Sabatini speaks

In a rare interview on the tenth anniversary of her retirement, Sabatini talks about her 1990 US Open victory, the tough times she has had to face both on and off the court, and what she has been doing since retiring aged just 26.

Not surprisingly, Sabatini cites her victory over Steffi Graf in the 1990 US Open final as the "best moment of my career" and reveals how she was having images of winning the tournament even before it became a reality.

"Every night (during the tournament) when I had to go to bed I couldn't fall asleep because I was thinking about maybe holding that trophy," she said.

"When I got to match point in the final I was afraid I'd be a little nervous but I just said 'you have to stay focused, don't think about the match point, just think about what you have to do'.

"When I finally held the trophy, it was just how I imagined it would be."

Sabatini didn't always have it so easy on court however, and in the interview she talks about her famous match with Mary-Jo Fernandez in the quarter-final of the 1993 French Open.

In that match she lost 10-8 in the final set after being 6-1 5-1 in front, and she reveals how her mental on-court problems led her to consult with psychologists several times throughout her career.

"I did this because I didn't know what was going through my mind," she reveals.

"I felt it was very hard for me to go out and practice and to enjoy my tennis, and I didn't know the reason why, so I worked with psychologists to try and see what was happening and they pushed me really hard."

The Argentine, still looking stunning at 36, also talks about the decision that shocked the tennis world - the announcement that she was retiring in 1996, while still only 26-years-old.

"For me it wasn't hard once I knew that that was the decision I was going to make," she says.

"The difficult part was to tell the world that I was finishing because I felt nobody would understand what was going on in my mind, and that this was a decision that would make me happy."

However, she also reveals all the opportunities that tennis has afforded her, and how much of a positive effect the sport has had on her life.

"I never thought tennis was going to give me so much satisfaction," she admits

"It has given me the possibility to travel, to make friends, to learn things, and to overcome the obstacles I've faced in my life. Tennis has had a very positive impact on my life.

"It's amazing, it doesn't feel like it has been 10 years (since retirement), I've been doing a lot of different things and I have been enjoying myself very much.

"I was a very shy and introverted person, and it was hard for me to talk to people and make relationships.

"But tennis helped me to become a little more outgoing, to talk and relate to people more."

Sabatini also talks about her friendship with the likes of Diego Maradona and Steffi Graf; the state of tennis today; her love for Argentina; and about how much it meant to her be inducted into the tennis hall of fame earlier this year - all this in an interview that is not to be missed!

You can see the full interview in segments throughout Eurosport's coverage of the WTA Tour Championship in Madrid next week.