Mariano Zabaleta

Argentine tennis player Mariano Zabaleta had a good start to his career when he won the boys’ singles title at the 1995 French Open, beating compatriot Mariano Puerta in straight sets. Zabaleta turned professional the following year, achieving a career-best singles ranking of #21 in the world in April 2000 and a doubles ranking of #174 in the world in July 2003. Despite his promising start, he only won three singles titles on the ATP Tour, with victories at the Bancolombia Open (1998) and the Swedish Open (2003, 2004).

Zabaleta competed in the singles and doubles at both the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athina Olympics, pairing with Juan Ignacio Chela in the doubles each time. In 2001 he had his best performance at a Grand Slam when he reached the quarter-finals at the US Open, but lost to Marat Safin in straight sets. He was consistent at the French Open where he reached the fourth round in both 2002 and 2003. Zabaleta retired in 2010, earning just more than $3 million in prize money during his career.