If you only follow modern-day tennis then the name Sabine Appelmans might have passed you by, but that is most certainly your loss. As professional tennis goes Sabine is one of the greatest and therefore if you don’t know about her and her career then as a tennis fan you should definitely make it your job to find out.
Sabine Appelmans Professional Tennis Career
Belgium born Sabine started her professional tennis career in 1988 and she won her first title in 1992 in Scottsdale in a fast-paced tennis match against Chanda Rubin. Throughout her career, she won a number of high profile matches including four double titles and seven single titles. She also took part in the Olympic Games in 1992, 1996 and 2000. However, it was during the Grand Slam tournaments was in the 1997 Australian Open, where she deferred the then world no.3 player Conchita Mariniz and reached the quarterfinals. She played doubles with Miriam Oremans during the 1997 Wimbledon tournament where they reached the semi-finals. Her professional tennis career continued forward and in February 2007 she was made captain of the Belgium Fed Squad, where she stayed until 2011, leading the team to a semi-final during her time in charge. Her career during the 90s really put her in the spotlight of great tennis players, as she shows her talents in both singles and double matches. She was a diverse player and worked hard at perfecting her talent – and it is this that made her such a great player. Her efforts paid off and in 1990 and 1991 she was awarded Belgian Sportswoman of the Year; a much strived for accolade for those taking part in professional sport in Belgium
What Does Sabine Have To Say About Her Time Playing Professional Tennis?
Sabine may have appeared to take all in her stride at the time, but recently Betway spoke to Sabine Appelmans about her career. During her interview with them, she spoke about the opponents that she found most difficult to beat. She revealed that Steffi Graff was the opponent that she found hardest to play during her career – a large part of this due to the fact that Sabine actually looked up to Steffi as a player she admired, calling her an icon. However, it was her forehand and her ‘unbelievable footwork’ that also helped make her hard to beat. However, it isn’t just Steffi that Sabine found hard to play, which isn’t a surprise when you consider how many years her tennis career spanned. In the interview with Betway she also talked about how much of a ‘fighter on the court’ Monica Seles was, with her ability to play everything with two hands – Sabine says that despite the fact she never beat her, she did enjoy their matches. Another name on the list was fellow Belgian tennis player Dominique Monami – they were good friends and close in terms of rankings. Sabine talked about how difficult it was to play someone you were so close with, especially as they were from the same country.
