Marcelo Ríos

1.1. Childhood and Introduction to Tennis

Ríos was born in Santiago, Chile to Jorge Ríos Jarvis, an engineer and businessman, and Alicia Mayorga, a teacher. He has an older sister named Paula. He began playing tennis at the age of 11 at the Sport Francés golf club in Vitacura, a commune in Greater Santiago, which was adjacent to his family home. As a quiet, left-handed boy, his talent was quickly recognized.

1.2. Junior Career

As a junior player, Ríos reached the world No. 1 ranking in singles, a first for a South American player, and No. 141 in doubles. In 1993, he reached the semifinals of the junior French Open without dropping a set, though he was eventually defeated by Roberto Carretero-Diaz. Later that year, he won the junior US Open singles title, dropping only one set throughout the entire tournament. He also secured his first Satellite tournament victory in Chile.

2.1. Turning Professional and Early Career (1994-1996)

Ríos turned professional in 1994. He quickly gained international attention after his participation at the French Open, where, at just 18 years old, he faced Pete Sampras in the second round, losing a hard-fought match. His left-handed playing style, coupled with his distinctive long hair and backwards visor, captured media attention. In the same year, he won his first Challenger title in Dresden, Germany.

In May 1995, at 19 years old, Ríos won his first ATP tournament title at the Bologna Outdoor in Italy, defeating Marcelo Filippini. This victory saw him break into the world's top 50 for the first time. In June, he secured both the singles (against Jan Siemerink) and doubles (with Sjeng Schalken) titles at the Dutch Open in Amsterdam. He also won the tournament in Kuala Lumpur, defeating Mark Philippoussis. Ríos also reached the final of his home country's ATP tournament in Santiago. He concluded 1995 ranked world No. 25.

The 1996 season saw Ríos deliver strong performances in the Masters Series (then known as Super 9) tournaments. He reached the quarterfinals at the Stuttgart and Rome Masters, and the semifinals at Indian Wells, Monte Carlo, and Canada. He claimed his fourth career title at the Sankt Pölten Open in Austria, defeating Félix Mantilla. Ríos again reached the final in Santiago, and also made it to the finals in Barcelona and Scottsdale. For a significant portion of the year, he was ranked in the top 10, becoming the first Chilean tennis player to achieve this feat. He finished 1996 ranked No. 11.

2.2. Breakthrough and Top 10 Entry (1997)

The year 1997 marked a significant turning point in Ríos's career, showcasing his impending dominance. For the first time, he reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament at the Australian Open and again at the US Open. He also secured his first Masters title at the Monte Carlo Masters, where he defeated Àlex Corretja in the final. Two weeks later, he lost in the final of the Rome Masters to the same Spanish opponent. Other notable successes included reaching the quarterfinals of the Stuttgart Masters and the finals of the Marseille, Boston, and (for the third time) Santiago tournaments. Ríos demonstrated remarkable consistency in 1997, being the only player to reach the fourth round or better in all four Grand Slams. He climbed as high as world No. 6 during the year and concluded the season in the top ten for the first time, ranked No. 10.

2.3. Peak: World No. 1 and Grand Slam Final (1998)

The year 1998 represented the pinnacle of Marcelo Ríos's career, as he ascended to the world No. 1 ranking. He started the year by winning the Auckland Open in New Zealand, defeating Richard Fromberg. He then reached his first and only Grand Slam final at the Australian Open, where he defeated opponents like Thomas Enqvist and Nicolas Escudé before losing to Petr Korda in a decisive 2-6, 2-6, 2-6 match that lasted 1 hour and 25 minutes.

The following months brought further successes, including his victory at the Super 9 (current Masters Series) tournament in Indian Wells, where he triumphed over British player Greg Rusedski in the final. The culmination of his ascent came in the final of the Key Biscayne tournament (now the Miami Open) in Florida, under the guidance of his coach Larry Stefanki. After defeating players like Tommy Haas and Goran Ivanišević, Ríos beat Thomas Enqvist in the quarterfinals and Tim Henman in the semifinals. In the final on 29 March, Ríos defeated Andre Agassi 7-5, 6-3, 6-4. This victory propelled him to the world No. 1 ranking, making him the first Chilean, Latin American, and Spanish-speaking male player to achieve this historic feat. In Chile, thousands of people celebrated his triumph, which also ended Pete Sampras's streak of 102 consecutive weeks at No. 1. Ríos received a crowded reception at La Moneda Palace with then-president Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle, cheered by an estimated 10,000 people.

Ríos's initial reign as world No. 1 lasted four weeks. He lost the ranking after being unable to defend his title at the Monte Carlo Masters due to an injury sustained during a Davis Cup tie against Hernán Gumy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In May, he reached the quarterfinals of the French Open, losing to eventual champion Carlos Moyá.

In June, at Wimbledon, Ríos suffered an upset loss in the first round to Francisco Clavet. However, on 10 August, he regained the world No. 1 spot for another two weeks. In September, he lost in the third round of the US Open to Magnus Larsson. During this prolific season, Ríos also won the Rome Masters (after Albert Costa withdrew from the final), the Sankt Pölten Open (defeating Vincent Spadea), the Grand Slam Cup (against Andre Agassi), and the Singapore Open (defeating Mark Woodforde). Furthermore, he reached the quarterfinals of the Stuttgart Masters and Paris Masters. In 1998, Ríos secured seven titles, including three Masters Series titles, and reached the Australian Open final. On 27 July of that year, he achieved his career-high points total of 3719 (under the scoring system used before 2000). He finished the year ranked No. 2, behind Pete Sampras, who ended the season as world No. 1 for the sixth consecutive year.

2.4. Later Career, Injuries, and Decline (1999-2003)

Marcelo Ríos maintained a high level of play in 1999, but his season was frequently disrupted by recurring injuries and surgeries. This prevented him from defending the points he had earned by reaching the Australian Open final the previous year, causing his ranking to drop. He reached the final of the Monte Carlo Masters, but had to retire due to a new injury, handing the title to Gustavo Kuerten. Ríos subsequently won the Hamburg Masters in a demanding match against Mariano Zabaleta that lasted over four hours. Two weeks later, he successfully defended his title at the Sankt Pölten Open, again against Zabaleta, who retired during the first set. In October, he won the Singapore Open and reached the final in Beijing, losing to Magnus Norman. He also made it to the quarterfinals at Roland Garros and the Stuttgart Masters. Despite the numerous injuries and surgeries, Ríos concluded 1999 as a top-ten player for the third consecutive year, ranked world No. 9.

From 2000 until the end of his career on the main tour, Ríos struggled to maintain the high standards he had set in the previous decade, as his play was consistently hampered by disabling injuries. In 2000, he won the Umag tournament in Croatia, defeating Mariano Puerta in the final. He also reached the semifinals at the Hamburg Masters, losing to Marat Safin. Ríos finished 2000 ranked No. 37 in the world.

In 2001, Ríos started the year by winning the Qatar Open in Doha. However, his subsequent performances were weaker, affected by an ankle operation, which caused him to drop out of the world's top 50 for the first time since his teenage years. In September, Ríos secured another title in Hong Kong, defeating Rainer Schüttler in the final. In October, Ríos returned to Chile to play a Challenger event in Santiago in an attempt to win an ATP tournament in his home country, a feat that had eluded him. He won the Challenger title, beating Edgardo Massa in the final. He also reached a doubles final at the Scottsdale tournament. Ríos ended 2001 ranked No. 39.

In early 2002, Ríos showed some promising results, including reaching the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and the semifinals at the Miami Masters. However, a recurring back injury, which had already required two operations, prevented him from sustaining his success and returning to a competitive level. He reached the final of the Stockholm tournament, playing against Paradorn Srichaphan. Ríos finished 2002 at No. 24, his highest year-end ranking since 1999, but still struggled to fully recover from the injuries that had plagued him since late 1999.

In 2003, Ríos reached the final of the Viña del Mar tournament (formerly the Santiago tournament) in Chile, but lost to Spaniard David Sánchez. This marked his fourth final loss in his home country. However, representing Chile alongside Fernando González and Nicolás Massú, he won the World Team Cup in Düsseldorf, Germany. In the same year, he also earned silver medals in both singles and doubles (with Adrián García) at the 2003 Pan American Games. In May, Ríos played his last ATP-level match, retiring in the first round of the French Open against Mario Ančić. Throughout 2003, Ríos participated in very few tournaments, often withdrawing due to injuries. As a result, he ended the year at No. 105 in the world, his lowest year-end ranking on the main tour.

2.5. Retirement (2004)

In 2004, six years after achieving the world No. 1 ranking, Marcelo Ríos returned to competition after a long absence from the tour, securing a victory at an Challenger Series tournament in Ecuador. He played his final competitive match in early April 2004 at a Challenger event in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, where he retired in the round of 16.

Finally, on 16 July 2004, at the age of just 28, Ríos officially announced his retirement from professional tennis during a press conference in Santiago, citing years of persistent injuries. He organized a farewell tour across Chile, traveling to various cities, meeting with fans, conducting tennis clinics, and playing exhibition matches with international and local tennis players, including Petr Korda and Goran Ivanišević. The tour concluded on 22 December 2004, at a soccer stadium in Santiago, where he played his final main tour tennis match against Guillermo Coria.

3.1. World No. 1 Ranking

Marcelo Ríos achieved the historic distinction of becoming the first South American male tennis player to reach the world No. 1 ranking. He first ascended to this position on 30 March 1998, and held it for a total of six weeks across two non-consecutive stints in 1998. His achievement was particularly notable as he broke Pete Sampras's streak of 102 consecutive weeks at No. 1.

3.2. Grand Slam Performance

Ríos's best Grand Slam performance was reaching the singles final at the 1998 Australian Open. Although he lost the final to Petr Korda, it marked his deepest run in a major tournament. He consistently performed well at other Grand Slams, reaching the quarterfinals of the French Open in 1998 and 1999, and the quarterfinals of the US Open in 1997. He also reached the fourth round of Wimbledon in 1997.

3.3. Masters Series and Other Titles

Ríos enjoyed significant success in ATP Masters Series events, winning five titles. His victories include the Monte Carlo Masters (1997), Indian Wells Masters (1998), Miami Masters (1998), Rome Masters (1998), and Hamburg Masters (1999). He holds the unique distinction of being the first player to win all three clay-court Masters tournaments (Monte Carlo, Rome, and Hamburg) since the format was introduced in 1990. In 1998, he also completed the rare "Sunshine Double" by winning both the Indian Wells and Miami Masters in the same year, a feat previously achieved only by Michael Chang and Pete Sampras. Additionally, Ríos won the Grand Slam Cup in 1998, defeating Andre Agassi in the final.

3.4. Unique Career Records

Marcelo Ríos holds several unique records in professional tennis. He is the only male player in the Open Era to have been ranked world No. 1 without ever winning a Grand Slam singles title. At 5.7 ft ^{(1.75 m)}, he is also the shortest male player to have held the number 1 ranking. Furthermore, Ríos is the only player in tennis history to have achieved the world No. 1 ranking at three different levels: as a junior, as a professional, and as a senior (on the ATP Champions Tour).

4.1. ATP Champions Tour

On 29 March 2006, at the age of 30, Ríos debuted on the ATP Champions Tour, a circuit for former professional players, having met the requirement of being at least two years post-retirement. In his first tournament on the tour in Doha, Qatar, he claimed the title by defeating notable players such as Thomas Muster, Henri Leconte, Pat Cash, and Cédric Pioline. The following week, he repeated his success, winning the crown in Hong Kong, again defeating Muster in the final. Ríos went on to win six consecutive tournaments, adding titles in Algarve, Graz, Paris, and Eindhoven. His participation on the senior circuit generated some mild controversy due to his significantly younger age compared to many of his fellow competitors. He concluded 2006 as the world No. 1 on the ATP Champions Tour, winning a total of six tournaments and maintaining an impressive 25-match winning streak.

Ríos did not participate in the ATP Champions Tour in 2007. He had initially intended to return to the main ATP Tour in February at the Viña del Mar tournament, but he withdrew due to the same back injury that had forced his retirement. On 30 March 2007, Ríos played an exhibition match against Andre Agassi at the Movistar Arena in Santiago, commemorating the match where Ríos ascended to world No. 1 and marking Agassi's first appearance in Chile.

In 2008, Ríos returned to the veteran's tour, where he won tournaments in Barcelona and Algarve. On 22 June 2008, he was defeated by Pete Sampras in the final of a seniors tournament in São Paulo, Brazil. Ríos finished 2008 ranked No. 3 in the veteran's world rankings. On 24 June 2008, Ríos defeated Sampras in an exhibition match that commemorated the 10-year anniversary of his reaching the world No. 1 ranking.

4.2. Other Activities

In 2015, it was announced that the Chile Tennis Federation and Ríos himself intended to request an investigation by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) into his 1998 Australian Open final opponent, Petr Korda, regarding possible doping activity during that tournament.

Following successful elbow surgery in November 2018, Ríos announced his desire for a comeback, aiming to become the oldest ever winner of a Challenger tournament, though these plans ultimately did not materialize. On 21 December 2018, Ríos defeated Nicolás Lapentti 6-4, 5-7, [11-9] in an exhibition match held in Chile.

5.1. Davis Cup

Ríos was a key player for the Chilean Davis Cup team, participating in multiple ties throughout his career. His record includes a significant win-loss performance for his country. In May 2003, representing Chile alongside Fernando González and Nicolás Massú, he contributed to the team's victory in the World Team Cup in Düsseldorf, Germany, defeating the Czech Republic in the final.

5.2. Olympic Participation

Ríos represented Chile at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He competed in both singles and doubles (partnering with Nicolás Massú), but was defeated in the first round of both events.

5.3. Pan American Games

In 2003, Ríos participated in the 2003 Pan American Games held in Santo Domingo. He secured two silver medals for Chile: one in men's singles, losing to Fernando Meligeni of Brazil in the final, and another in men's doubles, partnering with Adrián García, where they lost to the Mexican pair of Santiago González and Alejandro Hernández.

6.1. Family and Relationships

Ríos was born in Santiago, Chile. His father, Jorge Ríos Jarvis, was an engineer and businessman, and his mother, Alicia Mayorga, was a teacher. He has an older sister named Paula.

In September 1998, Ríos met Giuliana Sotela, then 14 years old, from Costa Rica, while training at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida. They married in December 2000 in Santiago. Their daughter, Constanza, was born in June 2001. Their marriage concluded in divorce in March 2004, which was legally finalized in Costa Rica, as Chile did not permit divorce until November 2004. During 2004, Ríos also worked as a sports commentator for a radio station in Chile.

In April 2005, Ríos married model María Eugenia "Kenita" Larraín, who had previously been engaged to football player Iván Zamorano. The couple's relationship ended publicly in September of the same year following an incident in Costa Rica where Larraín claimed she was injured after Ríos allegedly threw her out of his car while driving to visit his daughter. Ríos asserted that marrying Larraín was "the biggest mistake of my life" and that her injuries were from a skiing accident, not caused by him. Prior to his marriage to Larraín, Ríos had been in a relationship with her cousin, Patricia Larraín, from 1995 to 1998.

In May 2008, Ríos married Paula Pavic. They had five children together: daughters Isidora (born December 2008) and Colomba (born June 2010), and triplets-a son named Marcelo Jr. and two daughters named Antonella and Agustina (all born December 2011). Ríos and Pavic divorced in 2023.

In March 2008, on the tenth anniversary of Ríos reaching the world No. 1 ranking, journalist Nelson Flores published a book in Spanish titled El extraño del pelo largo (El extraño del pelo largo_{The strange man with long hair}^Spanish), which chronicled his experiences following Ríos from his junior days through his ascent to the top of the ATP singles ranking.

6.2. Personal Health and Diagnosis

In May 2014, Marcelo Ríos revealed in an interview with El Mercurio that he believed he might have Asperger's syndrome. On 17 November 2016, he confirmed in an interview with Chilevisión that he had been diagnosed with Asperger's twice in his life: once as a child and again during a Davis Cup tie. He stated that he did not give much thought to the diagnoses until the 2014 interview, after which he researched the condition and recognized many of its characteristics in himself. In late 2018, he relocated his family to Sarasota, Florida.

8.1. Singles and Doubles Records

Throughout his professional career, Marcelo Ríos achieved an overall singles record of 391 wins and 192 losses, securing 18 singles titles. In doubles, he recorded 36 wins and 57 losses, with 1 doubles title. His highest singles ranking was world No. 1, achieved on 30 March 1998, while his highest doubles ranking was No. 141 on 7 May 2001.

8.2. Career Earnings

Marcelo Ríos earned a total of 9.71 M USD in prize money during his professional career.

8.3. Performance Timeline

This timeline summarizes Marcelo Ríos's participation and performance records in major tournaments.

8.4. Singles: 1 (1-0)

8.5. Singles: 7 (5-2)

8.6. Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)