[85][86] She was ranked No. She played Jelena Dokic in Christchurch, New Zealand, Amanda Coetzer in Durban, South Africa, and her former rival Arantxa Snchez Vicario in Zaragoza, Spain. (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 2010, Graf participated in the WTT Smash Hits exhibition in Washington, D.C. to support the Elton John AIDS Foundation. The shock was who she did it against. 3, having racked up a total of 107 tournament victories. Graf's Grand Slam tournament breakthrough came in 1987. [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. She won 22 Grand Slam Singles' teetles, an in 1988 wis the only tennis player tae achieve the "Gowden Slam", winnin, in the Singles, aw fower Grand Slam teetles an the Olympic Gowd medal in the semme year. Meet Daughter Of Steffi Graf And Andre Agassi - VergeWiki Graf then lost a closely contested final to Monica Seles, 26, 63, 810. [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. Do Not Disturb - Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com 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". Graf and Navratilova faced each other six times and Graf had the advantage, 4-2. [135][136], From 1992 to 1999, Graf dated racing driver Michael Bartels. Although Sabatini got the best of Graf in the semifinals of the season-ending Virginia Slims Championships, Graf still finished the year as the top-ranked player. Only results in WTA Tour (incl. Suffering from food poisoning, she had struggled to beat Monica Seles in their semifinal 63, 36, 63 and said that she had menstrual cramps in the final. Her name was Martina Hingis. Like the exhibition match the previous year against Sabatini, proceeds went to "Children for Tomorrow". Graf who dated Michael Bartels is the daughter-in-law of Emmanuel Agassi. Graf then went on to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open before losing to Monica Seles in two sets. . It actually had several major flaws, especially based on today's understanding of stroke. Steffi Graf is seen as one of tennis' best ever players, winning 22 Grand Slams but 1988 was the year that will never be beaten. She was absolutely right the term Golden Slam was born at that exact moment. She hit the sliced backhand harder and with more underspin than any woman I have ever seen. Associations of International Sport Federations, Organising Committees for the Olympic Games. [82] Upon her return Graf defeated world No. [133], In 1997, she left the Catholic Church, citing personal reasons. She reached a total of 31 singles major finals. Steffi Graf Remains Best Women's Tennis Player Of All Time - Forbes 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. Titles. Steffi Graf was born in Mannheim, West Germany on June 14, 1969. After missing almost half of the tour in 1998, Graf lost in the third round at Wimbledon and in the fourth round at the US Open. The match was played over two days with Navratilova finally winning after saving three match points 61, 67, 76. Both dominated opponents with power and movement. [43] In the final, Navratilova led 63, 42 before Graf rallied to win 36, 75, 61 for her third Grand Slam singles title of the year. Steffi Graf was born as Stefanie Maria Graf to Peter and Heidi Graf in Mannheim, Germany. In 1988, Graf became the third women's star to win the Golden Slam. No. In October, Graf defeated Sabatini in an exhibition match in Mannheim, Germany, winning both of their sets. . Graf had a winloss record of 752 for a 97.4 winning percentage in 1987, both losses coming to Navratilova as they split the four matches they played during the year. 2 (21-06-10) Titles. Graf did not lose a set during the tournament and lost a total of only 29 games. Graf reached 13 consecutive singles major finals from the 1987 French Open to the 1990 French Open, winning nine of them. Steffi Graf was a dominant force in tennis during the late 1980s and for much of the 1990s. Eighteen-time Grand Slam champion and former rival Chris Evert opined, "Steffi Graf is the best all-around player. United States . She won her first French Open title since 1988 with a three-set victory over Mary Joe Fernndez in the final. In addition to being great as players, they were also great as husband and wife. Steffi Graf Loves Just Being Normal - MSN Graf also won the 1984 demonstration event at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, but this was for players aged 21 or under, and it was not an official Olympic event. This narrow focus meant that Graf, already shy and retiring by nature,[24] made few friends on the tour in her early years, but it led to a steady improvement in her play. She claimed a prestigious and symbolic victory in the final against Yugoslavias Sabrina Gole on the courts at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), winning 6-1, 3-6, 6-4. Fernandez had two break points to take a 30 and double break lead in the third set. Steffi Graf vs. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario ** **Head to Head: **28-8, Graf . And on 5 June 1988, the match for the championship against the Soviet Unions Natasha Zvereva lasted a mere 34 minutes, with Zverera mustering only a few points in a 6-0, 6-0 whitewash. [68] [54] She then won her next four tournaments in Tokyo, Indian Wells, Delray Beach and Miami respectively. Steffi Graf was already world number one, and just shy of 19 years old, when she began the 1988 season. 6 in 1985. Steffi Graf with the Wimbledon trophy in 1989 after defeating Martina Navratilova 6-2, 6-7 (1), 6-1 in the final. Her father was arrested in August and was sentenced to 45 months in jail. Tennis star Monica Seles stabbed - HISTORY Steffi Graf - Wikipedia She was anchored in the top spot in the Women's Tennis Association rankings for a record 377 weeks, including 186 consecutive from August 1987 to March 1991. She had some amazing rivalries with Hall of Fame opponents such as Navratilova, Evert, Sabatini and Seles. 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 was the first player other than Navratilova or Evert to hold the top spot since Tracy Austin in 1980.[27]. After winning two more indoor tournaments at Zurich and Brighton, she failed once again in the Virginia Slims Championships, losing her quarterfinal to Novotn. Tennis's 10 Greatest Rivalries | GQ 1 for 186 consecutive weeks from 17 August 1987: incredible footwork, a devastating forehand, an effective backhand and a powerful, reliable serve an all-round game that proved successful on every surface. The US Open was Monica Seles's first Grand Slam event since the 1993 attack, with much anticipation again around a potential Seles-Graf final. Venus Williams. One was 19 and one is pushing 34. . That doesn't mean it will happen. The teenager had taken part at the Los Angeles Games in 1984 when tennis made its Olympic return as a demonstration sport, 60 years after it was dropped from the programme. At Wimbledon, Graf defeated Jana Novotn to win her third consecutive, and fifth overall, ladies' title. [67][68], In personal terms, 1995 was a difficult year for Graf, as she was accused by German authorities of tax evasion in the early years of her career. 98 in 1983, No. Tennis was a demonstration sport during the 1984 Olympic Games. [117] Early in her career, Graf used the Dunlop Maxpower Pro and Maxpower Kevlar racquets and then played with the Max 200G racquet from 1984 to 1993[118][119][120][121] before switching to Wilson from 1994 to 1999. On 17 August, after defeating Evert in a straight set final in the Virginia Slims of Los Angeles, Graf overtook Navratilova for the world No. [127], Graf has signed many endorsement deals throughout the years including a ten-year endorsement deal with car manufacturer Opel in 1985,[128] and Rexona from 1994 to 1998. In an unusual arrangement, she paired with her coaches Pavel Sloil at Wimbledon in 1988 and Heinz Gnthardt in 1992 and 1996, also at Wimbledon. Steffi Graf | Player Stats & More - WTA Official Steffi Graf went on to win Wimbledon in 1996, beating Arantxa . [45] In Berlin, she extended her unbeaten streak to 66 matches (second in WTA history to Navratilova's 74) before losing the final to Monica Seles, 46, 36. [25] During that period, she lost six times to Evert and three times to Navratilova, all in straight sets. Novak Djokovic has arrived in Japan for the Tokyo Olympics 2020, and he is looking as confident as ever. At the year-ending Virginia Slims Championships, Graf was upset by Pam Shriver, only her third loss of the year. She has a younger brother, Michael. After several months injury lay off, Graf returned to play in the German Open in Berlin in front of a home crowd and had the worst defeat of her career in the quarterfinal, when Amanda Coetzer beat her in just 56 minutes 60, 61. 1 ranking while she was sidelined. Four Grand Slam wins and an Olympic title in the same year a feat that no male or female player had achieved before or has done since. This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 20:01. David Douillet writes judo history in Sydney in 2000. Answer (1 of 4): It isn't hard to replicate Steffi Graf's forehand, it's just not optimal. Graf did not lose a set the whole tournament. All Rights Reserved. Is it possible to have another Steffi Graf? | Page 2 | Talk Tennis She has a brother named Michael. Official match time was 34 minutes, which charitably included two minutes of rain delay. Graf played a singles exhibition match against Kim Clijsters and a mixed doubles exhibition alongside husband Andre Agassi against Tim Henman and Clijsters as part of a test event and celebration for the newly installed roof over Wimbledon's Centre Court in 2009. But the world of tennis is still waiting for another player capable of securing a Golden Slam in one year. 2021 International Olympic Committee. She won 7 Wimbledon, 6 French Open, 5 US Open and 4 Australian Open . 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. ", "Graf edges Hingis, captures sixth and 'last' French title", "Do Not Disturb: If Steffi Graf could shut out the world the way she shuts down opponents on the court then, for her, life would be perfect", "Tennis | Martinez wins controversial clash", "Results Archive - Steffi Graf - Australian Open Tennis Championships", "Tennis: Wimbledon 99 - Magic mixture of McEnroe and Graf", "TENNIS; Without Dad Around To Disturb Her, Lucic Upsets Fourth-Seeded Seles at Wimbledon", "Graf overcomes layoff to beat Coetzer in farewell exhibition", "* NZine * Tennis - The Biggest Participant Sport In New Zealand - Tennis, Steffi Graf, Indoor Tennis Centre, Davis Cup, Anthony Wilding, Wilding Park, Maurice Agar, Scenic Circles Indoor Tennis Centre, New Zealand Tennis", "Steffi Graf delights crowd at Westside Tennis Club - Houston Chronicle", "Steffi Graf: The Queen Returns to Centre Court", "Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova and Elton John headline an evening of tennis for charity in Washington", "ASAP Sports Transcripts - Tennis - 1995 - WTA TOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS - November 18 - Steffi Graf", "Today in Performance Sneaker History: Steffi Graf Becomes First Female with 500 Wins in Signature adidas Model", "Take a look at this Dunlop Steffi Graf ad from 1989! 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. Illness caused her to miss Wimbledon,[26] and an accident where she broke a toe several weeks later also curtailed her play. Highly emotional and sensitive, with a . She returned to win a small tournament at Mahwah just before the US Open where, in one of the most anticipated matches of the year, she encountered Navratilova in a semifinal. [80][81] A commemorative plaque outside the venue in Seoul bears testament to the event: Historic Place for Golden Slam. Graf started 1988 by winning the Australian Open, defeating Chris Evert in the final 61, 76. Steffi Graf Youth Tennis Center was founded and dedicated October 1991 in Leipzig, Germany.Founder and Chairperson of Children for Tomorrow, a non-profit foundation with the goal of implementing and developing projects to support children who have been traumatized by war or other crises, and she is directly involved in the running of the . Though she did not win any title for the . International Olympic Committee. The German, born on 14 June 1969 in Mannheim, was already showing the qualities that would lead to her being world no. #WimbledonThrowback: "Steffi (Graf), Will You Marry Me?" Her Epic Response She ended the 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995, and 1996 tennis seasons as the worlds top-ranked player. She was named the 1988 BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year. [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. Her 0.977 winning percentage is the second-highest in the open era behind Navratilova.[44]. As a result, she hit her forehand with exceptional pace and accuracy. 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. Although she now lives in Las Vegas, Stefanie Maria Graf was born in Mannheim, West Germany on June 14, 1969. [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. Classic Rivalries: Graf vs. Hingis - TennisPAL Graf had already won 5 Wimbledon titles by then and was hunting for her 6th trophy. Steffi Graf: Steffi Graf has 22 grand slams to her name, most coming during the late 80s and 90s. Kohde-Kilsch Finds She Can Do Nothing Against Dominant Graf Venus Williams won her first Games titles 19 years ago, and she hasnt finished yet! Soon after, she split with her long-time coach, Pavel Sloil. Focus only on getting better. Extremely sound advice! [146], In December 1999, Graf was named the greatest female tennis player of the 20th century by a panel of experts assembled by the Associated Press. Steffi Graf - Wikipedia The win elevated Graf to the world No. No medals were awarded as this was not an official Olympic event.[23]. [22] She began practising on a court at the age of four and played in her first tournament at five. The Trials of Steffi Graf With Her Father in Jail and Her Own Innocence . The 19-year-old Graf lost the first set 7-5 before getting the measure of her rival and fighting back to take the next two sets 6-2, 6-1. The following day, Andre Agassi won the mens singles tournament, coming back from two sets down to beat Russias Andrei Medvedev, and he and Graf later started dating. Her accuracy with the slice, both cross-court and down the line and her ability to skid the ball and keep it low, enabled her to use it as an offensive weapon to set the ball up for her forehand put-aways. Sport - Tennis: Novak Djokovic equals Steffi Graf's record for most weeks as world number one: Novak Djokovic equals Steffi Graf's record for most weeks as world. . Nominated and voted the title Mother of the nation in her country, Germany, 2010. Steffi Graf's Golden Slam - Last Word On Tennis Graf's semifinal match at the 1988 US Open was a walkover (so not counted as win), The main weapons in Graf's game were her powerful inside-out forehand drive (which earned her the moniker Frulein Forehand) and her intricate footwork. [100] In September 2004, Graf dispatched her former doubles partner Gabriela Sabatini, in straight sets, in an exhibition match played in Berlin, Germany. 1 ranking to Martina Hingis and failed to win a Grand Slam title for the first time in ten years in 1997. 1 player. Her rivalries with Yugoslavias Monica Seles and Spains Arantxa Snchez Vicario in the 1980s and 1990s have gone down in tennis folklore. Graf lost to Conchita Martnez in her comeback tournament a month later in Philadelphia. Graf defeated Mary Joe Fernndez in the final of the Australian Open, which was her eighth Grand Slam singles title in the last nine she contested. I've always looked up to her and the way she approached the game" : Pete Sampras [155], In 2004, the Berliner Tennis-Arena was renamed Steffi-Graf-Stadion in honor of Graf. A mixture of injury problems, personal difficulties, and loss of form made 1991 a tough year for Graf. Graf retired in August 1999 while ranked world No. Graf's 1988 Grand Slam remains the only one in history completed on three surfaces (grass, clay, hard court), as all other Grand Slams in tennis history were achieved prior to the introduction of hard court at the US Open in 1978.[35]. She then beat Snchez Vicario in the finals of both the French Open and Wimbledon. She and Margaret Court are the only players, female or male, to win three majors in a calendar year five times (1988, 1989, 1993, 1995 and 1996). Her winning streak (unbeaten since the 1989 French Open loss to Arantxa Snchez) continued with victories in Tokyo, Amelia Island, and Hamburg. She retired from tennis in 1999. 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). 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. [116][13] Graf stated that grass was her favorite surface to play on, while clay was her least favorite. "Such a cruel moment" - Steffi Graf once spoke about Martina Hingis 3, She was not included in the official year end ranking. After Wimbledon, for the first time in my career, I didn't feel like going to a tournament. The similarities and differences between Steffi Graf in 1988 and Serena Williams in 2015. Steffi Graf Bio, Affair, Married, Husband, Net Worth, Ethnicity Steffi Graf - Husband Andre, Son, Daughter, Children, Net Worth Working with her father and then-coach Pavel Sloil, Graf typically practiced for up to four hours a day, often heading straight from airports to practice courts. Meanwhile, her naturally aggressive style of play, effective backhand slice and speed around the court made her even more dominant on fast surfaces such as hard courts, grass and carpet. She had an Adidas sneakers line known as the St. Graf Pro line. In her professional tennis career, Steffi Graf spent 377 weeks as the No. 33 years ago, Steffi Graf made this unique record which remains [76] Graf played only one warm-up event ahead of the US Open, the Acura Classic in Manhattan Beach, California, where she lost to Lindsay Davenport in the semifinals. Her father, an aspiring tennis coach, first introduced her to the game, teaching his . Feb 24, 2023. She has emerged as one of the strongest tennis players of all time. It is undeniable that Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi had a successful professional relationship. She then lost to Sabatini in her next three tournaments before winning the U.S. Hardcourt Championships in San Antonio, beating Monica Seles in the final. On 5 June 1999, backed by a passionate central court crowd at Roland Garros, Graf won an epic final 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 against world no. Kerber's opponent will be the defending champion, . 'How much money do you have?' - Steffi Graf had perfect response to On 13 August 1999, shortly after retiring with a strained hamstring from a second round match against Amy Frazier in San Diego, Graf announced her retirement from the women's tour at age 30. The assailant, a fan of German tennis star Steffi Graf, Top women's tennis player Monica Seles is stabbed by a deranged German man during a match in Hamburg. Though she lost the game to opponent Tracy Austin by 6-4, 6-0, this did very little to dishearten the young blood. At Wimbledon, however, Graf captured her third women's crown, this time at Sabatini's expense. If Steffi Graf could shut out the world the way she shuts down opponents on the court then, for her, life would be perfect. Steffi Graf - 22; The former German tennis star is third on the list with 22 grand slam titles victories. [36] Graf also won her only Grand Slam doubles title that yearat Wimbledon partnering Sabatiniand picked up a women's doubles Olympic bronze medal. The last few years of Graf's career were beset by injuries, particularly to her knees and back. Talk Tennis Guru. The earliest sign that Steffi Graf was going to be one of the sport's all-time winners came at the end of a defeat. Finally Graf was given a match but prevailed 6-3, 7-6 where she would meet a surprise opponent in the final. to overwhelm her opponents. Serena was 17. After losing a fifth straight time to Sabatini in Amelia Island, Florida, Graf again defeated Seles in the Hamburg final. Graf and Kohde-Kilsch lost in the semifinals to Jana Novotn and Helena Sukov 75, 63. She and Agassi, her husband, were on Team Elton John, which competed against Team Billie Jean King. 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. Seles and Graf met in the final, with Graf winning in three sets, saving a set point in the first set. The match was notable for its dramatic ending. The Tennis 128: No. 2, Steffi Graf - Heavy Topspin The weeks following Wimbledon [in 1999] weren't easy for me. [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. She basically became a backhand slice guru ,,, This became only single taint in Graf's tennis career. According to her coaches Pavel Sloil and Heinz Gnthardt, Graf's superior sense of timing was the key behind the success of her forehand. That was the last competitive match Graf and Snchez Vicario would ever play against one another. It just felt something special that I was going to, recalls Graf. played a game called "Can you last an hour on court with Graf" because throughout her career she used to beat her opponents 6-0 6-1. And the year began as expected, with Graf extending her Grand Slam tournament winning streak to five events at the Australian Open, defeating Helena Sukov in the final. 1999 Prince of Asturias Award, one of the most important awards of Spain and named after the heir apparent of Spain. And so many times she was able to absorb her opponent's biggest blows and . It was important for me to win here, she said afterwards.