From fights with police to vehicular assault: What happened to former world No 1 Marcelo Ríos?

Marcelo Ríos was one of the best tennis players of his generation. The Chilean was the first Latin American to reach the highest position in the ATP rankings, but was not without controversy. This is the story of Ríos, during and after his career.

Ríos was born on 26 December 1975 in the Chilean capital of Santiago, the son of Jorge Ríos Jarvis and Alicia Mayorga.

Ríos started playing tennis when he was 11 in a golf club near his home.

As a junior, he proved to be a great talent and reached world No. 1. He made it to the semi-finals of the French Open and won the US Open.

Ríos turned pro in 1994 and immediately made a name for himself.

At his first French Open, the then 18-year-old Ríos reached the second round, where he lost, but he fought hard against Pete Sampras.

In 1995, he won his first-ever title when he beat Uruguay's Marcelo Filippini at the Bologna Outdoor tournament. That same year, he also was victorious at the Dutch Open and the Malaysian Open.

Ríos would then perform well in several Masters Series tournaments and take his fourth career title in Sankt Pölten. He made the top 10, but ended the year world No. 11.

The following year, Ríos clinched his first Masters title in Monte Carlo and reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career. He would finish the year world No. 10, but would make a huge leap the following season.

In 1998, Ríos reached the only Grand Slam final of his career, losing to Petr Korda at the Australian Open.

He did, however, win the Grand Slam Cup that year.

That same year, however, he made history by becoming the first Chilean and Latin American to become world No. 1, a feat that was heavily celebrated in his native Chile. However, Ríos would only hold his top spot for four weeks.

In 1999, Ríos continued to perform well, but he suffered from injuries. Despite this, he managed to finish the year world No. 9.

In 2000, Ríos continued to suffer from injuries, but he still managed to add the tournament in Umag, Croatia, to his record. However, this could not prevent him from dropping to world No. 37.

Over the course of 2001 and 2002, Ríos won several tournaments, but this period marked the beginning of the decline of the Chilean star, who struggled with a back injury.

In 2003, Ríos won the World Team Cup with Chile and two silver medals at the Pan American Games. However, injuries regularly prevented him from participating in many tournaments, causing Ríos to drop to world No. 105.

This eventually led to Ríos announcing his retirement on 16 July 2004 at the age of just 28 with 18 singles titles to his name.

Chile said goodbye to 'El Chino', a legend of the sport and the only player in the Open Era to have reached world No. 1 without a Grand Slam title to his name in his career.

During that period, Ríos would stay in sports by featuring as a commentator.

After his active tennis career, Ríos participated in the ATP Champions Tour for former players. In 2006, he again showed his talent by winning his first tournament on the tour, in Doha.

Besides a successful career, Ríos also had a turbulent private life: he married three times and had six children. His is currently still married to Paula Pavic, although she reportedly filed for divorce in 2023 after 14 years of marriage.

In August 2013, Ríos had some health problems, when he was taken to hospital with severe headaches and later diagnosed with reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome. In March the following year, he was hospitalised again.

In 2016, Ríos told Chilevisión that he was diagnosed with the neurodevelopmental condition Asperger's syndrome as a child.

During his career, Ríos has been at the center of numerous controversies.

In one such controversy, he attacked two policemen when resisting arrest, The Telegraph reported in 2001.

In another incident, Ríos allegedly ran over his physical trainer, Manuel Astorga, who suffered serious injuries to his foot.

In 2005, Ríos's then wife María Eugenia Larraín got injured when he reportedly threw her out of the car in Costa Rica on a visit to his daughter, Costanza.

Despite his controversies, Ríos will be remembered first and foremost for his exceptional tennis career that saw him enter the history books as a legend in his native Chile and Latin America.