#9. Gabriela Sabatini

The Ultimate 50

9. Gabriela Sabatini

2010 Update

The tennis world helped celebrate Gabriela's 40^th birthday in May - but look at the hairstyle she displayed in one photo! It's "all natural," to be sure. But it looks like the Super-Hair barely escaped a windstorm -- flat save for some natural wave, and bangs covering nearly half her forehead. It's as if Sabatini was daring someone to finish her off!

Gabriela seemed to add some round-brushed curl for an interview with Canchellena TV -- and the photographer seemed fixated on her forehead, waiting to see something happen at the crown which would defeat her style.

And sadly, enough breeze was blowing to do exactly that. Sabatini let a strip of hair slip into her right eye, even as the camera rolled. (The clip in our link also shows a strip flying across her face for a moment.) It was a finish we feared would happen sooner or later - but we give Sabatini credit for great hair that held out as long as it did.

*********

2008 Update

Gabriela returned to the scene of her Grand Slam success in September, for a U.S. Open Champions' event. She's still not afraid to wear long hair loose -- and the only thing solidifying this look might have been some hidden light spray with round-brushing. But notice the bit of bangs above the left eye....

In an interview during the tournament, look at how close her hair came to defeat! We found a couple of recent videos where Gabriela's eyelashes were literally the last line of defense, keeping bangs from falling while warning her of the need to make a quick adjustment. You keep getting the feeling that one wrong breeze on one wrong day will bring her style down for good -- but to her credit, that day hasn't come in public yet.

YouTube has a three-clip 2006 Sabatini interview with Eurosport which shows more of this trend. "Super-Sabatini" remains amazingly undefeated -- but barely undefeated, which still makes her a thrill for Hair Fans to watch.

*********

2006 Update

Gabriela was inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in the summer of 2006. A wind seemed to whip around the courts in Rhode Island that day -- but she used a sleek style which she tucked behind an ear when necessary, and again escaped unscathed in the critical eyes of Wireimage and other photographers.

Gabriela also continues to expand her line of perfumes. She's apparently more active in the office promoting them, than on public appearances. But the pictures at the perfume web site show a bouncy, ready-for-action head of hair. (There's also a "timeline" section, showing how it's developed over the decades.) The hair can be mussed, yet still never brought down completely in her face. May more athletes follow her tremendous example -- that you don't have to sacrifice Super-Hair to be a sports star.

*********

2004 Update

Gabriela came out of tennis retirement in September, for an exhibition benefit match against Steffi Graf. She didn't win on the court, but her hair certainly was still attractive -- and daringly close to danger, based on this photo.

But in her efforts to promote glamour and beauty, has Sabatini taken one risk too many? This photo is hidden on her web site, showing hair in the middle of her face. Since it's not in an eye, she's still technically unbeaten -- but how could the hair get there without dropping across an eye to defeat? Perhaps this explains why Sabatini fared poorly in our 2003 Cup of the Americas.

You can check Gabriela in both business and tennis action, past and present, by visiting a gallery at the World Tennis Network. You'll find other popular styles of tennis champions there as well.

*********

2002 Update

She may not play tennis anymore, but Gabriela remains popular as a perfume peddler - and her hair remains as attractive as ever. Recent photos show her style is straight, and awfully close to the eyes. But she shows skill in positioning the hair to keep it away from defeat, even when she's on a windy Key Biscayne beach. Enough hidden bangs remain to save her in tough spots.

Gabriela represented Argentina in our Super-Hair World Cup, and was preferred over Naomi Campbell - but she ran into trouble against other styles. Yet we believe this woman remains one of the best heads of hair South America has to offer.

So many Sabatini fans have her picture on the Internet that it's hard to recommend one site. A good place to start might be a site from GeoCities, which seems very current. We'd also point out Sabatini's own site, where she sells products - but we found there aren't many downloadable pictures there.

< Back to Gabriela Sabatini main page