Between 1987 and 2000, the Spaniard reached the quarter-finals or better on 13 occasions in a 14 year stretch, and also picked up two mixed doubles titles on Parisian clay in 1990 and 1992.
Rolandgarros.com: Besides the surface, why do you think you were able to do so well here at Roland-Garros for such a long period of time?
Arantxa Sanchez Vicario: "It's always been my favourite tournament since I was a kid. As a Spaniard we always grow up watching Roland-Garros on TV. Obviously as a kid I was dreaming to win my first Grand Slam here, before the other ones. For me it's always been a very special place, I feel like at home here. And besides that I always played well, I had a very good connection with the crowd, the results as well. So it's like my second home."
What's your first memory of this tournament?
"When I was 16 I beat Chris Evert on Court 1 in the third round, she was my idol at those moments and was already No.1 in the world, so for me to have that win meant a lot. Then the following year, at 17, I won the major beating Steffi [Graf]. So everything started really well, beating all the best players, No.1s in the world in that moment and I made history the same as them and I'm really happy about that."
Which year do you think you hit your peak here in Paris?
"I think my whole career started in 1989. That's when the first one started when I was only 17 years of age. I was very young and the first Spanish female or male to win, and the youngest ever, to win this Grand Slam, that's how my career started. And after that it became much more, on other surfaces and other tournaments as well, but it was the beginning of my career."