Rossana De Los Rios

Rossana Neffa de los Rios is a professional female tennis player from Paraguay. She was born September 16, 1975 in Asunción, the capital of Paraguay, but is now based in Miami, Florida with her husband and 10-year-old daughter. A family of sports athletes, Rossana’s husband is a retired football player who played for the Paraguayan team, Boca Juniors. Her daughter Ana Paula, meanwhile, is a fervent tennis enthusiast and budding tennis player who dreams of turning pro like her mother and of winning titles like her friend Serena Williams.

In 2001, Rossana reached the No. 51 spot in the Singles category while reaching no. 52 in the Doubles category. Such rankings were no easy feat, especially when, unlike most of her opponents, Rosanna is a mother whose training and domestic concerns must be handled in equal precision. Her play in Doubles include popular names like Maria Sharapova, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Jelena Janković and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario.

De los Rios had a brilliant start as a tennis player in the junior category. She in fact, occupied the top spot as the1992 world’s number one junior. She earned the title by winning the Junior French Open in the very same year. She finally turned professional in 1993, the tennis world in eager anticipation of what she can bring to the court with her power and her swing. Her fans, opponents and critics were disappointed however, when she decided to retire from tennis within a year of turning pro. She chose marriage and motherhood over tennis trophies.

Come 2000, and the De los Rios fervor was re-ignited as Rossana came back on the tennis scene, blowing away spectators with her inspiring play onto the fourth round of the 2000 French Open, her magnificent performance belying the fact that she ceased playing for five years. She even defeated tennis pro Amanda Coetzer in the event.

Rossana repeatedly said in her comeback interviews that she aimed to be included in the Top 100; over the years she proved she could reclaim her place, finally re-entering the top 100 in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Rankings. She currently occupies the no. 92 spot in the world rankings.