Vivi Ruano

Spanish professional tennis player Vivi Ruano excelled as a doubles player, winning 11 Grand Slam titles and two Olympic silver medals. Ruano was ranked #1 in the world in September 2003 and earned more than $6 million in prize money during her career. She was often partnered with Paola Suárez of Argentina.

On the WTA Tour Ruano won three singles titles, with her first win coming in May 1997 at the Welsh International Open with victory against Alexia Dechaume-Balleret. It was as a doubles player, however, that Ruano had her greatest success. In January 1998 Ruano and perennial partner Paola Suárez won the Hobart International tournament in Australia. This was the first of 43 WTA doubles titles that Ruano went on to win, with Suárez partnering her in most of her matches. Ruano also had multiple victories with compatriots Anabel Medina and Conchita Martínez, At WTA Premier tournaments Ruano won 11 doubles titles, nine with Suárez, and two with Martínez.

At Grand Slams Ruano won 11 titles, 10 in doubles, and one in mixed doubles. In a spell from 2002 to 2004, she played in nine consecutive Grand Slam tournament finals, winning five of them. Ruano won the doubles title at the French Open six times (2001–02, 2004–05, 2008–09), three times at the US Open (2002–04), and once at the Australian Open (2004). She was also a three-time finalist at Wimbledon (2002–03, 2006). Of the 16 Grand Slam finals she competed in Ruano was partnered with Suárez in the first 14, with Anabel Medina playing in the remaining two finals. At the 2001 French Open Ruano and Tomás Carbonell won the mixed doubles title with a straight sets victory against Paola Suárez and Jaime Oncins.

Ruano competed at three Olympic Games; 1996 Atlanta, 2004 Athína, and 2008 Beijing. At the Atlanta Games she competed in the singles where she lost in the second round to Iva Majoli. For the 2004 and 2008 Games she only competed in the doubles, winning the silver medal each time with Conchita Martínez and Anabel Medina, respectively.