[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. [142] The Graf-Agassi family resides in Summerlin, a community in the Las Vegas Valley. Margaret Court, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams. This time, Navratilova beat Graf 76, 63, 62. 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. 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. 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. [63][64], A strained right calf muscle forced Graf to withdraw from the Australian Open. Graf, Kerber's idol . In February 2000, Graf played against Kimiko Date at Nagoya Rainbow Hall in Tokyo, winning in three sets. 3. 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 beat opponents with spectacular precision, and Williams had a power game, unlike any woman in professional tennis. Her toughest battle came against rising star Martina Hingis in the semifinal, with Hingis unable to convert on five set points. 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). The Trials of Steffi Graf. I've always looked up to her and the way she approached the game" : Pete Sampras That year Graf lost in the fourth round of the Australian Open in straight sets to Amanda Coetzer. 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. However, seeing the current situation, Graff also feels frightened. . All right, yes, there is the winning and, with it, the money, but they come too easily and bring only temporary relief. My motivation wasn't what it was in the past. At the year-ending Virginia Slims Championships, Graf was upset by Pam Shriver, only her third loss of the year. Starting in the early 1990s, she used the slice almost exclusively in baseline rallies and mostly limited the topspin backhand to passing shots. She always said: I never look back, I look forward, but she also said: You can't measure success if you have never failed. [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 1987, Grafs career truly took off: she won her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, beating world no. [85][86] She was ranked No. American star Chris Evert, meanwhile, failed to take a set off Graf in three matches. Pause, rewind, play: Steffi Graf - only player to win all four Majors and the Olympic gold in a year. Graf remains one of the greatest champions in the history of her sport. 49 . 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. [59][60] She began to wear a back brace and was unsure about playing the US Open but elected to play while receiving treatment and stretching for two hours before each match. 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. In the middle of the second set, Graf suffered back spasms while reaching for a ball in the ad court. [33] Zvereva, who had eliminated Martina Navratilova in the fourth round, won only thirteen points in the match.[33]. [154] Her unprecedented Golden Slam saw her receive the 1988 BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year. At the end of the year, the municipality of Brhl, her hometown, gave her the title of honorary citizen. However, there was also a 15-year-old who shot into the scene in 1995 that would take the tennis world by storm. I have complied some stats . steffi graf opponents. And each time the opponent threw a problem her way, she . A bout of rubella forced Graf to miss the first major event of 1992, the Australian Open. Graf did not lose a set during the tournament and lost a total of only 29 games. Graf's father had approached Gnthardt during the 1991 Virginia Slims Championships. [66] In August Monica Seles made her much anticipated return to tennis at the Canadian Open. She was named the 1988 BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year. "[89] Her endurance and superior footwork allowed her to excel on clay courts, where, in addition to six French Open titles, she won 26 regular tour events, including a record eight titles at the German Open. Steffi Graf and Serena Williams are two of the greatest women's tennis players ever. Eighteen-time Grand Slam champion and former rival Chris Evert opined, "Steffi Graf is the best all-around player. [37] He went on to add, "I saw what Steffi did to Sabatini at the Australian Open this year, and that was it. Wimbledon authorities then threatened to immediately shut down any subsequent press conferences where questions about the issue were asked. Graf served for the match at 53 in the third set but lost the game and won only three more points in the match. She had some amazing rivalries with Hall of Fame opponents such as Navratilova, Evert, Sabatini and Seles. Notable features of Graf's game were her versatility across all playing surfaces, footwork and powerful forehand drive. Graf had already won 5 Wimbledon titles by then and was hunting for her 6th trophy. Her father, an aspiring tennis coach, first introduced her to the game, teaching his . [122][129] Other companies she has endorsed include Barilla, Apollinaris, Citibank, Danone and Teekanne. 1 Novak Djokovic could do the same if he wins gold, as could Roger Federer if he is involved in the Games. In 1988, there was no bronze medal match, and both beaten semifinalists received bronze medals. "[89] The pair played their last major tournament together at the 1990 Wimbledon Championships, losing in the quarterfinals. Stefanie Maria Steffi" Graf 1969614 GOAT 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. It is undeniable that Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi had a successful professional relationship. 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". Steffi Graf was born as Stefanie Maria Graf to Peter and Heidi Graf in Mannheim, Germany. 1 ranking to Martina Hingis and failed to win a Grand Slam title for the first time in ten years in 1997. [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. Fury's brother suggests alternative opponent if Usyk fight does not happen. 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. Stefanie ("Steffi") Graf | Former German Tennis Pro and Champion. 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. 1 men's tennis player Andre Agassi in October 2001. And stepping on the plane there was a big group of German athletes on it. In the Miami final, she lost her first set of the yearto Natasha Zverevaafter winning 54 consecutive sets. 3, She was not included in the official year end ranking. As the defending champion Graf lost in straight sets to Mary Pierce in the French Open semifinal. 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! Chicago was notable, however, for being the first tournament Graf played with her new coach, former Swiss player Heinz Gnthardt. 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. [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. Her 0.977 winning percentage is the second-highest in the open era behind Navratilova.[44]. [36] Graf also won her only Grand Slam doubles title that yearat Wimbledon partnering Sabatiniand picked up a women's doubles Olympic bronze medal. Highly emotional and sensitive, with a . Retiring from the sport in 1999, Graf's career remains one of the most looked upon in tennis history. [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. 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. In July 2005, Graf competed in one tie of World Team Tennis (WTT) on the Houston Wranglers team. 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. Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis played out a thrilling final at the 1999 French Open, with the former winning 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. As true as that forehand was, the mask was no less a lie. 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. Last edited on 20 February 2023, at 18:23, BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year, Learn how and when to remove this template message, 3 different Grand Slam titles won without losing a set, 2 titles won without losing a set in the same calendar year, Tennis records of the Open Era - women's singles, "Duden | Steffi | Rechtschreibung, Bedeutung, Definition", "The 10 most influential players in the history of tennis", "ON TENNIS; Graf Is Best, Right? [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. Most sliced shots float these days; Graf's seemed to reach her opponent's side in a straight line, skimming low over the net. 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. "[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. At the Roland-Garros trophy ceremony, after she . (not considered in winloss records). The Serbian tennis player this week surpassed Steffi Graf in the record of weeks at the top of the world ranking (both men's and women's) and there is curiosity to understand where Nole can arrive . [144], In 1991, the Steffi Graf Youth Tennis Center in Leipzig was dedicated to her. [105] It was the first time in 14 years Graf had played Navratilova. 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. Steffi Graf was born as Stefanie Maria Graf on 14th June 1969 in West Germany. [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. 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. 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. Graf then reached her ninth Wimbledon singles final, losing to third-seeded Davenport in straight sets. LEAVE A . She would either destroy opponents, clinically and . [88] Sabatini said of the partnership: "doubles is all about communicating with each other, and we didn't communicate that much. [75] Graf then had a straight-sets win against Snchez Vicario in the Wimbledon final. Speculation was rife at the beginning of 1989 about the possibility of Graf winning another Grand Slam.