She retired from tennis in 1999. She reached a total of 31 singles major finals. 1 Lindsay Davenport en route to the Philadelphia title. 1 Novak Djokovic could do the same if he wins gold, as could Roger Federer if he is involved in the Games. This including playing basketball and working with specialists in nutrition, physical and mental strength. [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. In Indian Wells Graf lost to Serena Williams in three sets. 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. In an interview with Stern magazine in July 1990, Graf stated, "I could not fight as usual."[46]. . 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. Martina Navratilova included Graf at the top of her list of the greatest players ever. In a close French Open final, Graf again overcame Snchez Vicario, taking the third set 108. The American then took her opponent to a tie-break in the second set, eventually going down 7-3. played a game called "Can you last an hour on court with Graf" because throughout her career she used to beat her opponents 6-0 6-1. She made it to the final and took the first set against Snchez Vicario but lost the next two sets Sanchez Vicario's last victory over Graf. . 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. 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. Peter Graf also kept a tight rein on Graf's personal life. [85][86] She was ranked No. Selected for European Heroes in 2004 and 2005 by TIME Magazine. Do Not Disturb. 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. 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: Steffi Graf has 22 grand slams to her name, most coming during the late 80s and 90s. Shortly after the stabbing, during a players meeting at the Italian Open in Rome, 17 of the world's top 25 WTA members voted against preserving Seles' world No. The Trials of Steffi Graf. International Olympic Committee. Though she did not win any title for the . Opponent Score Loss: 1986: Year-end championships: Carpet (i) Martina Navratilova: 6-7 (8-10), 3-6, 2-6 Win: 1987: Year-end championships: [74] Graf had led 41 in the second set tiebreak, only to lose six points in a row and force a decider. Date biografice. She ended the 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995, and 1996 tennis seasons as the worlds top-ranked player. It just felt something special that I was going to, recalls Graf. [54] She then won her next four tournaments in Tokyo, Indian Wells, Delray Beach and Miami respectively. 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. Graf then reached her ninth Wimbledon singles final, losing to third-seeded Davenport in straight sets. All Rights Reserved. [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. . Both dominated opponents with power and movement. [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. This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 20:01. [48] In Boca Raton, Florida, Graf reached her first final of the year, where she faced Conchita Martnez for the title. WATCH THIS STORY: When Roger Federer toyed his opponent so bad, he asked for advice from Andre Agassi in the crowd Wimbledon championships. Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi met for the first time during a tournament.Andre Agassi had been secretly pining for her since 1990, but she showed no interest in him.. At that time, Steffi Graf was dating Michael Bartels, a racing driver. Graf remains one of the greatest champions in the history of her sport. Last edited on 28 February 2023, at 20:01, Learn how and when to remove this template message, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Steffi_Graf_career_statistics&oldid=1142150918, Virginia Slims Championships, New York City, WTA Tour Championships, New York, United States. 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. At age 13 she became the second youngest player ever to earn an international ranking. [82] Upon her return Graf defeated world No. After losing a fifth straight time to Sabatini in Amelia Island, Florida, Graf again defeated Seles in the Hamburg final. The shock was who she did it against. All right, yes, there is the winning and, with it, the money, but they come too easily and bring only temporary relief. [66] In August Monica Seles made her much anticipated return to tennis at the Canadian Open. ), At the start of her first full professional year in 1983, Graf was 13 years old and ranked world No. 3, She was not included in the official year end ranking. Steffi Graf was a dominant force in tennis during the late 1980s and for much of the 1990s. 1 Martina Navratilova, and reached two finals, at Wimbledon and the US Open, losing out to Navratilova in both. Martina revolutionized women's tennis with her hardcore workout regimen to become more fit and stronger than her opponents. Graf did not lose a set during the tournament and lost a total of only 29 games. 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. More than two years elapsed before Seles competed again. [32] That was the shortest-ever and most one-sided Grand Slam final ever and the only double bagel in a Major final since 1911. Graf then lost a closely contested final to Monica Seles, 26, 63, 810. Serena did that only for a few tournaments in her career while Steffi did . 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. She has appeared in many advertisements and television commercials with Andre Agassi including Canon Inc.[130] and Longines in 2008 (Agassi became Longines ambassador in 2007). Focus only on getting better. Extremely sound advice! . Graf then lost to Navratilova 75, 63 in the Wimbledon final, her first loss of the year. [115], Early in her career, Graf wore Dunlop apparel, before signing an endorsement contract with Adidas in 1985. Seles was behind 26 in the first-set tiebreaker, but then came back to win six points in a row and take the set. By August 1999, Graf had already announced twice that it was going to be her final year on the tour. She had an Adidas sneakers line known as the St. Graf Pro line. If Steffi Graf could shut out the world the way she shuts down opponents on the court then, for her, life would be perfect. The match was notable for its dramatic ending. The US Open ended anti-climactically as Navratilova defeated Graf in the final 76, 61. On 24 January 1988, on a Rebound Ace surface on Centre Court in Melbourne, Graf took on Evert in the final of the Australian Open. In 1988, Graf became the third women's star to win the Golden Slam. 1 for 186 consecutive weeks (from August 1987 to March 1991; tied with Serena Williams, a record in the women's game) and a record total 377 weeks overall. n civa ani ajunge . It was Graf's second consecutive loss to Novotna, and dating back to their 1991 Australian Open quarterfinal match, Jana had won three of their last five meetings. It is undeniable that Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi had a successful professional relationship. "Peter Graf" redirects here. 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. 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. Finally Graf was given a match but prevailed 6-3, 7-6 where she would meet a surprise opponent in the final. Just over 30 years old, Graf retired . Stefanie Graf was awarded with the Golden Sports Pyramid, the highest distinction of the German Sports Fund in Herzogenaurach by the Adidas chairman Herbert Hainer on 24 June 2008. Navratilova, therefore, . Graf is the only female athlete in the list of Forbes Top-30 Most recognizable and marketable athletes in 1995. Graf beat opponents with spectacular precision, and Williams had a power game, unlike any woman in professional tennis. 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. Once again, she reached the final without conceding a single set. Steffi Graf - 22; The former German tennis star is third on the list with 22 grand slam titles victories. Graf developed a bone spur at the base of her spine due to a congenital condition of the sacroiliac joint. The win elevated Graf to the world No. Vicario was the no 2 seed while Graf was ranked no 1. At Wimbledon, Graf lost in the semifinals to Zina Garrison, who with this victory broke Graf's string of 13 consecutive major finals. Serena was 17. The American then took her opponent to a tie-break in the second set, eventually going down 7-3. Her father was arrested in August and was sentenced to 45 months in jail. who often frustrated opponents with variety and consistency. At the Roland-Garros trophy ceremony, after she . [109], Note: . 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. Voted Most admirable German woman by Amica magazine, 2005. It actually had several major flaws, especially based on today's understanding of stroke. Graf's schedule was closely controlled by her father, who limited her play so that she would not burn out. 1 was in peerless form on the clay courts of Roland Garros. 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 . [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. [135][136], From 1992 to 1999, Graf dated racing driver Michael Bartels. At the Olympic Games in Barcelona, Graf lost to Jennifer Capriati in the final and claimed the silver medal. Steffi Graf vs Serena Williams vs Martina Navratilova - Who is the Greatest Female tennis player of all time? The similarities and differences between Steffi Graf in 1988 and Serena Williams in 2015. Steffi Graf was already world number one, and just shy of 19 years old, when she began the 1988 season. [134] During her career, Graf divided her time between her hometown of Brhl; Boca Raton, Florida; and New York City where she owned a penthouse in the former Police Headquarters Building in SoHo. The assailant, a fan of German . David Douillet writes judo history in Sydney in 2000. She had just lost a three-set semifinal to No. This is a list of the main career statistics of professional tennis player Steffi Graf. Illness caused her to miss Wimbledon,[26] and an accident where she broke a toe several weeks later also curtailed her play. [143] Graf's mother and her brother also live there. Graf defaulted before the 1997 final of this tournament, which is classified as a walkover and, therefore, does not count as a loss on her official record. 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. '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. She has a brother named Michael. Stefanie Maria "Steffi" Graf; 14. 1969, , ) . 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. 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. The match was poised for a final set to decide the . She basically became a backhand slice guru ,,, This became only single taint in Graf's tennis career. Answer (1 of 4): It isn't hard to replicate Steffi Graf's forehand, it's just not optimal. Shortly after the US Open, she underwent surgery to remove a bone spur in her right wrist. At the first round of the season-ending Chase Championships, Graf defeated world No. Instead of being hailed as the undisputed female GOAT, people will always talk about her mysterious backhand deficiency. In 1987, Grafs career truly took off: she won her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, beating world no. My father taught me that if you really do want to reach your goals, you can't spend any time worrying about whether you're going to win or lose. [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. The world of tennis is still waiting for another player capable of such a feat in the same calendar year! Graf was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004. [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. #3. She lost the world No. [47] She would work with him for the remainder of her career. Graf reached 13 consecutive singles major finals from the 1987 French Open to the 1990 French Open, winning nine of them. (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. [123] In 2006, she signed an endorsement deal with Head. This is a list of the main career statistics of professional tennis player Steffi Graf. AP Photo/Bruno Mosconi. Whether this scandal affected Graf's form is open to debate. Graf's Grand Slam tournament breakthrough came in 1987. 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 then successfully defended the three Grand Slam titles she won the year before. 1 Martina Hingis of Switzerland. She and Margaret Court are the only players, female or male, to win three majors in a calendar year five times (1988, 1989, 1993, 1995 and 1996). Grand Slams) main-draw, Olympic Games and Fed Cup are included in winloss records. 98 in 1983, No. 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. The match was played over two days with Navratilova finally winning after saving three match points 61, 67, 76. (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. 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. Graf, however, won the tournament in San Antonio, Texas, and retained her title in Miami, where she once again defeated Evert in the final. Suffering from food poisoning, she had struggled to beat Monica Seles in their semifinal 63, 36, 63 and said that she had menstrual cramps in the final. Seles won the match on her fifth match point; Graf came within two points of winning the match a few games earlier. Official match time was 34 minutes, which charitably included two minutes of rain delay. Steffi Graf with the Wimbledon trophy in 1989 after defeating Martina Navratilova 6-2, 6-7 (1), 6-1 in the final. Unbeatable. 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. He claimed that he committed the attack to help Graf reclaim the world No. [131][132] In 2015, she was appointed as the brand ambassador of Kerala tourism, for promoting Ayurveda in North America and Europe. A bout of rubella forced Graf to miss the first major event of 1992, the Australian Open. 1 female player and won 22 Grand Slam singles titles. 1, 64, 46, 86 after beating Sabatini in a three-set semifinal. 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. The Washington, D.C. tournament was notable because Graf won the first twenty points of the final against Zina Garrison. [153] She was elected as the German Sportsperson of the Year in 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1999. 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. At the end of the year, the municipality of Brhl, her hometown, gave her the title of honorary citizen. The pair was moderately successful, winning the 1988 Wimbledon Championships together and reaching the finals of the French Open in 1986, 1987 and 1989. 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. "[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. 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. Starting in the early 1990s, she used the slice almost exclusively in baseline rallies and mostly limited the topspin backhand to passing shots. [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. [138][139][140] They have two children, a son born in 2001 and a daughter born in 2003. [17] Graf married former world No. Only results in WTA Tour (incl. Graf won 6-0, 6-0. She had some amazing rivalries with Hall of Fame opponents such as Navratilova, Evert, Sabatini and Seles. She teamed with Ansley Cargill in women's doubles against Anna Kournikova and Likhovtseva but lost 52. American star Chris Evert, meanwhile, failed to take a set off Graf in three matches. thesportslegends. As the defending champion Graf lost in straight sets to Mary Pierce in the French Open semifinal. [122] Graf's racquets were strung at 29 kilograms (64 pounds), significantly above the 50-60 pound range recommended by Wilson. 3. 3, Jana Novotn, before losing in the semifinal to first-seeded Davenport. 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. Her parents are Heidi Schalk and Peter Graf. 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. Her career prize-money earnings totalled US$21,895,277 (a record until Lindsay Davenport surpassed this amount in January 2008). In the final, Evert was completely overwhelmed in the first set, losing 6-1. She also . [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. Four consecutive indoor tournament victories in the autumn helped improve her season, but for the third consecutive year, she failed to win the Virginia Slims Championships, where she lost in the first round to Lori McNeil. She always said: I never look back, I look forward, but she also said: You can't measure success if you have never failed. [154] Her unprecedented Golden Slam saw her receive the 1988 BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year. Graf then won her next three tournaments at Amelia Island, Charleston, and Berlin, culminating in a 62, 63 defeat of Navratilova in the final of the latter. Graf then won all five of her Fed Cup matches, helping Germany defeat Spain in the final by defeating Arantxa Snchez Vicario, 64, 62. Steffi Graf was already world number one, and just shy of 19 years old, when she began the 1988 season. It was 1986, and Graf was 17. [92][93], Graf also occasionally played mixed doubles, although she never won a title. Her overall record in 56 Grand Slam events was 27832 (90 percent) (8410 at the French Open, 747 at Wimbledon, 739 at the US Open, and 476 at the Australian Open). She then beat Snchez Vicario in the finals of both the French Open and Wimbledon. 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. Serena Williams, who will face Kerber in the final, beat Steffi Graf for the title at Indian Wells, Calif., in 1999. Pause, rewind, play: Steffi Graf - only player to win all four Majors and the Olympic gold in a year. In 1986, she formed a partnership with rival Gabriela Sabatini. After missing almost half of the tour in 1998, Graf lost in the third round at Wimbledon and in the fourth round at the US Open. Graf retired at the age of 30 in 1999 while ranked as the world No. Talk Tennis Guru. [37] He went on to add, "I saw what Steffi did to Sabatini at the Australian Open this year, and that was it. 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. [101] She was beaten in two out of three matches, with each match being one set. Stefanie Maria Steffi" Graf 1969614 GOAT Even though she lost the opening set, Graf went on to prevail in three sets. "[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. Venus Williams won her first Games titles 19 years ago, and she hasnt finished yet! Furthermore, Graf's backhand was, in a subtle way, an extremely aggressive shot. At Wimbledon, however, Graf captured her third women's crown, this time at Sabatini's expense. She was unstoppable. Steffi Graf was born in Mannheim, West Germany on June 14, 1969. In 1985 and early 1986, Graf emerged as the top challenger to the dominance of Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. [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. Grand Slam tournament performance timeline. 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. Graf and Navratilova faced each other six times and Graf had the advantage, 4-2. First Grand Slam victory of the year for Graf: 6-1, 7-6. I've always looked up to her and the way she approached the game" : Pete Sampras At Wimbledon, Graf defeated Jana Novotn to win her third consecutive, and fifth overall, ladies' title. 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. Her winning streak (unbeaten since the 1989 French Open loss to Arantxa Snchez) continued with victories in Tokyo, Amelia Island, and Hamburg. [36] Graf also won her only Grand Slam doubles title that yearat Wimbledon partnering Sabatiniand picked up a women's doubles Olympic bronze medal. [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.
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