Unpublished: an original manuscript of a legend to Gabriela Sabatini

GABRIELA SABATINI has a wealth of stories from her years as a professional tennis player, a period that made her the most outstanding player in Argentina of all time.

In 1987, at just 17 years old, she was already one of the best tennis players in the world and was competing for both the top positions in the WTA ranking and the most important titles on the circuit.

In June of that year he received an unpublished letter signed by none other than Norma Baylon, the first great Argentine tennis player, considered number four in the world in 1966.

Through El Grafico, Baylon decided to dedicate some heartfelt words to Gaby:
” Dear Gaby. I have followed with great interest your outstanding performance in this difficult sport and seen with great satisfaction the triumphs achieved that give you personal prestige and prestige to our tennis and our country that has its best ambassador in you”.

The complete letter
Lima, June 20, 1987

Dear Gaby:

I have followed with great interest your outstanding performance in this difficult sport and seen with great satisfaction the triumphs achieved that give you personal prestige and prestige to our tennis and to our country, which has in you its best ambassador. Since you now have a traveling address, it seemed better to me than to address this letter to you personally, to do it through EL GRAFICO, which is like the great house of all Argentine athletes, the great nucleus that brings us together, encourages us and makes knowing our victories and the defeats that also exist within a framework of respect for the athlete who gives everything but who is exposed to the ups and downs of even luck at times to win.

I know, from having experienced them, the sacrifices that a top ten player has to make: travel, different countries, languages, climates, meals, hotels, sometimes far from family, certainly far from friends, etc. That is why with this [letter] I want to send you one more encouragement so that you can achieve the goal that you have surely set for yourself and that I want you to achieve, which is to be number 1 in the world; How nice it would be for an Argentinean woman to achieve that award and for you to be that Argentinean woman.

I am now a veteran, who retired from the tennis career in her prime, to pursue another career for which perhaps women are more prepared, which is that of wife, housewife and happy mother of three children who, although They have not followed in their parents’ footsteps in terms of being tennis players since they only do it for fun; and who has come to live in another country achieving home happiness there, I wish you the same Gaby. That after achieving your tennis goals, like the great champion that you already are, you can end your life with a happy home and perhaps giving the world other great tennis champions that will have someone to go out to, always remembering that those who preceded you in this pyramid whose highest point you are about to reach, like Felisa P. de Zappa, Mary T. de Weiss, Nora de Somoza, Mabel Bove, Graciela Lombardi, Beatriz Araujo, June Hanson, etc. etc and your example be followed by all the current players who give prestige to our tennis, and those who follow your footprint will do so.

Thank you Gaby, for what you give us, continuing those successes is our greatest wish.