Conchita Martínez
- For another Spanish female tennis player with the same name, see Conchita Martinez Granados.
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women’s Tennis | ||
 |
1992 Barcelona | Doubles |
|
2004 Athens | Doubles |
 |
1996 Atlanta | Doubles |
Inmaculada Concepcion ("Conchita") Martínez Bernat (born April 16, 1972) is a former professional tennis player from Spain. She won the women's singles title at Wimbledon in 1994. She also finished runner-up at the Australian Open in 1998, and the French Open in 2000.
Career
Born in Monzón, Huesca, Martínez turned professional in 1988. In 1992, she was a Silver Medalist in the women's doubles at the Olympic Games in Barcelona (partnering Arantxa Sánchez Vicario), and also runner-up in the women's doubles at the French Open.
In 1993, Martínez became the first Spanish woman in sixty-five years since Lili de Alvarez to reach the semi-finals at Wimbledon. Martínez lost to Steffi Graf 7-6, 6-3.
In 1994 Martínez reached the Wimbledon final, where she faced the 9-time former Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova. Navratilova's last Wimbledon triumph had come four years earlier, but many observers felt that the 37 year-old Czech-born American was the favourite going into the match given her long track record of success on grass courts, whereas Martínez's most significant tournament victories up to that time had been on slower-playing surfaces, particularly clay courts. However Martínez seized her moment and won in three sets 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
In 1995, Martínez was a semi-finalist at all four of the Grand Slam tournaments and reached her career-high singles ranking of World No. 2. In 1993 she became the first Spaniard to win the Italian Open since Lili de Alvarez captured the title in 1930. Martínez went on to become the first player to win the Italian Open title for four consecutive years. She also partnered Sánchez Vicario to claim a women's doubles Olympic Bronze Medal in Atlanta.
1998 saw Martínez reach her second career Grand Slam final. She was defeated in the final of the Australian Open by Martina Hingis 6-3, 6-3. She also helped Spain win the Fed Cup that year, beating Patty Schnyder of Switzerland 6-3, 2-6, 9-7 in three hours and 19 minutes in a marathon match during the final.
Martínez reached the final of the French Open in 2000, where she lost to Mary Pierce 6-2, 7-5.
In 2001, Martínez was runner-up in the women's doubles at the French Open (partnering Jelena Dokic).
Martínez won her second Olympic Silver Medal in the women's doubles in 2004 in Athens (partnering Virginia Ruano Pascual).
In 2005, Martínez won her first singles title in five years at Pattaya, Thailand, bringing her career total to 33 top-level singles titles, 9 of which are Tier I events, and 13 doubles titles.
On April 15, 2006, at the age of 33 and after 18 years of professional career, she announced her retirement, having won more professional singles tournaments than any other female Spanish tennis player.
Grand Slam singles finals
Wins (1)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 1994 | Wimbledon |  Martina Navrátilová |
6-4, 3-6, 6-3 |
Runner-ups (2)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 1998 | Australian Open |  Martina Hingis |
3-6, 3-6 |
| 2000 | French Open |  Mary Pierce |
2-6, 5-7 |
Singles titles
- 2005 - Pattaya
- 2000 - German Open
- 1999 - Polish Open
- 1998 - German Open, Warsaw
- 1996 - Italian Open, Moscow
- 1995 - Hilton Head, Amelia Island, Hamburg, Italian Open, San Diego, Los Angeles
- 1994 - Wimbledon, Hilton Head, Italian Open, US Hardcourts
- 1993 - Brisbane, Houston, Italian Open, US Hardcourts, Philadelphia
- 1992 - Austrian Open
- 1991 - Barcelona, Austrian Open, Paris Indoor
- 1990 - Paris Indoor, Scottsdale, Indianapolis
- 1989 - Phoenix, Wellington, Tampa
- 1988 - Sofia, Futures/Rocafort-ESP, Futures/Castellon-ESP, Futures/Reggio Emilia-ITA
Singles runner-ups
- 2004 - Charleston
- 2003 - Eastbourne
- 2002 - Bali
- 2000 - Amelia Island, Gold Coast, French Open
- 1998 - Australian Open, Amelia Island
- 1997 - Italian Open, Stanford
- 1996 - Indian Wells, Hamburg
- 1995 - Delray Beach
- 1993 - Linz, Barcelona, Essen
- 1992 - Indian Wells, Boca Raton, Hilton Head, San Diego
- 1989 - Geneva
- 1988 - European Open, Bayonne
External links
- Spanish tennis players
- Wimbledon champions
- Olympic tennis players of Spain
- Tennis players at the 1992 Summer Olympics
- Tennis players at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Tennis players at the 2000 Summer Olympics
- Tennis players at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- 1972 births
- Living people
- Olympic silver medalists
- Olympic bronze medalists