Arantxa Sanchez Vicario - Retires

Sanchez Vicario took a break after the 2000 season and skipped the Australian Open. Her best Grand Slam finish of 2001 was the third round of the U.S. Open. In 2002 she did not play at Wimbledon and did not make it beyond the first round in any other Grand Slam tournament. Although she did not win a singles title in 2002, she did win six doubles titles. In November 2002, Sanchez Vicario announced her retirement. She was a gritty player, who had no exceptional weapons in her arsenal of shots, but won nonetheless through sheer determination. Chasing down every ball, she frustrated and exhausted her opponents until the points totaled in her favor. Although other tennis greats took more Grand Slam trophies home, Sanchez Vicario took home over $16 million in prize money, making her the third highest paid female tennis player to date.