After Wimbledon, for the first time in my career, I didn't feel like going to a tournament. Do Not Disturb. As the defending champion Graf lost in straight sets to Mary Pierce in the French Open semifinal. Most sliced shots float these days; Graf's seemed to reach her opponent's side in a straight line, skimming low over the net. [116][13] Graf stated that grass was her favorite surface to play on, while clay was her least favorite. 3, having racked up a total of 107 tournament victories. The match was poised for a final set to decide the . Graf then won the tournament in Berlin, losing only twelve games in five matches. Graf and Navratilova faced each other six times and Graf had the advantage, 4-2. Stefanie Maria "Steffi" Graf; 14. 1969, , ) . She won there, comfortably beating Helena Sukov in the final after needing three sets to eliminate Gabriela Sabatini and Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively. "[87], From the beginning of her career until 1990, Graf regularly played doubles matches in Grand Slams and other tournaments, winning a total of 11 doubles titles. 1 Martina Navratilova, and reached two finals, at Wimbledon and the US Open, losing out to Navratilova in both. She hit the sliced backhand harder and with more underspin than any woman I have ever seen. Just Don't Ask Her", "The Shadow of Steffi Graf: Before Serena, Women's Tennis Had Another Unconquerable Force ", "Remembering What Made Steffi Graf a Tennis Legend", "73 Questions with Serena Williams | Vogue", "Tennis in Reunified Germany: Then and Now The Tennis Island", "Serving Her Country A Grand Slam May Have Brought West Germany's Steffi Graf Fame And Fortune, But To The Delight Of Her Countrymen Who've Watched Her Climb To The Top, She Remains 'one Of Them', "Steffi's father Peter Graf dies after cancer battle", "Both on and Off Court, Graf Has Come a Long Way in Past Year", "Tennis Roundup: Mysterious Illness Forces Graf to Withdraw From Wimbledon", "Graf Defeats Evert, Gains No. [95][96][97], In late 1999 and early 2000, as part of her Farewell Tour, Graf played a series of exhibition matches against former rivals in New Zealand, Japan, Spain, Germany and South Africa. steffi graf opponents. This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 20:01. Furthermore, Graf's backhand was, in a subtle way, an extremely aggressive shot. In their prime, they ruled their eras with their own dominating styles. In 1984, she first gained international attention when she almost upset the tenth seed, Jo Durie of the United Kingdom, in a fourth round Centre Court match at Wimbledon. While the Berlin tournament was being played, the largest-circulation German tabloid, Bild, ran a story about an alleged scandal involving Graf's father. [68] She made it to the final and took the first set against Snchez Vicario but lost the next two sets Sanchez Vicario's last victory over Graf. Eighteen-time Grand Slam champion and former rival Chris Evert opined, "Steffi Graf is the best all-around player. Graf served for the match at 53 in the third set but lost the game and won only three more points in the match. At the first round of the season-ending Chase Championships, Graf defeated world No. [17] Graf married former world No. For the German painter, see. Graf then lost a closely contested final to Monica Seles, 26, 63, 810. That was the last competitive match Graf and Snchez Vicario would ever play against one another. 1988 BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year, 1996 Most Exciting Player of the Year, by the WTA, 1998 Most Exciting Player of the Year, by the WTA, 1999 Most Exciting Player of the Year, by the WTA. By August 1999, Graf had already announced twice that it was going to be her final year on the tour. She had to overcome three difficult three set matches en route to this final, against Mariaan De Swardt in the second round, Venus Williams in the quarterfinals and Mirjana Lui in the semifinals. . Peter Graf also kept a tight rein on Graf's personal life. When she was nine years old, her family moved to the neighboring town of Brhl. [122] Graf's racquets were strung at 29 kilograms (64 pounds), significantly above the 50-60 pound range recommended by Wilson. [94] At the 1999 Wimbledon Championships, Graf formed a much-publicized partnership with John McEnroe, with whom she reached the semifinals before withdrawing due to concerns that her uncertain hamstring, coupled with a bout of bronchitis, would affect her in the singles final. [citation needed] In the year of Graf's retirement, Billie Jean King said, "Steffi [Graf] is definitely the greatest women's tennis player of all time. [54] She then won her next four tournaments in Tokyo, Indian Wells, Delray Beach and Miami respectively. However, Graf admitted in 1995 that she would have preferred having a two-handed backhand in retrospect. However, seeing the current situation, Graff also feels frightened. Starting in the early 1990s, she used the slice almost exclusively in baseline rallies and mostly limited the topspin backhand to passing shots. No medals were awarded as this was not an official Olympic event.[23]. She ended the 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995, and 1996 tennis seasons as the worlds top-ranked player. Her rivalries with Yugoslavias Monica Seles and Spains Arantxa Snchez Vicario in the 1980s and 1990s have gone down in tennis folklore. This including playing basketball and working with specialists in nutrition, physical and mental strength. [41][42] Graf, however, recovered to defeat Martina Navratilova 62, 67, 61 in the Wimbledon final after defeating Monica Seles 60, 61 in a fourth round match, Arantxa Snchez Vicario in a quarterfinal, and Chris Evert in a semifinal. ", "An Evolutionary History of Tennis Racquets", "Marketing to the female target audience", "OFFBEAT: Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf team up for new tennis racquet", "Viewing Gallery: Happy Birthday! But the world of tennis is still waiting for another player capable of securing a Golden Slam in one year. [104] As part of the event, billed as "Dream Match 2008", she defeated Martina Navratilova in a one-set affair 87, with Graf winning a tiebreaker 105. 1 ranking while she was sidelined. She did not win a tournament but consistently reached tournament finals, semifinals and quarterfinals, with the highlight being her semifinal loss to Navratilova at the US Open. (Twelve years later, Graf defeated Austin 60, 60 during a second round match at the Evert Cup in Indian Wells, California, which was their second and last match against each other. As a result, she hit her forehand with exceptional pace and accuracy. I had one day to turn around, get home, change and get on the flight to Seoul. [56][57] This was followed by a first-round straight-sets loss at Wimbledon to Lori McNeil, her only loss at Wimbledon between 1991 and 1997 and her first loss in a first round Grand Slam tournament in ten years. [39] In the Boca Raton final, Graf lost the only set she conceded to Chris Evert in their final seven matches.[40]. She first used the Wilson Pro Staff 7.0 lite, then switched to the Pro Staff 7.5 in 1996 and to the Pro Staff 7.1 in 1998. First Grand Slam victory of the year for Graf: 6-1, 7-6. [73] Graf came back to the tour in March, winning back to back titles in Indian Wells and Miami, followed by a record ninth title at the German Open in May and a quarterfinal defeat in Rome against Martina Hingis. Graf was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004. Before Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi became the power tennis couple off court, the two were connected by a remarkable weekend 20 years ago at Roland Garros. Grand Slams) main-draw, Olympic Games and Fed Cup are included in winloss records. Grand Slam tournament performance timeline. On 24 January 1988, on a Rebound Ace surface on Centre Court in Melbourne, Graf took on Evert in the final of the Australian Open. [90][91] She played her last Grand Slam doubles tournament at the 1999 Australian Open with Gorrochategui, losing in the second round. It would also be the last loss Graf would ever have to Novotna in a match she completed (she did have a loss after withdrawing with injury after the first set of a late 1996 match). [143] Graf's mother and her brother also live there. . In 1987, Grafs career truly took off: she won her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, beating world no. Stefanie Maria Graf (/rf, rf/ GRA(H)F, German: [tfi af] (listen);[4][5] born 14 June 1969) is a German former professional tennis player. Retiring from the sport in 1999, Graf's career remains one of the most looked upon in tennis history. . Pause, rewind, play: Steffi Graf - only player to win all four Majors and the Olympic gold in a year. Graf then won her next three tournaments at Amelia Island, Charleston, and Berlin, culminating in a 62, 63 defeat of Navratilova in the final of the latter. Steffi Graf vs. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario ** **Head to Head: **28-8, Graf . She subsequently withdrew from the Pan Pacific Open and had arthroscopic surgery performed on her left knee. Graf became the first player in the open era to defeat the first, second, and third ranked players in the same Grand Slam tournament by beating second-ranked Davenport in the quarterfinals and third-ranked Seles in the semifinals. Graf then defeated Sabatini 63, 63 in the gold medal match at the Olympic Games in Seoul and achieved what the media had dubbed the "Golden Slam". [16] When asked in an interview to name the greatest players of all time, Serena Williams stated Graf and Roger Federer. The Trials of Steffi Graf. [32] That was the shortest-ever and most one-sided Grand Slam final ever and the only double bagel in a Major final since 1911. Her gold medal came after victories in the Grand Slam tournaments at Melbourne, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and New York, giving rise to a new term: the Golden Slam. Five months later, the world no. Shortly after the stabbing, during a players meeting at the Italian Open in Rome, 17 of the world's top 25 WTA members voted against preserving Seles' world No. She has a brother named Michael. She married fellow Olympic champion Agassi in 2001, and the pair have two children together. Graf has a 20863 (76.8%) record against players who were, at the time the match was played, ranked in the top 10.[1]. [a] Widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, she was ranked world No. In 2015, Graf was the recipient of the International Club's Jean Borotra Sportsmanship Award. She has emerged as one of the strongest tennis players of all time. Graf developed a bone spur at the base of her spine due to a congenital condition of the sacroiliac joint. A worthy opponent, she is an exceptional and versatile player to have dominated the international women's tennis scene for a long time. Whether this scandal affected Graf's form is open to debate. She retired from tennis in 1999. She then successfully defended her title at the US Open, defeating Monica Seles in the final. [34] She then won tournaments in Hamburg and Mahwah (where she lost only eight games all tournament). She was named the 1988 BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year. Graf was the first player other than Navratilova or Evert to hold the top spot since Tracy Austin in 1980.[27]. Steffi Graf and Serena Williams are two of the greatest women's tennis players ever. 1999 Germany Television Award for her outstanding performance as tennis player and her importance to the German public. Speculation was rife at the beginning of 1989 about the possibility of Graf winning another Grand Slam. . All Rights Reserved. [14][13], An exceptionally versatile competitor, Graf remains the only player, male or female, to have won the calendar-year Grand Slam on three surfaces or to have won each Grand Slam at least four times. She is better than them all. Since Graf skipped the Italian Open, she did not take part in the vote. She then won her eighth German Open, but there were signs that her form was worsening as she almost lost to Julie Halard in a quarterfinal. [75] Graf then had a straight-sets win against Snchez Vicario in the Wimbledon final. Natasha Zvereva, the 13th seed had shocked Martina Navratilova with a straight sets fourth round . 29 Jan Tennis Norge . Voted Germans greatest role model by TV14 magazine, 2004. Selected for European Heroes in 2004 and 2005 by TIME Magazine. She is the only singles player (male or female) to have achieved a Grand Slam across three surfaces (grass, clay, and hard courts). This is a list of the main career statistics of professional tennis player Steffi Graf. In 1986, she formed a partnership with rival Gabriela Sabatini. (W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (WL) winloss record. In 1985 and early 1986, Graf emerged as the top challenger to the dominance of Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. Her singles winloss record was 900115 (88.7 percent). [63][64], A strained right calf muscle forced Graf to withdraw from the Australian Open. 1 Martina Hingis of Switzerland. 22 in 1984, and No. . 2021 International Olympic Committee. [69] In her defense, she stated that her father Peter was her financial manager, and all financial matters relating to her earnings at the time had been under his control. At the US Open, Graf was upset in the quarterfinals by Snchez Vicario 76, 63. Early life. Voted The best female role model in sports in a survey by Barclays, sponsors of the Premier League, 2010. Graf then went on to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open before losing to Monica Seles in two sets. In total, she won 22 Grand Slam titles: the Australian Open four times, Roland Garros six times, Wimbledon seven times and the US Open five times. [150] Flink said in 2020 that the jury was still out on (Serena) Williams as the greatest ever, but Williams' consistency over the long span did not match that of Graf or Navratilova. It was Graf's final Grand Slam singles title as she retired later that year. 1 on the computer the ITF named Sanchez Vicario its World Champion for the year, while the WTA backed their official rankings and named Graf.
