Sánchez Vicario started playing tennis at age four, when she followed her older brothers
Emilio Sánchez and
Javier Sánchez (both of whom became professional players) to the court and hit balls against the wall with her first racquet.
Sánchez Vicario surprised the tennis world in
1989 when, as a 17-year-old, she became the youngest winner of the women's singles title at the
French Open, defeating World No. 1
Steffi Graf in the final. (
Monica Seles broke the record the following year when she won the title at age 16.)
Sánchez Vicario quickly developed a reputation on the tour for her tenacious fighting spirit and willingness to scamper around the court, refusing to concede a point. She was the ultimate
counterpuncher. Affectionately known as the "Barcelona Bumblebee," she "stung" some of the major competitors of her era.
Sánchez Vicario's most successful year as a singles player was
1994, when she won both the French Open and
U.S. Open singles titles. She won eight tournaments that year.
Sánchez Vicario was a singles finalist at least twice in all four Grand Slam singles events. Her win-loss record in Grand Slam singles finals was 4-8 (3-7 against Graf and Seles). Her fourth and final Grand Slam singles title was at the
1998 French Open.
Sánchez Vicario was the World No. 1 singles player in
1995 for 12 weeks. She was the first woman since
Martina Navrátilová in
1987 to simultaneously hold the No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles.
Sánchez Vicario won six women's doubles Grand Slam titles, including the U.S. Open in
1993 (with
Helena Suková) and
Wimbledon in
1995 (with
Jana Novotná). She also won four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles.
In
1991, Sánchez Vicario helped Spain win its first-ever
Fed Cup title, defeating the
United States in the final. She was a member of Spanish teams that won the Fed Cup four additional times in 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1998. Sánchez Vicario holds the record for the most singles and doubles wins by any player in Fed Cup competition, with 72 victories. She also holds the records for most ties played (58) and most years played (16).
Sánchez Vicario was also a member of the Spanish teams that won the
Hopman Cup in
1990 and
2002.
She represented Spain in five events at the 1992 and 1996
Olympic Games, winning two silver and two bronze medals.
Over the course of her career, Sánchez Vicario won 29 singles titles and 69 doubles titles. She married in August 2000 to sports journalist Joan Vehils, but her marriage lasted only 10 months. She separated from her husband in May 2001, then announced her retirement from the game shortly after. She attempted a return to the tour in
2004, playing in selected doubles events.
In
2005, TENNIS Magazine put her in 27th place in its list of
40 Greatest Players of the TENNIS era.
In
2007, Sánchez Vicario was inducted into the
International Tennis Hall of Fame. She was only the third Spanish player (and the first Spanish woman) to be inducted.
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