Former No. 1 tennis star noticed ‘swaying’ outdoors nightclub as police query him
A former world-ranked number one tennis star was caught on concerned onlookers ‘swaying’ outside a bar while being ‘questioned’ by police who were attending to a disturbance
Marcelo Rios was spotted outside a bar being questioned by police
A former world number one tennis player was caught on camera swaying outside a bar while being “questioned” by police.
According to witnesses, Marcelo Ríos got into a heated argument with a woman believed to be his partner and ended up threatening customers. Police were called to the scene and Ríos, 50, was removed from the bar in an apparent drunken state on Sunday night (3 May).
In the footage, the former tennis star could be seen speaking with officers while being supported by another person, appearing visibly unsteady and agitated. According to local media, Ríos fell during the incident and suffered a forehead injury in Vitacura, Chile.
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One witness wrote on social media: “Right now, ‘Chino’ Ríos is causing a scene at Taringa Bar in Vitacura.
“He’s drunk, falls to the ground, splits his forehead open, and threatens customers. Carabineros and municipal security are there. Only the firefighters are missing.”
The episode did not result in any arrests, and no police report was filed, as reported by creatorzine.com. Officers who attended said they did so “in response to a call, but (Ríos) was calm and left with his friend.”
Ríos was ranked world number one in singles by the ATP from 30 March 1998 to 26 April 1998, and again from 10 August 1998 to 23 August 1998. On both occasions, he was replaced at the top of the rankings by American Pete Sampras.
Born in Santiago, Ríos is the only top-ranked player to have retired without ever winning a Grand Slam title.
His best Grand Slam singles result came at the 1998 Australian Open, where he finished runner-up to Czech player Petr Korda. However, later that same year, he won the Grand Slam Cup against American Andre Agassi.
Ríos is thought to be the only male tennis player in history to have held world number one status at all three levels: junior, ATP professional, and senior (Champions Tour).
He was also the first Latin American player to reach the world number one ranking. One social media user joked: “Future Minister of Sport!”
