Remembering Rios' Rise To No. 1... 20 Years On
Pete Sampras held a slender lead in the ATP Rankings, such that as the world’s best players hit U.S. soil in March 1998, more than 10 players with a decent run in the California and Florida sunshine, could, theoretically, have risen to No. 1. Marcelo Rios, the exquisitely talented Chilean, whose popularity in his homeland was second only to footballer Marcelo Salas, was one such player at No. 7 on the professional tennis ladder. Rios, on 2,777 points, sat 939 points behind World No. 1 Pete Sampras, who, for much of the past five years, had been the sport’s leader. In the space of 20 extraordinary days, as many years ago, the pony-tailed Rios harnessed not only his natural talent,...