Spanish women’s tennis has been well represented over the past few decades. The most recognized names include Conchita Martinez and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the 1990s, followed by Garbiñe Muguruza in more recent years and Paula Badosa in the present. Between those generations stood Virginia Ruano Pascual, better known as “Vivi”.
While she is best remembered for her doubles success alongside Argentina’s Paola Suarez, Ruano Pascual also earned singles titles and recorded a memorable victory in 2001 over the then-world No.1 on the WTA Tour.
Born on September 21, 1973, in Madrid, she turned professional in 1992 after a long journey through the junior ranks. In a 2020 interview with El Español, Ruano Pascual reflected on her beginnings: “I did a lot of sports as a child. I started with gymnastics at INEF, but my parents had to take me there and it was far away. Near where I lived there was a tennis club where my brother played, and that’s where I started training and really grew to like the sport. But I also practiced judo, handball… I loved doing sports”.
A notable singles career
The early years on tour were largely about adapting to the demands of professional tennis, but by 1997 Virginia Ruano Pascual captured her first WTA singles title in Cardiff.
Virginia Ruano Pascual during a 2001 Wimbledon game against Martina Hingis. (Getty Images)
She followed it up the next year with another title in Budapest, while her third and final singles crown came in Tashkent in 2005. Her career-high singles ranking was No. 28, achieved in 1999.
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At Grand Slams, Ruano Pascual produced some memorable runs. She reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros in 1995 and at the Australian Open, while her most famous singles win came at Wimbledon in 2001, when she stunned then-world No.1 Martina Hingis in the opening round.
A brilliant doubles career
Alongside her singles achievements, Virginia Ruano Pascual built an outstanding doubles career, most notably partnering with Argentina’s Paola Suarez. Together, they captured an incredible 10 Grand Slam titles and dominated the women’s game, holding the No.1 doubles ranking between 2003 and 2005. She also added a mixed doubles crown at Roland Garros in 2001 with compatriot Tomas Carbonell.
On the Olympic stage, Ruano Pascual earned two silver medals: the first with Conchita Martinez in Athens 2004, and the second with Anabel Medina Garrigues in Beijing 2008. Without question, her doubles legacy is what defines her as one of Spain’s most accomplished players.
Silver medalists Virginia Ruano Pascual and Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain during Beijin 2008. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
The day she took aim at Venus and Serena Williams
In 2010, as she announced her retirement, Virginia Ruano Pascual sparked headlines with candid remarks about Serena and Venus Williams during an interview with Eurosport. She acknowledged the sisters’ impact on the game but also argued they had, in some ways, hurt women’s tennis.
“Women’s tennis is going through a slump, one we saw coming but didn’t prevent, and now we’re paying the price,” Ruano Pascual said. “The Williams sisters helped tennis evolve in one way, but they also damaged it a bit. If after becoming No.1 you use it as a springboard to become a model or an actress… if you’re a tennis player, you’re a tennis player”.
Life after tennis
Since hanging up her racquet, Ruano Pascual has remained closely tied to the sport. She works as a television commentator and also serves as tournament director of the El Espinar event in her native Spain, continuing her influence off the court.
