Personal

Father, Cecilio, is a retired accountant; mother, Conchita, is a housewife; has two older brothers, Fernando and Roberto ... Is interested in psychology ... Sports psychologist is Guillermo Perez ... Favorite past-time is going to the cinema ... Favorite actors are Harrison Ford and Antonio Banderas ... Enjoys horseback riding, playing golf, soccer, nice restaurants, shopping, listening to all types of music, chatting on the Internet, beach volleyball in San Diego and skiing ... Owns a Honda Shadow 750 motorcycle and a Harley-Davidson Heritage Springer 1300 ... Likes to spend time in Spain to be with her family and friends ... Has two cocker spaniel dogs, Tremi and Yuca ... Speaks German ... Loves red wine Bordeaux, Spanish Vega Sicilia and Rioja, and wants to have a wine cellar ... Lives part-time in San Diego, California, USA, where she loves the ocean, boats and going to the beach for a nice sunset ... Loves holidays on a very nice island ... Announced retirement from Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles competition at press conference in Valencia, Spain on April 15, 2006 (leaving door open potentially for doubles in future).

Career Highlights

SINGLES
Winner (33): 2005 - Pattaya City; 2000 - Berlin; 1999 - Sopot; 1998 - Berlin, Warsaw; 1996 - Rome, Moscow; 1995 - Hilton Head, Amelia Island, Hamburg, Rome, San Diego, Los Angeles; 1994 - Wimbledon, Hilton Head, Rome, US Hardcourts; 1993 - Brisbane, Houston, Rome, US Hardcourts, Philadelphia; 1992 - Kitzbuhel; 1991 - Barcelona, Kitzbuhel, Paris [Indoors]; 1990 - Paris [Indoors], Scottsdale, Indianapolis; 1989 - Phoenix, Wellington, Tampa; 1988 - Sofia, ITF/Rocafort-ESP, ITF/Castellon-ESP, ITF/Reggio Emilia-ITA.

DOUBLES
Winner (13): 2005 - Charleston, San Diego (both w/Ruano Pascual); 2004 - Dubai (w/Husarova); 2001 - Amelia Island (w/Tarabini); 2000 - Berlin (w/Sßnchez-Vicario); 1999 - Amelia Island, Tokyo [Princess Cup] (both w/Tarabini); 1998 - Hilton Head (w/Tarabini); 1996 - San Diego (w/G.Fernandez); 1993 - Brisbane (w/Neiland), Barcelona (w/Sßnchez-Vicario); 1992 - Barcelona (w/Sßnchez-Vicario); 1988 - Sofia (w/Paulus).

ADDITIONAL
Spanish Fed Cup Team 1988-96, 1998, 2000-04. Spanish Olympic Team 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004.

Career in Review

1988 - At 16 years old, won three of first four ITF WomenÆs Circuit events, and qualified for first Grand Slam at Roland Garros, reaching 4r; won first title in fifth Tour event at Sofia, (d. top seed K.Maleeva to break into Top 100 on August 1 at No.88); Znrich SF to enter Top 50 on September 12 at No.50.

1989 - Won three Tour singles titles: Wellington, Tampa (d. No.3 Sabatini in final) and Phoenix; reached first of eight consecutive QF appearances at Roland Garros (l. to No.1 Graf); Top 10 debut on June 19 at No.10, less than 15 months after rankings debuting; qualified for first season-ending Championships.

1990 - Won Paris [Indoors], Scottsdale and Indianapolis titles; QF at season-ending Championships.

1991 - Won three titles again, incl. hometown win at Barcelona.

1992 - Defeated Sßnchez-Vicario for first time en route to Hilton Head final; d. No.10 Maleeva-FragniFre to defend Kitzbuhel title; w/Sßnchez-Vicario, reached Roland Garros doubles final and won silver medal at Barcelona Olympics; l. in Olympic singles QF to Sßnchez-Vicario.

1993 - First Spanish woman in Wimbledon SF in Open Era (first Grand Slam SF); d. Graf in Philadelphia final in straight sets, snapping nine-match losing streak against her and scoring first win over a world No.1.

1994 - In first major final, became first Spanish woman to win Wimbledon title, preventing NavratilovaÆs 10th title there; also d. Navratilova in Rome final.

1995 - Had more wins than any other player on Tour with 63; won six titles, incl. wins over six Top 10 players; including two Fed Cup wins, put together a 26-match win streak, incl. four straight titles (Hilton Head, Amelia Island, Hamburg, Rome); win-streak snapped in Roland Garros SF by eventual champion Graf in 3s; SF at all four Grand Slams.

1996 - Became first woman to win Rome four straight times, d. Hingis in 2s; also won Moscow, d. three seeds en route; won at least one singles title for nine years straight from 1988 to 1996.

1997 - First year without a singles title since 1987; advanced to Stanford final, d. No.2 Seles in QF (first win in 12 meetings) and No.3 Coetzer (l. to No.1 Hingis); also fifth straight final at Rome; reached SF at three Tier I events (Hilton Head, Toronto [Canadian Open] and Moscow).

1998 - Reached second major final at Australian Open (d. No.2 seed Davenport in SF; l. to No.1 Hingis in final); doubles SF w/Tarabini; won first title in 18 months at Berlin; also won singles title at Warsaw; helped Spain win fifth Fed Cup title, d. USA in SF and Switzerland in final.

1999 - Unseeded, reached QF at Roland Garros for first time in three years, upsetting Pierce in 2r; won Sopot singles title.

2000 - Ninth Top 10 finish; reached first Grand Slam SF in two years at Australian Open, reentered Top 10 at No.7; reached third career Grand Slam final at Roland Garros (d. Sßnchez-Vicario in SF for first time in five years; l. to Pierce); won Berlin, her second title in three years there and 20th claycourt title (d. No.1 Hingis in SF for first win over a No.1 in over six years; third straight 2s victory over Hingis on red clay), improved ranking to No.3, returning to Top 5 (first time since 1997); won at least one singles title in 12 of 13 years (1988-2000), at least once on all surfaces; qualified for season-ending Championships for 12th consecutive year.

2001 - Finished outside Top 20 for first time since 1988; QF at Wimbledon for first time in six years (but l. in Australian Open 2r, only second time since 1992 exiting Grand Slam before 3r); upset by Black in 3r of Roland Garros, failing to reach 4r or better there for first time in 14-year pro career; reached Roland Garros doubles final (w/Dokic), her second Grand Slam doubles final; withdrew from all events following Wimbledon with right Achilles tendon injury; missed US Open, her first Grand Slam absence since 1991 Wimbledon, ending 40 consecutive appearances at majors.

2002 - Reached first Tour singles final since 2000 Roland Garros at Bali (l. to Kuznetsova 75 third set), followed by SF at Znrich (d. No.3 Capriati 60 63 for biggest win since beating Hingis at 2000 Berlin; one of most lopsided losses of CapriatiÆs career); doubles runner-up at Sarasota (w/Callens), Rome (w/Tarabini) and Stanford (w/Husarova); helped Spain reach its 10th Fed Cup final, which it lost 3-1 to Slovakia.

2003 - Thirteenth Top 20 finish; after 11th QF finish at Roland Garros (first since 2000 final), returned to Top 20 (June 9) at No.17 for first time since August 2001; at Eastbourne, reached first grasscourt final since winning 1994 Wimbledon (d. No.9 Hantuchova; l. to No.7 Rubin); also SF at Indian Wells (l. to Clijsters) and four other QF, incl. Rome (d. No.10 Dokic and No.9 Hantuchova to score two Top 10 wins at a tournament for first time since 1997 Stanford); in doubles, runner-up at Sydney (w/Stubbs) and Charleston (w/Husarova); retired in Doha QF vs. Krasnoroutskaya w/left Achilles injury and withdrew from Amelia Island and Warsaw w/right shoulder tendonitis; withdrew from Linz w/illness; member of Spanish Fed Cup team that d. Australia 3-2 in World Group 1r.

2004 - First non-Top 40 finish of 17-year career; as former two-time winner at Charleston, won 700th career match in 1r vs. Sun, received 3r w/o from S.Williams, then d. No.7 Petrova in QF and Schnyder in SF (win over Schnyder was 36th total at the event, tying her for No.2 all-time w/Navratilova - No.1 is Evert with 50), l. to V.Williams in 3s in final; QF at Dubai (l. to No.1 Henin-Hardenne) and Indian Wells (l. to Myskina); 3-0 in SpainÆs 3-2 1r win vs. Switzerland; represented Spain at Olympics for fourth time; in singles, l. 1r to eventual silver medalist Mauresmo and in doubles (w/Ruano Pascual), l. in final to T.Li/Sun, winning silver (SpainÆs ninth Olympic medal in history); strong doubles play (w/Husarova) incl. first title in three years at Dubai (first for team); withdrew from Luxembourg and QuTbec City w/left Achilles tendon injury.

2005 - Seventeenth Top 40 finish of career in season highlighted by first singles title in nearly five years and impressive doubles play; captured 33rd career Tour singles title at Pattaya City (d. Groenefeld in final; was first singles title since Berlin in May 2000, ending 88-tournament drought); reached six QF, at Doha (d. world No.5 Myskina in 2r for first Top 5 win since d. No.3 Capriati at 2002 Znrich; l. to Hantuchova), Dubai (l. to No.1 Davenport), Tier I Indian Wells (l. to eventual champion Clijsters in 3s), Tier I Rome (l. to eventual champion Mauresmo), Los Angeles (l. to Schiavone) and Bangkok (l. to eventual champion Vaidisova); best Grand Slam showing was 3r at Wimbledon (l. to Peschke), falling 1r at three other majors, at Australian Open (l. to eventual runner-up Davenport), Roland Garros (l. to eventual champion Henin-Hardenne in 3s; was first time in 18 appearances to fall 1r) and US Open (l. to Schnyder in 3s); solid year in doubles (w/Ruano Pascual), capturing Tier I titles at Charleston and San Diego (12th, 13th Tour doubles titles), runner-up at Toronto [Canadian Open], Bangkok and Linz, and SF three times (incl. US Open, falling to eventual champions Raymond/Stosur 76 third set); qualified for season-ending Championships (w/Ruano Pascual), falling in first match (SF) to eventual champions Raymond/Stosur in 3s; finished season with 739 career singles match wins, No.6 on all-time list (No.5 is Sßnchez-Vicario with 759); withdrew from Miami w/left heel injury, and ret. during third set vs. Hantuchova in Linz 2r w/right wrist strain.