The assailant, a fan of German . Graf developed a bone spur at the base of her spine due to a congenital condition of the sacroiliac joint. 1 ranking for the first time in her career, a ranking she would hold for the next 186 consecutive weeks, a record (it was tied by Serena Williams in 2016). Graf was the first tennis player to achieve the feat: wheelchair tennis players Diede de Groot and Dylan Alcott achieved the Golden Slam in 2021. After losing a fifth straight time to Sabatini in Amelia Island, Florida, Graf again defeated Seles in the Hamburg final. In 1988, Graf became the first tennis player to achieve the Golden Slam by winning all four major singles titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same calendar year. [153] She was elected as the German Sportsperson of the Year in 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1999. She soon began taking the top prize at junior tournaments with regularity, going on to win the European Championships 12s and 18s in 1982. TMF. Graf did not lose a set during the tournament and lost a total of only 29 games. [77] Serena uses her hard and powerful groundstrokes to bully her opponents and uses her serve, like Federer, to set up the point before finishing it off . Some noted observers, such as Margaret Court, suggested that Graf could achieve the feat a couple more times. [141] Agassi has said that he and Graf are not pushing their children toward becoming tennis players. 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. Martina Navratilova included Graf at the top of her list of the greatest players ever. [16] When asked in an interview to name the greatest players of all time, Serena Williams stated Graf and Roger Federer. 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. 1999 Germany Television Award for her outstanding performance as tennis player and her importance to the German public. And so many times she was able to absorb her opponent's biggest blows and . It is true that Graf had one of the best forehands of her era, but that doesn't mean that it is mechanically perfect. [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. David Douillet writes judo history in Sydney in 2000. Seles and Graf met in the final, with Graf winning in three sets, saving a set point in the first set. (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. Soon after, she split with her long-time coach, Pavel Sloil. Next came Wimbledon, where Martina Navratilova had won six straight titles. [100] In September 2004, Graf dispatched her former doubles partner Gabriela Sabatini, in straight sets, in an exhibition match played in Berlin, Germany. will, Steffi would don her stoical mask and use her cannon of a forehand, the most powerful weapon in the women's game, to overwhelm her opponents. [61] She took the following nine weeks off, returning only for the Virginia Slims Championships where she lost in straight sets to Pierce in the quarterfinal. Official match time was 34 minutes, which charitably included two minutes of rain delay. . 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]. It is undeniable that Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi had a successful professional relationship. Voted Germany's Sportswoman of the Century in 1999 by the German press. 1 ranking while she was sidelined. I feel I have nothing left to accomplish. ", "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! In the third and deciding set, Novotn had a point to go up 51 on her serve. [68] Five months later, the world no. Although she now lives in Las Vegas, Stefanie Maria Graf was born in Mannheim, West Germany on June 14, 1969. 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. She hit the sliced backhand harder and with more underspin than any woman I have ever seen. Just over 30 years old, Graf retired . The facts: American Amy Frazier was Graf's final opponent. 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. Djokovic is now into his 378th week as the world number one, surpassing Steffi Graf's record for the most weeks at the top of the sport, a feat that prompted some of his young rivals to express . 1 . Graf was trailing Martina Navratilova in the final 75, 20 before winning the match 57, 62, 61. In reaching and winning all four Grand Slam finals, Graf became the first player in history to contest and win 28 Grand Slam singles matches in a single year; albeit including the unplayed walkover against Evert in the US Open. Serena did that only for a few tournaments in her career while Steffi did . Martina [Navratilova] won more on fast courts and I won more on slow courts, but Steffi came along and won more titles on both surfaces. That year Graf lost in the fourth round of the Australian Open in straight sets to Amanda Coetzer. 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. Stefanie ("Steffi") Graf | Former German Tennis Pro and Champion. 29 Jan Tennis Norge . 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. [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. Once again, she reached the final without conceding a single set. [a] Widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, she was ranked world No. The win elevated Graf to the world No. Early life. She was successful, however, in the mixed doubles match. She was also inducted to the German Sport Hall of Fame. Furthermore, Graf's backhand was, in a subtle way, an extremely aggressive shot. Notable features of Graf's game were her versatility across all playing surfaces, footwork and powerful forehand drive. Graf's Grand Slam tournament breakthrough came in 1987. 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. She had some amazing rivalries with Hall of Fame opponents such as Navratilova, Evert, Sabatini and Seles. Performance timelines. Both dominated opponents with power and movement. There really hasn't been anyone like her since. [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 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. ", "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! [115], She built her powerful and accurate serve up to 183km/h (114mph), making it one of the fastest serves in women's tennis and was a capable volleyer. Her glittering career saw her occupy the world no.1 spot for a total of 377 weeks (a record), including a run of 186 consecutive weeks between August 1987 and March 1991. Stefanie Maria "Steffi" Graf; 14. 1969, , ) . Seles defeated Graf at the Australian Open 46, 63, 62. Having won the first three Majors of the year, Djokovic is three-fifths of the way to a . Graf started 1988 by winning the Australian Open, defeating Chris Evert in the final 61, 76. I have complied some stats . But Vicario took the first set and Graf took the second. She lost the world No. The American then took her opponent to a tie-break in the second set, eventually going down 7-3. 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. [85][86] She was ranked No. 3. [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. Graf was the first player other than Navratilova or Evert to hold the top spot since Tracy Austin in 1980.[27]. Voted Most admirable German woman by Amica magazine, 2005. Graf lost an Australian Open quarterfinal to Jana Novotn, the first time she did not reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam singles tournament since the 1986 French Open. [113] She often positioned herself in her backhand corner and although this left her forehand wide open and vulnerable to attack, her court speed meant that only the most accurate shots wide to her forehand caused any trouble. Novak Djokovic has arrived in Japan for the Tokyo Olympics 2020, and he is looking as confident as ever. A mixture of injury problems, personal difficulties, and loss of form made 1991 a tough year for Graf. [135][136], From 1992 to 1999, Graf dated racing driver Michael Bartels. Steffi Graf's 22 Grand Slam singles titles put her second on the list of major wins in the female competition since the introduction of the Open Era in 1968 . Graf reached 13 consecutive major singles finals, from the 1987 French Open through to . 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. She is the only singles player (male or female) to have achieved a Grand Slam across three surfaces (grass, clay, and hard courts). 1 Martina Navratilova, and reached two finals, at Wimbledon and the US Open, losing out to Navratilova in both. [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. . Steffi Graf vs. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario ** **Head to Head: **28-8, Graf . [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. . Opel Corsa Celebrates Its 30th Anniversary", "Steffi Graf is Longines' Newest Abassador", "SRK and Steffi Graf to represent Kerala tourism", "Steffi: proof that the rich don't get to heaven", "The Trials of Steffi Graf: with her father in jail and her own innocence being questioned, the world's best woman tennis player has finally been forced to take control of her life", "Tennis: Agassi taking different tact [sic] with fatherhood,", "Tennis legend Steffi Graf talks Royal Ascot and her career to HELLO! 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. "[89] The pair played their last major tournament together at the 1990 Wimbledon Championships, losing in the quarterfinals. Began playing Tennis: 1973 Turned Professional: 18.10.1982. Her 0.977 winning percentage is the second-highest in the open era behind Navratilova.[44]. Graf then lost a closely contested final to Monica Seles, 26, 63, 810. Since then, four players managed a 271 winloss record, meaning all of them failed to win the Grand Slam: Graf in 1989 and 1993, Martina Hingis in 1997, Roger Federer in 2006 and Novak Djokovic in both 2015 and 2021. 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. Fernandez had two break points to take a 30 and double break lead in the third set. After Wimbledon, for the first time in my career, I didn't feel like going to a tournament. Despite their differences, their careers, on and off the court . [137] She started dating Andre Agassi after the 1999 French Open and they married on 22 October 2001, with only their mothers as witnesses. Stefanie Maria "Steffi" Graf (German pronunciation: [tf gaf]; born 14 Juin 1969) is a umwhile Warld No. Date biografice. Steffi Graf was a dominant force in tennis during the late 1980s and for much of the 1990s. In the French Open final, Graf defeated Navratilova, who was the world No. 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. . [10] Graf's athletic ability and aggressive game played from the baseline have been credited with developing the modern style of play that has come to dominate today's game. 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. . She has emerged as one of the strongest tennis players of all time. Steffi Graf with the Wimbledon trophy in 1989 after defeating Martina Navratilova 6-2, 6-7 (1), 6-1 in the final. . In July, a left knee injury forced Graf to withdraw from the Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Graf won a majority of her slams using her sharp slice backhand and her incredible forehand. Graf won 6-0, 6-0. 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. Her father was arrested in August and was sentenced to 45 months in jail. 6 in 1985. Stefanie Maria Steffi" Graf 1969614 GOAT 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. In February 2000, Graf played against Kimiko Date at Nagoya Rainbow Hall in Tokyo, winning in three sets. She always said: I never look back, I look forward, but she also said: You can't measure success if you have never failed. Graf then went on to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open before losing to Monica Seles in two sets. 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. 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. In 1987, Grafs career truly took off: she won her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, beating world no. 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. Do Not Disturb. Graf is the only person to have won the 'Golden Slam' (1988). [144], In 1991, the Steffi Graf Youth Tennis Center in Leipzig was dedicated to her. Graf remains one of the greatest champions in the history of her sport. Graf is the only female athlete in the list of Forbes Top-30 Most recognizable and marketable athletes in 1995. At the beginning of 1999 Graf played the warm up event to the Australian Open in Sydney; she defeated Serena Williams in the second round and Venus in the quarterfinals before losing to Lindsay Davenport in the semifinal. Having suffered from leg cramps since the middle of the third set, Graf ran off the court seconds after match point to seek medical treatment. But from 1990 onward, Graf hit fewer & fewer of those beautiful backhand drive/topspins for some reason. 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.