"I have made this decision after a long and well-thought-out analysis, out of which has arisen my strong desire to pursue the development of other activities," Sabatini said during a news conference at Madison Square Garden.

The glamorous, 26-year-old Argentine ended her mostly unfulfilled career in abrupt fashion. She has no plans to play in selected tournaments or on a farewell tour.

However, Garden president Dave Checketts, declared the opening night of the season-ending Chase Championships of the Corel WTA Tour on Nov. 18 to be 'Farewell Gabby Night."

Sabatini won the event in 1988 and 1994, but did not qualify this year.

Sabatini turned pro at age 14, and was hailed as the rival most likely to challenge Steffi Graf for dominance of their sport.

While Graf has been at the top for several years, Sabatini never quite reached the pinnacle

Her highest world ranking was No. 3 in 1989, 1991 and 1992, and she won only one grand slam title -- the U.S. Open in 1990. There, she beat Steffi Graf in a stirring final.

Overall, Sabatini won 27 singles titles and 12 doubles titles, and earned $8.785,849. Only Martina Navratilova, Graf, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Chris Evert and Monica Seles earned more on the women's tour.

In addition to her tour earnings, Sabatini made an estimated $20 million from a perfume bearing her name, modeling clothes in fashion magazines and endorsements.

Her final tournament ended in a first-round, straight-sets loss to Jennifer Capriati last week at Zurich, Switzerland. It was the second straight event at which Sabatini was ousted in the first round, and dropped her world ranking to 31 after a decade in the top 10.

Motivation problems along with a stomach-muscle injury plagued Sabatini throughout this year, and resulted in her retirement at a relatively young age.