weeks, before retiring at only 26 years old. She is the first Argentine woman to win a Grand Slam, by winning the US Open in 1988.
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On the other hand, Del Potro reached a career-high ranking of World No. 3, and won the US Open by beating Federer in a memorable five-set final. Both players were Olympic medalists, with Delpo winning bronze and silver, and Sabatini winning silver.