Tennis in Spain
Highest ranking Name Birth Place of Birth Turned pro Titles
No . 1 Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 1971 Barcelona 1985 29
No . 1 Garbiñe Muguruza 1993 Guatire , Venezuela 2012 5
No . 2 Conchita Martínez 1972 Monzón , Huesca 1988 33
No . 6 Carla Suárez Navarro 1988 Las Palmas 2003 2
No . 16 Anabel Medina Garrigues 1982 Valencia 1998 11
No . 19 María José Martínez Sánchez 1982 Yecla , Murcia 1998 5
No . 19 Magüi Serna 1979 Las Palmas 1996 3
No . 22 Ángeles Montolio 1975 Barcelona 1990 3
No . 27 Gala León García 1973 Madrid 1990 1
No . 27 Cristina Torrens Valero 1974 Pamplona 1992 2
No . 28 Virginia Ruano Pascual 1973 Madrid 1992 3
No . 33 María Sánchez Lorenzo 1977 Salamanca 1994 1
No . 35 Nuria Llagostera Vives 1980 Mallorca 1996 2
No . 40 Lourdes Domínguez Lino 1981 Pontevedra 1996 2
No . 46 Arantxa Parra Santonja 1982 Barcelona 2000 0
No . 47 María Teresa Torró Flor 1992 Villena 2007 1
No . 47 Marta Marrero 1983 Las Palmas 1998 0
Women
Long regarded as an elite sport in Spain, tennis, along with most other racquet sports, has taken a little longer to attract Spaniards to jump on the bandwagon. For years tennis lacked in appeal due to a shortage of public tennis courts, in conjunction with high prices for private clubs. Lately, however, Spain has become one of the world's strongest tennis countries and now produces some of the world's best players. Growing steadily in popularity, tennis is fast becoming the new it sport in Spain. Thanks to Rafael Nadal's continuous rise to stardom and the increase in tennis courts and clubs across the country, tennis is becoming the new sport of choice for singles, families and those looking to get a little exercise all year round. Due to Spain's incredibly accommodating climate, tennis lovers can play outside most of the year on the thousands of courts around the country. Spain has produced a number of tennis champions, excelling in tournaments held on clay courts such as the Roland Garros tournament. Besides that, Spain has also won the Davis Cup five times (2000, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011) and the Fed Cup five other times (1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998)
Rafael Nadal is considered the greatest Spanish tennis player of all time. He has won the French Open a record twelve times, winning four consecutive French Open titles from 2005-2008 along with five consecutive French Open titles from 2010-2014 and another three titles from 2017-2019. After defeating then world number #1 Roger Federer in 2008, Nadal claimed the Wimbledon trophy and became the second Spaniard to do so. He also won the 2009 Australian Open, the first male Spaniard to do so. In 2009, he became the first player ever to simultaneously hold Grand Slam titles on clay, grass, and hardcourt.