TENNIS PLAYERS from Argentina

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Argentinean Tennis Players of all time. This list of famous Argentinean Tennis Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Argentinean Tennis Players.

1. Guillermo Vilas (b. 1952)

With an HPI of 59.44, Guillermo Vilas is the most famous Argentinean Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 43 different languages on wikipedia.

Guillermo Vilas (born 17 August 1952) is an Argentine former professional tennis player. Vilas was the world No. 1 of the Grand Prix seasons in 1974, 1975 and 1977. He won four major titles and the year-end championships, totalling 62 singles titles alongside 16 doubles titles during his career on the ATP tour. World Tennis, Agence France-Presse and Livre d'or du tennis 1977 (Christian Collin-Bernard Ficot), among other rankings and publications, rated him as world No. 1 in 1977. In the computerized ATP rankings, he peaked at No. 2 in April 1975, a position he held for a total of 83 weeks, although some have argued that Vilas should have been ranked No. 1 for at least 10 weeks, particularly in 1977 when he won 2 majors. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1991, two years after his first retirement. Vilas is known for his prowess on clay courts. He won over 650 matches on clay, which is an all-time record. His peak was the 1977 season during which he won 16 ATP singles titles, including two majors (both on clay) and had a 53 winning streak on clay, which was the longest in the Open Era at his time. In 2016, The Daily Telegraph ranked him as the 3rd best male clay-court player of all time, behind Rafael Nadal and Björn Borg. In 2018, Steve Tignor for Tennis Magazine ranked him as the 16th greatest tennis player of the Open Era. Historical and statistical studies presented in 2015 by Argentinian journalist Eduardo Puppo and Romanian mathematician Marian Ciulpan concluded that Vilas should have been No. 1 in the old ATP ranking system for seven weeks between 1975 and 1976. The ATP and its chief executive at that time, Chris Kermode, although not refuting the data, decided not to officially recognize Vilas as No. 1. In October 2020, Netflix released a documentary film about Vilas's case titled Guillermo Vilas: Settling the Score. In May 2024, ATP's vice-president confirmed that Vilas will never be number one.

2. Gabriela Sabatini (b. 1970)

With an HPI of 56.42, Gabriela Sabatini is the 2nd most famous Argentinean Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 52 different languages.

Gabriela Beatriz Sabatini (Spanish pronunciation: [gaˈβɾjela saβaˈtini]; born 16 May 1970) is an Argentine former professional tennis player. A former world No. 3 in both singles and doubles, Sabatini was one of the leading players from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, amassing 41 titles. In singles, Sabatini won the 1990 US Open, the Tour Finals in 1988 and 1994, and was runner-up at Wimbledon 1991, the 1988 US Open, and the silver medalist at the 1988 Olympics. In doubles, Sabatini won Wimbledon in 1988 partnering Steffi Graf, and reached three French Open finals. Among Open era players who did not reach the world No. 1 ranking, Sabatini has the most wins over reigning world No. 1 ranked players. In 2006, she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame and in 2018 Tennis Magazine ranked her as the 20th-greatest female player of the preceding 50 years.

3. David Nalbandian (b. 1982)

With an HPI of 48.26, David Nalbandian is the 3rd most famous Argentinean Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 49 different languages.

David Pablo Nalbandian (Spanish pronunciation: [daˈβið ˈpaβlo nalβanˈdjan]; born 1 January 1982) is an Argentine former professional tennis player. He reached his highest ranking in singles of world No. 3 in March 2006, during a career that stretched from 2000 to 2013. Nalbandian was runner-up in the singles event at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships. During his career, he won 11 singles titles, including the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005 and two Masters 1000 tournaments. Nalbandian is the only Argentine man in history to reach the semifinals or better at all four majors and to reach the Wimbledon final. He was a member of the Argentinian Davis Cup team who reached the finals of the World Group in 2006, 2008 and 2011. Nalbandian played right-handed with a two-handed backhand, regarded at the time to be one of the best on tour. Nalbandian is considered one of the biggest underachievers of the game and one of the greatest players to never have won a grand slam title. Since his retirement, Nalbandian has taken up the sport of rally racing and has competed in Rally Argentina.

4. Juan Martín del Potro (b. 1988)

With an HPI of 48.10, Juan Martín del Potro is the 4th most famous Argentinean Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 54 different languages.

Juan Martín del Potro (Spanish pronunciation: [xwam maɾˈtin del ˈpotɾo]; born 23 September 1988) is an Argentine former professional tennis player. Del Potro's biggest achievement is winning the 2009 US Open singles title, where he defeated Rafael Nadal in the semifinals and the five-time defending champion Roger Federer in the final. He was the only man outside the Big Three (Nadal, Federer, and Novak Djokovic) to win a major between the 2005 Australian Open and the 2012 US Open, a span of 30 tournaments. Del Potro's other career highlights include reaching the 2018 US Open final, winning an Olympic bronze medal in singles at the 2012 London Olympics and the silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, winning Indian Wells in 2018, and leading Argentina to the 2016 Davis Cup title. His career has been hampered by a succession of wrist and knee injuries. Del Potro first entered the top 10 of the ATP rankings on 6 October 2008. In January 2010, he reached a then-career-high ranking of world No. 4, after which he withdrew from most of the season due to an injury to his right wrist. In 2016, del Potro led Argentina to its first ever Davis Cup title by defeating Croatia's Marin Čilić in the final from two sets down. He reached his first major semifinal in four years by defeating Federer in the quarterfinals of the 2017 US Open. In 2018, he won his first Masters 1000 title at the Indian Wells Masters, defeating the defending champion and world No. 1 Federer in the final. After reaching the semifinals of the 2018 French Open, he matched his career-high ranking of No. 4, and in August 2018 he reached the world No. 3 ranking for the first time. At the 2018 US Open, he reached his second major final, where he lost to Novak Djokovic. Del Potro did not play between June 2019 and February 2022 because of pain from a knee injury, and said he would retire as a result. During his career del Potro won 22 ATP singles titles and one doubles title.

5. Gastón Gaudio (b. 1978)

With an HPI of 44.11, Gastón Gaudio is the 5th most famous Argentinean Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 37 different languages.

Gastón Norberto Gaudio (Spanish pronunciation: [ɡasˈtoŋ ˈɡawðjo]; born 9 December 1978) is an Argentine former professional tennis player. He won eight singles titles and achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 5 in April 2005. Gaudio's most significant championship came at the 2004 French Open, when he defeated fellow Argentine Guillermo Coria from two sets down in the final.

6. José Luis Clerc (b. 1958)

With an HPI of 42.40, José Luis Clerc is the 6th most famous Argentinean Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

José Luis Clerc (born 16 August 1958), also known by the nickname Batata, is a former professional tennis player from Argentina. He reached a career-high Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) world No. 4 singles ranking on 3 August 1981, following a run of 25 consecutive match wins after Wimbledon.

7. Guillermo Coria (b. 1982)

With an HPI of 42.08, Guillermo Coria is the 7th most famous Argentinean Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 34 different languages.

Guillermo Sebastián Coria (born 13 January 1982), nicknamed El Mago (The Magician in Spanish), is an Argentine retired professional tennis player. He reached a career-high ATP world No. 3 singles ranking in May 2004. Coria achieved his best results on clay, where he won eight of his nine ATP singles titles, and during his prime years in 2003 and 2004 was considered "the world's best clay-court player." He reached the final of the 2004 French Open, where he was defeated by Gastón Gaudio despite serving for the match twice and being up two sets to love. In later years, injuries and a lack of confidence affected his game, and he retired in 2009 at the age of 27. Between 2001 and 2002, he served a seven-month suspension for taking the banned substance nandrolone.

8. Patricia Tarabini (b. 1968)

With an HPI of 42.06, Patricia Tarabini is the 8th most famous Argentinean Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Patricia Tarabini (born 6 August 1968) is an Argentine tennis coach, retired top 30 singles player and former Grand Slam mixed-doubles champion.

9. Paola Suárez (b. 1976)

With an HPI of 40.92, Paola Suárez is the 9th most famous Argentinean Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 34 different languages.

Paola Suárez (Latin American Spanish: [paˈola ˈswaɾes]; born 23 June 1976) is a retired tennis player from Argentina. She was one of the most prominent women's doubles players throughout the early and mid-2000s, winning eight Grand Slam titles, all of them with Virginia Ruano Pascual, and holding the No. 1 doubles ranking for 87 non-consecutive weeks. She was also a singles top ten player and semifinalist at the 2004 French Open.

10. Gisela Dulko (b. 1985)

With an HPI of 40.32, Gisela Dulko is the 10th most famous Argentinean Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 34 different languages.

Gisela Dulko (Spanish pronunciation: [xiˈsela ˈðulko]; born 30 January 1985) is an Argentine former tennis player. Although she enjoyed modest success in singles, reaching a career-high ranking of world No. 26 and winning four WTA titles, her speciality was doubles, where she achieved the world No. 1 ranking and won 17 WTA titles. Partnering with Flavia Pennetta, Dulko won the 2010 WTA Tour Championships and the 2011 Australian Open. She also reached the mixed-doubles final at the 2011 US Open, with Eduardo Schwank. During her career, Dulko upset a number of top players on the tour, including Maria Sharapova in the second round of Wimbledon in 2009, Samantha Stosur in the third round of Roland Garros in 2011, and Martina Navratilova in the second round of Wimbledon in 2004 and in Navratilova's final Grand Slam singles match. Dulko retired from professional tennis on 18 November 2012, aged 27.