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She was absolutely right the term Golden Slam was born at that exact moment. Grand Slams) main-draw, Olympic Games and Fed Cup are included in winloss records. [88] Sabatini said of the partnership: "doubles is all about communicating with each other, and we didn't communicate that much. Graf's father had approached Gnthardt during the 1991 Virginia Slims Championships. [151], Graf was voted the ITF World Champion in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995 and 1996. Next up were the grass courts of Wimbledon, where Graf was never in any danger until the final, when she came up against six-time defending champion Navratilova, unbeaten since 1981. Like the exhibition match the previous year against Sabatini, proceeds went to "Children for Tomorrow". And each time the opponent threw a problem her way, she . 1 German tennis player. 1, 64, 46, 86 after beating Sabatini in a three-set semifinal. 2021 International Olympic Committee. . She reached a total of 31 singles major finals. However, seeing the current situation, Graff also feels frightened. [115], Early in her career, Graf wore Dunlop apparel, before signing an endorsement contract with Adidas in 1985. Steffi Graf with the Wimbledon trophy in 1989 after defeating Martina Navratilova 6-2, 6-7 (1), 6-1 in the final. According to her coaches Pavel Sloil and Heinz Gnthardt, Graf's superior sense of timing was the key behind the success of her forehand. 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. 1 was in peerless form on the clay courts of Roland . Though she did not win any title for the . . 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. [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. Serena Williams, who will face Kerber in the final, beat Steffi Graf for the title at Indian Wells, Calif., in 1999. Steffi Graf went on to win Wimbledon in 1996, beating Arantxa . [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. Illness caused her to miss Wimbledon,[26] and an accident where she broke a toe several weeks later also curtailed her play. She partnered with doubles specialist Mark Woodforde at the Australian Open in 1994, with Henri Leconte at Wimbledon in 1991 and at the French Open in 1994, and with Charlie Pasarell at the US Open in 1984. Since Graf skipped the Italian Open, she did not take part in the vote. Graf warmed up for the US Open with easy tournament victories in San Diego and Mahwah. 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. [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. 1 player. She struggled at the German Open in Berlin where she lost a 60 set to the unheralded Sabine Hack before defeating Mary Joe Fernndez and Sabatini in three-set matches to claim her seventh title there in eight years. At the US Open, Graf was upset in the quarterfinals by Snchez Vicario 76, 63. 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. 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. 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. Associations of International Sport Federations, Organising Committees for the Olympic Games. She has a brother named Michael. Performance timelines. She lost her first round match 64, 60 to Tracy Austin, a two-time US Open champion and former world No. 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 . [37] He went on to add, "I saw what Steffi did to Sabatini at the Australian Open this year, and that was it. . Graf's schedule was closely controlled by her father, who limited her play so that she would not burn out. [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. used to be curious about one player who will make the women's singles Grand Slam finals as the other name was always Steffi Graf. She then beat Snchez Vicario in the finals of both the French Open and Wimbledon. [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. In her semifinal match at the US Open, Graf defeated Sabatini 36, 64, 62. The American then took her opponent to a tie-break in the second set, eventually going down 7-3. Online", "GOAT Vote: Steffi or Serena? At the Roland-Garros trophy ceremony, after she . 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).When she was nine years old, her family moved to the neighboring town of Brhl.She has a younger brother, Michael. And Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, arguably the most accomplished sports couple there ever was, had good reason to be on campus that day. [95][96][97], In late 1999 and early 2000, as part of her Farewell Tour, Graf played a series of exhibition matches against former rivals in New Zealand, Japan, Spain, Germany and South Africa. Began playing Tennis: 1973 Turned Professional: 18.10.1982. [107] Graf played in the celebrity doubles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles before straining her left calf muscle and being replaced by Anna Kournikova. Steffi Graf vs Serena Williams vs Martina Navratilova - Who is the Greatest Female tennis player of all time? Graf had a bone splinter in her right foot during this tournament (and for the next few months), finally resulting in surgery on 4 October.[53]. Graf reached 13 consecutive singles major finals from the 1987 French Open to the 1990 French Open, winning nine of them. [131][132] In 2015, she was appointed as the brand ambassador of Kerala tourism, for promoting Ayurveda in North America and Europe. 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. No medals were awarded as this was not an official Olympic event.[23]. She and Agassi, her husband, were on Team Elton John, which competed against Team Billie Jean King. The world of tennis is still waiting for another player capable of such a feat in the same calendar year! Opponent Score Loss: 1986: Year-end championships: Carpet (i) Martina Navratilova: 6-7 (8-10), 3-6, 2-6 Win: 1987: Year-end championships: That was the last competitive match Graf and Snchez Vicario would ever play against one another. . Steffi Graf on how social media impacts the mental health of children. 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. It was the days when the Williams . 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? She was anchored in the top spot in the Women's Tennis Association rankings for a record 377 weeks, including 186 consecutive from August 1987 to March 1991. [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. In 2010, Graf participated in the WTT Smash Hits exhibition in Washington, D.C. to support the Elton John AIDS Foundation. [36] Graf also won her only Grand Slam doubles title that yearat Wimbledon partnering Sabatiniand picked up a women's doubles Olympic bronze medal. [123] In 2006, she signed an endorsement deal with Head. But Vicario took the first set and Graf took the second. After surviving a scare in a three-setter against Amanda Coetzer in the first round, Graf reached the final with relative ease, while Seles went through her side of the draw in even more convincing fashion. [122] Graf's racquets were strung at 29 kilograms (64 pounds), significantly above the 50-60 pound range recommended by Wilson. [100] In September 2004, Graf dispatched her former doubles partner Gabriela Sabatini, in straight sets, in an exhibition match played in Berlin, Germany. Graf had a winloss record of 752 for a 97.4 winning percentage in 1987, both losses coming to Navratilova as they split the four matches they played during the year. . 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. ), At the start of her first full professional year in 1983, Graf was 13 years old and ranked world No. [22] She began practising on a court at the age of four and played in her first tournament at five. All right, yes, there is the winning and, with it, the money, but they come too easily and bring only temporary relief. [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. She would either destroy opponents, clinically and . Twice in the third set Snchez Vicario served for the championship but was broken each time by Graf. She basically became a backhand slice guru ,,, This became only single taint in Graf's tennis career. 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 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. [145] She is the founder and chairperson of "Children for Tomorrow", a non-profit foundation established in 1998 for implementing and developing projects to support children who have been traumatized by war or other crises. 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. 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. 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. 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 The Washington, D.C. tournament was notable because Graf won the first twenty points of the final against Zina Garrison. Stefanie ("Steffi") Graf | Former German Tennis Pro and Champion. Nominated and voted the title Mother of the nation in her country, Germany, 2010. At Wimbledon, Graf lost in the semifinals to Zina Garrison, who with this victory broke Graf's string of 13 consecutive major finals. Five months later, the world no. Key; W F SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A . 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. steffi graf opponents. She was named the 1988 BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year. 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. 3, She was not included in the official year end ranking. Graf was ranked world No. [149], Tennis writer Steve Flink, in his book The Greatest Tennis Matches of the Twentieth Century, named Graf as the best female player of the 20th century. In the final, Evert was completely overwhelmed in the first set, losing 6-1. This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 20:01. 1 Lindsay Davenport en route to the Philadelphia title. 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. Her father, an aspiring tennis coach, first introduced her to the game, teaching his . [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. 1 Martina Hingis of Switzerland. [155], In 2004, the Berliner Tennis-Arena was renamed Steffi-Graf-Stadion in honor of Graf. Steffi Graf was already world number one, and just shy of 19 years old, when she began the 1988 season. At the first round of the season-ending Chase Championships, Graf defeated world No. to overwhelm her opponents. Stefanie Maria "Steffi" Graf; 14. 1969, , ) . [47] She would work with him for the remainder of her career. She teamed with Ansley Cargill in women's doubles against Anna Kournikova and Likhovtseva but lost 52. Sabatini served for the match twice, and was two points away from her first Wimbledon title. While the Berlin tournament was being played, the largest-circulation German tabloid, Bild, ran a story about an alleged scandal involving Graf's father. Her birth name is Stefanie Maria Graf and she is currently 51 years old. 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. 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. However, in the Federation Cup final in Vancouver, Canada, three weeks later, she defeated Evert easily 62, 61. 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]. Voted Germany's Sportswoman of the Century in 1999 by the German press.