Vicario was the no 2 seed while Graf was ranked no 1. Kerber's opponent will be the defending champion, . In 2008 Graf lost an exhibition match against Kimiko Date at Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo. In the subsequent Amelia Island final on clay, Graf lost her first match of the year to Sabatini but returned to European clay with easy victories at Hamburg and Berlin. [47] She would work with him for the remainder of her career. [92][93], Graf also occasionally played mixed doubles, although she never won a title. David Douillet writes judo history in Sydney in 2000. Graf and Navratilova faced each other six times and Graf had the advantage, 4-2. But Vicario took the first set and Graf took the second. Tennis was a demonstration sport during the 1984 Olympic Games. [25] During that period, she lost six times to Evert and three times to Navratilova, all in straight sets. At Wimbledon, after struggling through early-round three-setters against Mariaan de Swardt and Patty Fendick, she easily defeated Natasha Zvereva in the quarterfinal, Sabatini in the semifinal, and Seles in the final, 62, 61, with Seles playing in almost complete silence because of widespread media and player criticism of her grunting. Graf lost her singles match to Elena Likhovtseva 54. All right, yes, there is the winning and, with it, the money, but they come too easily and bring only temporary relief. It actually had several major flaws, especially based on today's understanding of stroke. At the Roland-Garros trophy ceremony, after she . 3, She was not included in the official year end ranking. Graf warmed up for the US Open with easy tournament victories in San Diego and Mahwah. Then on 11 September in New York, Graf became the first woman to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in the same year since Australias Margaret Smith-Court in 1970. She would either destroy opponents, clinically and . From 1991 until the end of her career, Graf would only play doubles sporadically, forming short-term partnerships with a variety of players, including Lori McNeil, Anke Huber and her best friends on the tour, Rennae Stubbs, Patricia Tarabini and Ines Gorrochategui. At the 1999 French Open, Graf and Agassi . At Wimbledon, Graf lost in the semifinals to Zina Garrison, who with this victory broke Graf's string of 13 consecutive major finals. She did not drop a set en route to the final, defeating Czechoslovakias Hana Mandlkov in the quarter-final and compatriot Claudia Kohde-Kilsch in the semi-final. On this day in 1999, Steffi Graf bid adieu to the sport just weeks after winning the French Open and reaching the Wimbledon final. In the 1980s and '90s Graf was ranked the top woman player by the Women's Tennis Association . In Indian Wells Graf lost to Serena Williams in three sets. A bout of rubella forced Graf to miss the first major event of 1992, the Australian Open. . Opponent Score Loss: 1986: Year-end championships: Carpet (i) Martina Navratilova: 6-7 (8-10), 3-6, 2-6 Win: 1987: Year-end championships: And so many times she was able to absorb her opponent's biggest blows and . Stefanie Maria Steffi" Graf 1969614 GOAT 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. [16] When asked in an interview to name the greatest players of all time, Serena Williams stated Graf and Roger Federer. Steffi Graf was born as Stefanie Maria Graf on 14th June 1969 in West Germany. She has a younger brother, Michael. [33] Zvereva, who had eliminated Martina Navratilova in the fourth round, won only thirteen points in the match.[33]. She would later become the world's number one female tennis player. Since Graf skipped the Italian Open, she did not take part in the vote. The pair was moderately successful, winning the 1988 Wimbledon Championships together and reaching the finals of the French Open in 1986, 1987 and 1989. In her semifinal match at the US Open, Graf defeated Sabatini 36, 64, 62. Highly emotional and sensitive, with a temperament more suited to a poet than to a professional athlete, Steffi had a poignant sadness about . Prosecutors dropped their case against Graf in 1997, when she agreed to pay a fine of 1.3million Deutsche Marks to the government and an unspecified charity.[72]. 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. I had one day to turn around, get home, change and get on the flight to Seoul. She is better than them all. Novak Djokovic has arrived in Japan for the Tokyo Olympics 2020, and he is looking as confident as ever. She and Agassi, her husband, were on Team Elton John, which competed against Team Billie Jean King. "[38], Graf followed this with easy victories in her next four tournaments at Washington, D.C., San Antonio, Texas, Boca Raton, Florida, and Hilton Head. [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. In February 2000, Graf played against Kimiko Date at Nagoya Rainbow Hall in Tokyo, winning in three sets. thesportslegends. If Steffi Graf could shut out the world the way she shuts down opponents on the court then, for her, life would be perfect. Voted Germans greatest role model by TV14 magazine, 2004. Graf and Kohde-Kilsch lost in the semifinals to Jana Novotn and Helena Sukov 75, 63. Fernandez had two break points to take a 30 and double break lead in the third set. In their prime, they ruled their eras with their own dominating styles. [148] In July 2020, The Guardian polled its readers to determine the greatest female tennis player of the past 50 years, and Steffi was the clear favorite, picking up nearly twice as many votes as any other player. [39] In the Boca Raton final, Graf lost the only set she conceded to Chris Evert in their final seven matches.[40]. Her name was Martina Hingis. [143] Graf's mother and her brother also live there. ), At the start of her first full professional year in 1983, Graf was 13 years old and ranked world No. Graf then won three consecutive indoor titles at Tokyo, Zurich, and Brighton, before once again contending with Navratilova at the season-ending Virginia Slims Championships in New York. This time, Navratilova beat Graf 76, 63, 62. Grand Slams) main-draw, Olympic Games and Fed Cup are included in winloss records. Graf then lost a closely contested final to Monica Seles, 26, 63, 810. Jaz Elle Agassi is best known as being a daughter of former tennis couple Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi.. Parents Wedding. The match was notable for its dramatic ending. Less than three weeks after beating her in New York, Graf inflicted yet another defeat on the Argentinean, giving her no chance with an imposing 6-3, 6-3 victory. 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. . That doesn't mean it will happen. After breaking Sabatini's serve to even the third set at 66, Graf defeated Sabatini by winning the next two games to take the match 64, 36, 86. 1 Lindsay Davenport en route to the Philadelphia title. Decision", "TENNIS - For Seles, the Wound Still Hurts", "Troubled WTA Tour limps through '94 season", "Tennis: Graf footloose and pain-free: Germany's world No 1 in intimidating form at the Australian Open", "Pierce Applies The Pressure To Upset Graf", "This Date in French Open History: June 2", "McNeil Ousts Graf in an Upset for the Ages", "Graf Set for Her Comeback, Pained Mainly by Questions", "U.S.OPEN '94 - Sanchez Smiles As Graf Winces", "Pierce tops Graf; Navratilova loses last", "Calf injury forces Graf out of Australian Open", "In a Classic, Graf Captures Wimbledon On Sheer Will", "Graf's Year Is Difficult One Till the End, but Successful", "Steffi Graf Investigated for Tax Evasion", "Tennis;Graf finds real world full of ups and downs", "Peter Graf Is Sentenced To Prison in Tax Case", "OLYMPICS;Injuries Force Sampras and Graf to Skip Games", "Amanda Coetzer - Tennis Player from South Africa - Tennis-Heroes.net", "Surgery on Graf's Knee Requires a Long Layoff", "Wimbledon '99: The Steffi Graf Interview: Time for a golden goodbye? The partnership was the subject of much discussion, as the two women, both known to be shy, usually kept communication to a minimum during changeovers and between points, a highly unusual situation in doubles. "[89] The pair played their last major tournament together at the 1990 Wimbledon Championships, losing in the quarterfinals. [88] Sabatini said of the partnership: "doubles is all about communicating with each other, and we didn't communicate that much. [55] In the Hamburg final, she lost for the first time in 1994 after 36 consecutive match victories, losing to Snchez Vicario in three sets. No medals were awarded as this was not an official Olympic event.[23]. 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. Starting in the early 1990s, she used the slice almost exclusively in baseline rallies and mostly limited the topspin backhand to passing shots. Their bond was unbreakable, and as Steffi became a force in tennis, Peter was right beside hercontrolling her life and business off the court while she controlled the rhythms on it. [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. 667 (25-02-23) Best Rank. However, seeing the current situation, Graff also feels frightened. Her career prize-money earnings totalled US$21,895,277 (a record until Lindsay Davenport surpassed this amount in January 2008). 3, having racked up a total of 107 tournament victories. Graf, however, won the tournament in San Antonio, Texas, and retained her title in Miami, where she once again defeated Evert in the final. [37] He went on to add, "I saw what Steffi did to Sabatini at the Australian Open this year, and that was it. In 1986, she formed a partnership with rival Gabriela Sabatini. It was decided to grant her a joint number-one ranking with Graf who took her first loss of the year in the first round to Amanda Coetzer. 1, Reached the final of every tournament played in a calendar year, Two streaks of 5 years with winning percentage of 90%+, 8 WTA Tier 1/Premier-5/Premier Mandatory clay titles, 89.63% win rate (147-17) in WTA Tier 1/Premier-5/Premier Mandatory events, This page was last edited on 20 February 2023, at 18:23. Seles established herself as the new dominant player on the women's tour, winning the Australian Open, French Open, and US Open and, in March, ending Graf's record 186 consecutive-weeks hold on the World No. After Wimbledon, for the first time in my career, I didn't feel like going to a tournament. . [58] Graf still managed to win San Diego the following month but aggravated a long-time back injury in beating Snchez Vicario in the final. 1 ranking. Williams VS Graf MATCHES VS ALL OPPONENTS Yet again, she dropped a minimal number of games on the DecoTurf surface at Flushing Meadows and took full advantage of Everts forfeit in the semi-final. 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. [144], In 1991, the Steffi Graf Youth Tennis Center in Leipzig was dedicated to her. Voted The best female role model in sports in a survey by Barclays, sponsors of the Premier League, 2010. [124][125][126] In 2010, Graf and Agassi collaborated with Head and developed the new line of Star Series tennis racquets. (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. Victories at Hamburg and Berlin (beating Snchez Vicario in the finals of both) prepared her for the French Open, where she defeated Snchez Vicario in the semifinals after losing the first set 60. 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. In the final, Evert was completely overwhelmed in the first set, losing 6-1. [48] In Boca Raton, Florida, Graf reached her first final of the year, where she faced Conchita Martnez for the title. I don't care who believes Court and Serena are greater than her because I don't subscribe to highest slam count is the be-all and end-all in GOAT. That year Graf lost in the fourth round of the Australian Open in straight sets to Amanda Coetzer. 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. 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. . In the womens tournament, Williams could repeat the achievement if she competes in what will be her fifth Olympic Games. Graf is the only person to have won the 'Golden Slam' (1988). Steffi Graf vs. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario ** **Head to Head: **28-8, Graf . [11][12][13][14] She won six French Open singles titles (second to Evert), seven Wimbledon singles titles, four Australian Open titles, and five US Open singles titles. In 1988, there was no bronze medal match, and both beaten semifinalists received bronze medals. She then beat Snchez Vicario in the finals of both the French Open and Wimbledon. Graf lost twice to Sabatini during the spring, once on hardcourts in Boca Raton, Florida, and once on clay at Amelia Island, Florida. [70][71] He was eventually released after serving 25 months. International Olympic Committee. Her birth name is Stefanie Maria Graf and she is currently 51 years old. She was absolutely right the term Golden Slam was born at that exact moment. Social invitations on the tour were often declined as Graf's focus was kept on practicing and match play. Graf then won all five of her Fed Cup matches, helping Germany defeat Spain in the final by defeating Arantxa Snchez Vicario, 64, 62. This was not a first-round sacrifice, an opponent drawn at random. Only results in WTA Tour (incl. She lost her first round match 64, 60 to Tracy Austin, a two-time US Open champion and former world No. In the French Open final, Graf defeated Navratilova, who was the world No. At Tokyo 2020, current world no. Graf developed a bone spur at the base of her spine due to a congenital condition of the sacroiliac joint. Graf then capped the year by beating countrywoman Anke Huber in a five-set final at the season-ending WTA Championships in 2 hours and 46 minutes. Like the exhibition match the previous year against Sabatini, proceeds went to "Children for Tomorrow". Steffi Graf, byname of Stephanie Maria Graf, (born June 14, 1969, Brhl, West Germany [now in Germany]), German tennis player who dominated women's tennis in the late 1980s and '90s, winning 22 Grand Slam singles titles. 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. Graf reached 13 consecutive singles major finals from the 1987 French Open to the 1990 French Open, winning nine of them. 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. 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. We would just say the basic things, but nothing else. She hit the sliced backhand harder and with more underspin than any woman I have ever seen. 1 Novak Djokovic could do the same if he wins gold, as could Roger Federer if he is involved in the Games. She always said: I never look back, I look forward, but she also said: You can't measure success if you have never failed. [147] In November 2018, Tennis.com polled its readers to choose the greatest women's tennis player of all time and Graf came in first. Answer (1 of 4): It isn't hard to replicate Steffi Graf's forehand, it's just not optimal. 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. The difficulty of answering questions about the matter came to a head at a Wimbledon press conference, where Graf broke down in tears. 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. As a result, she hit her forehand with exceptional pace and accuracy. While the Berlin tournament was being played, the largest-circulation German tabloid, Bild, ran a story about an alleged scandal involving Graf's father. [65] She came back in February, winning four consecutive tournaments in Paris, Delray Beach, Miami and Houston. Defending champion Steffi Graf was seeded first again at the French Open and swiftly went about beating her opponents, dropping only 11 games until the semi-finals.. Up against fourth-seeded Argentine Gabriela Sabatini in the last four, Steffi Graf faced her first real test, but overcame it with ease, winning 6-3, 7-6 to go through to the final. Going back in time, one can recall the right-handed player who fearlessly outplayed her opponents. 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. All Rights Reserved. Serena Williams, who will face Kerber in the final, beat Steffi Graf for the title at Indian Wells, Calif., in 1999. 1 was in peerless form on the clay courts of Roland . Focus only on getting better. Extremely sound advice! 1 in women's singles for a record 377 weeks and won 22 major singles titles,[7] the second-most since the start of the Open Era in 1968 and the third-most of all-time. In 1988, Graf became only the second tennis player in history to win a Slam on hardcourt, clay, and grass all in the same season. Graf was ranked world No. [68] Graf has a 20863 (76.8%) record against players who were, at the time the match was played, ranked in the top 10.[1]. The match was the Wimbledon women's singles semi-final between Ms Graf and Kimiko Date. Ranking. [63][64], A strained right calf muscle forced Graf to withdraw from the Australian Open. Associations of International Sport Federations, Organising Committees for the Olympic Games. It was like a death by a thousand cuts for her poor opponents who would be . She retired from tennis in 1999. She played Jelena Dokic in Christchurch, New Zealand, Amanda Coetzer in Durban, South Africa, and her former rival Arantxa Snchez Vicario in Zaragoza, Spain. Her parents are Heidi Schalk and Peter Graf. 1 female player and won 22 Grand Slam singles titles. She survived an intense three-set battle with Helena Sukova in the semis, breaking in the tenth and final game to win the third set 64. Having also won bronze in the womens doubles with Claudia Kohde-Kilsch in Seoul, her Olympic record stands at four podium finishes, including two titles counting the one she won in Los Angeles aged 14 when tennis was a demonstration sport! Speculation was rife at the beginning of 1989 about the possibility of Graf winning another Grand Slam. Graf started 1988 by winning the Australian Open, defeating Chris Evert in the final 61, 76. First professional tournament: 1982 Porsche Grand Prix at Filderstadt, Germany Plays: right handed, one handed backhand Raquet: Dunlop / Wilson Former Clubs: HTC Heidelberg, LTTC Rot-Weiss Berlin, BASF Ludwigshafen Favorite Tournament: Wimbledon Favorite Surface: Grass court Former Coaches: Pavel Slozil (1986-1991), Heinz Guenthardt . By August 1999, Graf had already announced twice that it was going to be her final year on the tour.