Once again, she reached the final without conceding a single set. . 3, She was not included in the official year end ranking. Graf, meanwhile, was back to defend her Olympic title on the clay courts of Barcelona 1992, where she took silver after losing to the USAs Jennifer Capriati in the final. Steffi Graf | Player Stats & More - WTA Official Chosen by World Economic Forum As Young Global Leader for 2008, Godmother of the Navigator of The Seas (Royal Caribbean Cruiselines), 2002. [85][86] She was ranked No. 3. And stepping on the plane there was a big group of German athletes on it. 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. At the French Open, Graf successfully defended her title by defeating Natasha Zvereva 60, 60 in a 34-minute final. 1 ranking. She was named the 1988 BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year. The 1995 Wimbledon final is regarded as one of the most dramatic women's major finals in history as Graf and Snchez Vicario battled in a tight third set that included a 16-minute long, 13-deuce game on Sanchez Vicario's serve at 55. Just over 30 years old, Graf retired . [68] 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. After losing the Wimbledon final against the USAs Lindsay Davenport that same year, Graf retired from sport in August while she was still world no. At the US Open, Graf beat Sabatini in a three-set final to win the Grand Slam by 63, 36, 61, a feat previously performed by only two other women, Maureen Connolly Brinker in 1953 and Margaret Court in 1970. However, in the Federation Cup final in Vancouver, Canada, three weeks later, she defeated Evert easily 62, 61. [74] Graf had led 41 in the second set tiebreak, only to lose six points in a row and force a decider. Graf did not lose a set the whole tournament. 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. She is better than them all. Steffi Graf vs. Serena Williams: Who's the GOAT? | Stadium Talk [103] Graf completely ruled out a return to professional tennis. Performance timelines. [21] Her father, an aspiring tennis coach, first introduced her to the game, teaching his three-year-old daughter how to swing a wooden racket in the family's living room. Five months later, the world no. Steffi Graf Videos Thread | Tennis Forum Illness caused her to miss Wimbledon,[26] and an accident where she broke a toe several weeks later also curtailed her play. 22 in 1984, and No. 3, having racked up a total of 107 tournament victories. Kerber's opponent will be the defending champion, . Tennis star Monica Seles stabbed - HISTORY Where Are They Now: Steffi Graf - Sports Illustrated Mystery of Steffi Graf's BACKHAND - Talk Tennis Who is the GOAT: Serena Williams or Steffi Graf? Graf won seven singles titles at Wimbledon, six singles titles at the French Open, five singles titles at the US Open, and four singles titles at the Australian Open. How Steffi Graf became tennis' Golden Slam winner in 1988 - Olympics.com Instead of being hailed as the undisputed female GOAT, people will always talk about her mysterious backhand deficiency. Proceeds from her match against Sabatini went to Graf's foundation, "Children for Tomorrow".[102]. [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. steffi graf opponents. Graf ended 1989 with an 862 match record and the loss of only 12 sets. She would later become the world's number one female tennis player. (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 the final, Evert was completely overwhelmed in the first set, losing 6-1. [137] She started dating Andre Agassi after the 1999 French Open and they married on 22 October 2001, with only their mothers as witnesses. 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. In 2008 Graf lost an exhibition match against Kimiko Date at Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo. [88] Sabatini said of the partnership: "doubles is all about communicating with each other, and we didn't communicate that much. Graf remains one of the greatest champions in the history of her sport. Shortly after winning in Tokyo, Graf injured her right thumb while cross-country skiing in Switzerland and subsequently withdrew from the Virginia Slims of Florida and the Lipton Championships. [33] Zvereva, who had eliminated Martina Navratilova in the fourth round, won only thirteen points in the match.[33]. She would either destroy opponents, clinically and . Steffi Graf | Biography, Titles, & Facts | Britannica She was one of the most fierce Tennis stars of her generation and tasted great success on every court. In 2015, Graf was the recipient of the International Club's Jean Borotra Sportsmanship Award. [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. Opponent W L Win% TB W L TB% First Last MS DR A% DF% 1stIn 1st% 2nd% SPW RPW BPSvd% BPCnv% 40: Gabriela Sabatini [ARG] 29: 11: 72.5%: 14: 7: 7: 50.0%: . She soon began taking the top prize at junior tournaments with regularity, going on to win the European Championships 12s and 18s in 1982. [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. Graf's father had approached Gnthardt during the 1991 Virginia Slims Championships. In August as a 15-year-old (and youngest entrant) representing West Germany, she won the tennis demonstration event at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Graf lost twice to Sabatini during the spring, once on hardcourts in Boca Raton, Florida, and once on clay at Amelia Island, Florida. 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. [152] She was voted the WTA Player of the Year in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996. Sela said: Is it possible to have another 1988 Golden Grand Slam Steffi Graf: yeah sure, anything's possible, like having all eight planets aligned in the solar system. [116][13] Graf stated that grass was her favorite surface to play on, while clay was her least favorite. [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. 1999 Athlete of the Century for the category Female Athlete in Ballsports by a panel of the, 1999 The Greatest Female Tennis Player of the 20th century, by a panel of tennis experts assembled by the Associated Press, 1999 Female Athlete of the Year, by the German television broadcaster ARD, 1999 Female Sports Award of the Last Decade, by, 1999 Olympic Order granted by Dr. Antonio Samaranch, president of the IOC, 2002 Medal of Honor, bestowed by the prime minister of Graf's home state, 2008 Cross of the Order of Merit awarded to her by German Federal President Horst Khler. Grand Slam tournament performance timeline. At Wimbledon, Graf lost in the semifinals to Zina Garrison, who with this victory broke Graf's string of 13 consecutive major finals. All Rights Reserved. She would either destroy opponents, clinically and . Her 0.977 winning percentage is the second-highest in the open era behind Navratilova.[44]. Steffi Graf - The German Way & More The match was notable for its dramatic ending. My father taught me that if you really do want to reach your goals, you can't spend any time worrying about whether you're going to win or lose. [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. 'How much money do you have?' - Steffi Graf had perfect response to The treatment was for a fracture of the cartilage as well as a shortening and partial rupture of the patellar tendon of her left knee. [24] In 1985, for instance, she played only ten events leading up to the US Open, whereas another up-and-coming star, Gabriela Sabatini of Argentina, who was a year younger than Graf, played 21. She has a brother named Michael. Steffi Graf, a Tennis champ is married to husband Andre Agassi with two children. [80][81] She always said: I never look back, I look forward, but she also said: You can't measure success if you have never failed. Williams VS Graf MATCHES VS ALL OPPONENTS . Zvereva endured a magical run at Roland Garros that year, but things unraveled in the final when she came up against a Steffi Graf that was in destructive mode. In the meantime, she lost surprisingly to Nicole Bradtke of Australia in a Fed Cup match on clay before winning the Acura Classic in San Diego and the Canadian Open in Toronto in preparation for the US Open. 667 (25-02-23) Best Rank. [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. Graf is the only female athlete in the list of Forbes Top-30 Most recognizable and marketable athletes in 1995. 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. Graf's schedule was closely controlled by her father, who limited her play so that she would not burn out. In her professional tennis career, Steffi Graf spent 377 weeks as the No. More than two years elapsed before Seles competed again. 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. Graf played in her first professional tournament in October 1982 at Filderstadt, Germany. There really hasn't been anyone like her since. Graf then won the tournament in Berlin, losing only twelve games in five matches. Seemingly free of injury for the first time in years, Graf began the year by winning the Australian Open, where she defeated Arantxa Snchez Vicario in the final with the loss of only two games. The German, born on 14 June 1969 in Mannheim, was already showing the qualities that would lead to her being world no. 1 player. The similarities and differences between Steffi Graf in 1988 and Serena Williams in 2015. 2 (21-06-10) Titles. Graf won 6-0, 6-0. Steffi Graf's 22 Grand Slam Championship Points - YouTube Graf was trailing Martina Navratilova in the final 75, 20 before winning the match 57, 62, 61. In their prime, they ruled their eras with their own dominating styles. Serena was 17. 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. Pause, rewind, play: Steffi Graf - only player to win all four Majors and the Olympic gold in a year. Seles was behind 26 in the first-set tiebreaker, but then came back to win six points in a row and take the set. Even discounting that result, no other player had played and won 27 Grand Slam matches in a single year before. 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.