"She doesn't have respect; I taught her a lesson" – When Arantxa Sanchez Vicario defeated Serena Williams at 1998 French Open
Arantxa Sanchez Vicario defeated a young 16-year-old Serena Williams at the 1998 French Open.
Williams, who made her French Open debut in 1998, had a promising run, reaching the fourth round of the tournament. Her debut, however, was cut short when Sanchez Vicario pulled off a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 comeback victory despite Serena Williams leading 5-2 in the second set and being just two points away from upsetting the Spaniard. The rivals were at loggerheads throughout the fixture and both made some bitter comments about each other following the match.
Sanchez Vicario voiced that she was thrilled to score the victory and teach Williams a lesson.
"I just think she doesn't have respect. She cannot go in with that attitude. You know, I'm glad that I beat her. That's the thing — I taught her a lesson,'' Vicario had said.
The duo also had a moment of disagreement during the crucial moments of the first set, when the American was leading 5-4 on Sanchez’s serve, and the pair were playing at deuce. Williams played a tricky shot, which the Spaniard claimed was a double bounce, but the 16-year-old felt otherwise and came to the net to clarify.
"Arantxa, Arantxa, one bounce, one bounce," she said.
However, Sanchez Vicario was displeased by Serena Williams' behavior throughout the contest, including the moment the American hit the ball directly at her during the third set.
"She came to the net talking very aggressively. I don't think she can act that way. I don't think it's nice at all. She went to hit me. I was lucky that I went to the other side. It just passed me. She just started laughing, looking at me badly,'' she had remarked.
The American, however, had a few opinions of her own about Sanchez Vicario and called her out for changing her outfit midway through the second set, when Williams was regaining momentum.
"Every time I see her play a match, she always argues about almost every call. She didn't do that, then I would have been a little surprised because she argues a lot. I think she thought the white dress would be a better tactic against me, so it proved to be," she said.
Arantxa Sanchez Vicario went on to win the tournament and lift her fourth and final singles Grand Slam title.
"They painted me as a very bad person" - When Arantxa Sanchez Vicario disagreed with her portrayal in Venus and Serena Williams’ movie
Arantxa Sanchez Vicario’s character was portrayed in the 2021 film “King Richard”, which revolved around Venus Williams, Serena Williams, and their father Richard Williams. The climax of the movie featured the battle won by the Spaniard against Venus Williams in the latter’s second career match.
Sanchez Vicario, however, disagreed with the portrayal that showed her taking an extended bathroom break to disrupt Williams’ momentum.
"The moment they painted me as a very bad person was when I am losing 2-6 and 1-3 is totally incorrect. I was in the lead, as far as I know. It is impossible that I would have left the court with 1-3 because you can never leave in even games, if anything I would have left in 2-3. The bathroom break is limited. I would have been penalized if I had stayed longer,” she had said.
The Spaniard also voiced that she was always certain that Serena Williams would outdo Venus Williams.
"I have a good relationship with Richard Williams and when his two daughters were on the circuit everyone talked about Venus. I saw them play and I knew that Serena was going to be better than Venus,” she stated.