[103] Graf completely ruled out a return to professional tennis. The assailant, a fan of German . [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. 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 is now a naturalized American citizen, and has even been nominated as one of 2022's Great US Immigrants by Carnegie Corporation of New York. She reached a total of 31 singles major finals. Graf had already won 5 Wimbledon titles by then and was hunting for her 6th trophy. 1 player. 1999 Prince of Asturias Award, one of the most important awards of Spain and named after the heir apparent of Spain. The pair was moderately successful, winning the 1988 Wimbledon Championships together and reaching the finals of the French Open in 1986, 1987 and 1989. Graf vs Williams H2H MATCHES PLAYED All Rounds Final 1/2 1/4 First Second Third Fourth Qualifying q-First q-Second Pre-q Rubber 1 Rubber 2 Rubber 3 Rubber 4 Rubber 5 Robin Bronze N/A She basically became a backhand slice guru ,,, This became only single taint in Graf's tennis career. [88] Sabatini said of the partnership: "doubles is all about communicating with each other, and we didn't communicate that much. Seles defeated Graf at the Australian Open 46, 63, 62. It was like a death by a thousand cuts for her poor opponents who would be . n 1973 Steffi avea 3 ani cnd a luat prima oar n Brhl (Baden) o rachet de tenis n mn. However, there was also a 15-year-old who shot into the scene in 1995 that would take the tennis world by storm. [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. [137] She started dating Andre Agassi after the 1999 French Open and they married on 22 October 2001, with only their mothers as witnesses. 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. 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. In 1987, Grafs career truly took off: she won her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, beating world no. [151], Graf was voted the ITF World Champion in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995 and 1996. [83], At the French Open, Graf reached her first Grand Slam final in three years and fought back from a set and twice from a break down in the second set to defeat the top ranked Hingis in three sets for a memorable victory. [16] When asked in an interview to name the greatest players of all time, Serena Williams stated Graf and Roger Federer. A mixture of injury problems, personal difficulties, and loss of form made 1991 a tough year for Graf. But the world of tennis is still waiting for another player capable of securing a Golden Slam in one year. [80][81] Steffi Graf - 22; The former German tennis star is third on the list with 22 grand slam titles victories. Though she lost the game to opponent Tracy Austin by 6-4, 6-0, this did very little to dishearten the young blood. She then beat Snchez Vicario in the finals of both the French Open and Wimbledon. The German allowed Zvereva just 13 points, three of them in that one early game. (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. [62] Although Graf ended the year ranked No. In 1986, she formed a partnership with rival Gabriela Sabatini. After losing a fifth straight time to Sabatini in Amelia Island, Florida, Graf again defeated Seles in the Hamburg final. 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. Graf then won in Leipzig, with her 500th career victory coming in a quarterfinal against Judith Wiesner. First Grand Slam victory of the year for Graf: 6-1, 7-6. Seles was behind 26 in the first-set tiebreaker, but then came back to win six points in a row and take the set. [105] It was the first time in 14 years Graf had played Navratilova. 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. Torture and boredom, boredom and torture, that's how it is for Steffi Graf. 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. [16], In March 2012, Tennis Channel picked Graf as the greatest female tennis player ever in their list of 100 greatest tennis players of all time. The American then took her opponent to a tie-break in the second set, eventually going down 7-3. 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. The match was the Wimbledon women's singles semi-final between Ms Graf and Kimiko Date. It was 1986, and Graf was 17. 1 Novak Djokovic could do the same if he wins gold, as could Roger Federer if he is involved in the Games. . 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. Steffi Graf -vs- Opponent Name Score: Result: win/loss Part 1 : View Download Part 2 :View Download ., Steffi Graf - My Best: "Steffi is the goddess of Tennis" : John McEnroe "She let her racket do the talking. 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. Steffi Graf, a Tennis champ is married to husband Andre Agassi with two children. This including playing basketball and working with specialists in nutrition, physical and mental strength. Even discounting that result, no other player had played and won 27 Grand Slam matches in a single year before. This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 20:01. 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. Along with Boris Becker, Graf was considered instrumental in popularizing tennis in Germany, where it remains one of the foremost national sports.[18][19][20]. 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! [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. The Trials of Steffi Graf. 'The Ten' went one way; you went another", "The greatest female tennis player of the last 50 years: the fans' verdict", "Exclusive Interview with Steve Flink about the career of Chris Evert", "A celebration of Martina Navratilova's multifaceted legacy", "Special events and records at the 1988 Australian Open Tennis Tournament", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Steffi_Graf&oldid=1140574067, Golden Slam (4 majors + Olympic gold in same calendar year), Non-Calendar Year Grand Slam in addition to already winning a Grand Slam, 100% match winning percentage in 1 season, 100% match winning percentage in 3 separate seasons, 89.67% (278-32) match winning percentage overall, 5 calendar years winning 3+ Grand Slam titles, Defeated the top 3 seeded players in the same tournament, Reached the final of all four Grand Slams tournaments in a calendar year, Reached the final of all four Grand Slams tournaments in a calendar year three times, 5 years as wire-to-wire (all 52 weeks) No. [65] She came back in February, winning four consecutive tournaments in Paris, Delray Beach, Miami and Houston. Talk Tennis Guru. However, seeing the current situation, Graff also feels frightened. . Stefanie Graf was born on 14 June 1969, in Mannheim, Baden-Wrttemberg, West Germany, to Heidi Schalk and car-and-insurance salesman Peter Graf (18 June 1938 30 November 2013). Angelique Kerber recalls memories of Steffi Graf at Wimbledon after becoming first German to win trophy since 1996 . When she was nine years old, her family moved to the neighboring town of Brhl. 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. 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 . [a] Widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, she was ranked world No. 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 lost twice to Sabatini during the spring, once on hardcourts in Boca Raton, Florida, and once on clay at Amelia Island, Florida. 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. The USAs Andre Agassi sealed his Career Golden Slam with the gold medal at Atlanta 1996, Spains Rafael Nadal did so at Beijing 2008 and American Serena Williams completed hers at London 2012. Having won the first three Majors of the year, Djokovic is three-fifths of the way to a . In the third and deciding set, Novotn had a point to go up 51 on her serve. Serena Williams, who will face Kerber in the final, beat Steffi Graf for the title at Indian Wells, Calif., in 1999. [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. Her career prize-money earnings totalled US$21,895,277 (a record until Lindsay Davenport surpassed this amount in January 2008). . [92][93], Graf also occasionally played mixed doubles, although she never won a title. 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. Graf, Kerber's idol . In 2015, Graf was the recipient of the International Club's Jean Borotra Sportsmanship Award. 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. [152] She was voted the WTA Player of the Year in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996. In 1985 and early 1986, Graf emerged as the top challenger to the dominance of Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. Instead of being hailed as the undisputed female GOAT, people will always talk about her mysterious backhand deficiency. Graf secured the World 124th position in her first year. Graf is the first German to win the Spain's 'Prince of Asturias' award. She would later become the world's number one female tennis player. . 1 was in peerless form on the clay courts of Roland . For the German painter, see. The match was poised for a final set to decide the . Graf is the only person to have won the 'Golden Slam' (1988). 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. Graf ended 1989 with an 862 match record and the loss of only 12 sets. She lost twice to Sabatini in the early spring at the Lipton International and the Bausch & Lomb Championships, which now brought her to seven losses in her last eight matches against Sabatini; however, the Bausch & Lomb loss would be Graf's final loss to Sabatini, winning her next, and last eight matches against Sabatini.[49]. 2 (21-06-10) Titles. 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. [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. "[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. 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. Graf reached 13 consecutive singles major finals from the 1987 French Open to the 1990 French Open, winning nine of them. They have two children. 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. 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. [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. The world of tennis is still waiting for another player capable of such a feat in the same calendar year! 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. Graf lost her singles match to Elena Likhovtseva 54. 1 German tennis player. At Wimbledon, Graf defeated Jana Novotn to win her third consecutive, and fifth overall, ladies' title. ", "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! At Tokyo 2020, current world no. Graf then won all five of her Fed Cup matches, helping Germany defeat Spain in the final by defeating Arantxa Snchez Vicario, 64, 62. 29 Jan Tennis Norge . Most sliced shots float these days; Graf's seemed to reach her opponent's side in a straight line, skimming low over the net. She was unstoppable. 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. I've always looked up to her and the way she approached the game" : Pete Sampras After winning two more indoor tournaments at Zurich and Brighton, she failed once again in the Virginia Slims Championships, losing her quarterfinal to Novotn. Steffi Graf was a dominant force in tennis during the late 1980s and for much of the 1990s. . She soon began taking the top prize at junior tournaments with regularity, going on to win the European Championships 12s and 18s in 1982. 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. In Indian Wells Graf lost to Serena Williams in three sets. Ranking. [141] Agassi has said that he and Graf are not pushing their children toward becoming tennis players. In July 2005, Graf competed in one tie of World Team Tennis (WTT) on the Houston Wranglers team. . Graf and Navratilova faced each other six times and Graf had the advantage, 4-2. Eighteen-time Grand Slam champion and former rival Chris Evert opined, "Steffi Graf is the best all-around player. Proceeds from her match against Sabatini went to Graf's foundation, "Children for Tomorrow".[102]. [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. That year Graf lost in the fourth round of the Australian Open in straight sets to Amanda Coetzer. Both dominated opponents with power and movement. 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. 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. According to her coaches Pavel Sloil and Heinz Gnthardt, Graf's superior sense of timing was the key behind the success of her forehand. Steffi Graf with the Wimbledon trophy in 1989 after defeating Martina Navratilova 6-2, 6-7 (1), 6-1 in the final. In the fall, Graf won the Volkswagen Card Cup in Leipzig a day before her foot operation, losing only two games to Jana Novotn in the final. 1 female player and won 22 Grand Slam singles titles. She had just lost a three-set semifinal to No. Graf played in her first professional tournament in October 1982 at Filderstadt, Germany. n civa ani ajunge . Five months later, the world no. Graf did not lose a set during the tournament and lost a total of only 29 games. 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. 1 ranking while she was sidelined. [47] She would work with him for the remainder of her career. LEAVE A . She also won her fifth and final WTA Tour Championships title with a five set win over Martina Hingis, with Hingis cramping up in the fifth set. A worthy opponent, she is an exceptional and versatile player to have dominated the international women's tennis scene for a long time. 1 ranking. 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. Graf won a majority of her slams using her sharp slice backhand and her incredible forehand. 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. Key; W F SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A . [101] She was also in Berlin to host a charity gala, as well as inaugurating a tennis stadium renamed the "Steffi Graf Stadion".
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