3, having racked up a total of 107 tournament victories. And so many times she was able to absorb her opponent's biggest blows and . On 17 August, after defeating Evert in a straight set final in the Virginia Slims of Los Angeles, Graf overtook Navratilova for the world No. She would either destroy opponents, clinically and . Stefanie Maria "Steffi" Graf; 14. 1969, , ) . Following her tournament victory in German Open in Berlin, Graf suffered one of the worst defeats of her career in a French Open semifinal where she won only two games against Snchez Vicario and lost her first 60 set since 1984. Her father was arrested in August and was sentenced to 45 months in jail. 3, Jana Novotn, before losing in the semifinal to first-seeded Davenport. She had some amazing rivalries with Hall of Fame opponents such as Navratilova, Evert, Sabatini and Seles. [50][51], During Seles's absence, Graf won 65 of 67 matches,[52] three of four Grand Slam events and the year-end Virginia Slims championships. She subsequently withdrew from the Pan Pacific Open and had arthroscopic surgery performed on her left knee. However, Graf admitted in 1995 that she would have preferred having a two-handed backhand in retrospect. Performance timelines. [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. Home; Q & A; Blog; Contact; Taramati Baradari Resort, Weather Biarritz October, Central Gwinnett High School, Facts About Victoria, Australia, Quick Funeral Home Obituaries . Monica Seles was an opponent in six major finals and the duo spilt at 3-3. It would also be the last loss Graf would ever have to Novotna in a match she completed (she did have a loss after withdrawing with injury after the first set of a late 1996 match). Graf played in her first professional tournament in October 1982 at Filderstadt, Germany. Graf lost twice to Sabatini during the spring, once on hardcourts in Boca Raton, Florida, and once on clay at Amelia Island, Florida. Although Sabatini got the best of Graf in the semifinals of the season-ending Virginia Slims Championships, Graf still finished the year as the top-ranked player. [63][64], A strained right calf muscle forced Graf to withdraw from the Australian Open. AP Photo/Bruno Mosconi. All Rights Reserved. 1 German tennis player. 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. She lost her first round match 64, 60 to Tracy Austin, a two-time US Open champion and former world No. Stefanie ("Steffi") Graf | Former German Tennis Pro and Champion. 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. 3. This was a major upset as Garrison had to save a match point to defeat Monica Seles in the quarterfinal, and was expected to easily fall to Graf, whom she had not beaten in four years. It was like a death by a thousand cuts for her poor opponents who would be . Date biografice. She soon began taking the top prize at junior tournaments with regularity, going on to win the European Championships 12s and 18s in 1982. [144], In 1991, the Steffi Graf Youth Tennis Center in Leipzig was dedicated to her. Her career prize-money earnings totalled US$21,895,277 (a record until Lindsay Davenport surpassed this amount in January 2008). The loss deprived her of the Golden Super Slam. 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. [62] Although Graf ended the year ranked No. During a quarterfinal match between Seles and Magdalena Maleeva in Hamburg, Seles was stabbed between the shoulder blades by a mentally ill German fan of Graf, Gnter Parche. Eighteen-time Grand Slam champion and former rival Chris Evert opined, "Steffi Graf is the best all-around player. [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. Novak Djokovic has arrived in Japan for the Tokyo Olympics 2020, and he is looking as confident as ever. Torture and boredom, boredom and torture, that's how it is for Steffi Graf. It was 1986, and Graf was 17. 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. She returned to win a small tournament at Mahwah just before the US Open where, in one of the most anticipated matches of the year, she encountered Navratilova in a semifinal. This was not a first-round sacrifice, an opponent drawn at random. 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. . 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 [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. Graf who dated Michael Bartels is the daughter-in-law of Emmanuel Agassi. Graf won 6-0, 6-0. 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. Graf secured the World 124th position in her first year. Graf then reached her ninth Wimbledon singles final, losing to third-seeded Davenport in straight sets. [123] In 2006, she signed an endorsement deal with Head. Even discounting that result, no other player had played and won 27 Grand Slam matches in a single year before. The weeks following Wimbledon [in 1999] weren't easy for me. In addition to being great as players, they were also great as husband and wife. 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". [22] She began practising on a court at the age of four and played in her first tournament at five. On 1 October 1988, in winning the final at the Olympic Games in Seoul, German tennis player Steffi Graf achieved what no one else had done before or has done since. 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. But from 1990 onward, Graf hit fewer & fewer of those beautiful backhand drive/topspins for some reason. LEAVE A . 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 . 49 . But Vicario took the first set and Graf took the second. This is a list of the main career statistics of professional tennis player Steffi Graf. The facts: American Amy Frazier was Graf's final opponent. Since Graf skipped the Italian Open, she did not take part in the vote. It actually had several major flaws, especially based on today's understanding of stroke. She retired from tennis in 1999. [98][99] It was Graf and Snchez Vicario's first head-to-head meeting since 1996. 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. Only three other players have won the four majors plus the Olympic Games title, and never in the same calendar year. The similarities and differences between Steffi Graf in 1988 and Serena Williams in 2015. She also . It is undeniable that Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi had a successful professional relationship. [34] She then won tournaments in Hamburg and Mahwah (where she lost only eight games all tournament). She would either destroy opponents, clinically and . In 1987, Grafs career truly took off: she won her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, beating world no. Nominated and voted the title Mother of the nation in her country, Germany, 2010. [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. She then lost to Sabatini in her next three tournaments before winning the U.S. Hardcourt Championships in San Antonio, beating Monica Seles in the final. And Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, arguably the most accomplished sports couple there ever was, had good reason to be on campus that day. Graf won four indoor tournaments after the US Open, including a pair of straight-set wins over Sabatini in the finals of Zrich and Worcester. [82] Upon her return Graf defeated world No. United States . 1 Lindsay Davenport en route to the Philadelphia title. Natasha Zvereva, the 13th seed had shocked Martina Navratilova with a straight sets fourth round . Speculation was rife at the beginning of 1989 about the possibility of Graf winning another Grand Slam. In 2015, Graf was the recipient of the International Club's Jean Borotra Sportsmanship Award. 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. Meanwhile, her naturally aggressive style of play, effective backhand slice and speed around the court made her even more dominant on fast surfaces such as hard courts, grass and carpet. Selected for European Heroes in 2004 and 2005 by TIME Magazine. [141] Agassi has said that he and Graf are not pushing their children toward becoming tennis players. [44] Graf briefly regained the top ranking after winning at Wimbledon but lost it again after her loss to Navratilova at the US Open. . Graf then won in Leipzig, with her 500th career victory coming in a quarterfinal against Judith Wiesner. [131][132] In 2015, she was appointed as the brand ambassador of Kerala tourism, for promoting Ayurveda in North America and Europe. Online", "GOAT Vote: Steffi or Serena? Voted Most admirable German woman by Amica magazine, 2005. [143] Graf's mother and her brother also live there. 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. [75] Graf then had a straight-sets win against Snchez Vicario in the Wimbledon final. . 1 Martina Navratilova, and reached two finals, at Wimbledon and the US Open, losing out to Navratilova in both. [90][91] She played her last Grand Slam doubles tournament at the 1999 Australian Open with Gorrochategui, losing in the second round. Fernandez had two break points to take a 30 and double break lead in the third set. [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. [66] In August Monica Seles made her much anticipated return to tennis at the Canadian Open. [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. The world of tennis is still waiting for another player capable of such a feat in the same calendar year! [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. 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. In the late eighties and nineties Graf dominated. who often frustrated opponents with variety and consistency. Starting in the early 1990s, she used the slice almost exclusively in baseline rallies and mostly limited the topspin backhand to passing shots. 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. [36] Graf also won her only Grand Slam doubles title that yearat Wimbledon partnering Sabatiniand picked up a women's doubles Olympic bronze medal. That was the last competitive match Graf and Snchez Vicario would ever play against one another. (not considered in winloss records). Graf warmed up for the US Open with easy tournament victories in San Diego and Mahwah. 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 played Jelena Dokic in Christchurch, New Zealand, Amanda Coetzer in Durban, South Africa, and her former rival Arantxa Snchez Vicario in Zaragoza, Spain. Martina revolutionized women's tennis with her hardcore workout regimen to become more fit and stronger than her opponents. 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. Seles established herself as the new dominant player on the women's tour, winning the Australian Open, French Open, and US Open and, in March, ending Graf's record 186 consecutive-weeks hold on the World No. [28][29][30][31] The official time of the match given on the scoresheet was 34 minutes; however, just 32 minutes of that was spent on the court, as a rain break split the match into two periods of play, of nine and 23 minutes. The match was played over two days with Navratilova finally winning after saving three match points 61, 67, 76. 1 Ranking", "Graf wastes no time reaching another final", "Roland-Garros - the 2021 Roland-Garros Tournament official site", "The 1988 French Open: how Agassi arrived, Graf ruled and Wilander won", "TENNIS; Graf Shuts Out Zvereva to Gain French Open Title", "Wimbledon; An Era Ends as Graf Beats Navratilova", "Forget Calendar Slam, "Surface Slam" Almost as Rare", "THE SEOUL GAMES: Women's Tennis: Graf Turns Her Slam Into a Golden One", "SURPRISE! Furthermore, Graf's backhand was, in a subtle way, an extremely aggressive shot. [77][78] In the French Open Graf was again beaten by Amanda Coetzer in straight sets, 61, 64. 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. [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. 49 . [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. Grand Slams) main-draw, Olympic Games and Fed Cup are included in winloss records. 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. 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. I have complied some stats . [73] Graf came back to the tour in March, winning back to back titles in Indian Wells and Miami, followed by a record ninth title at the German Open in May and a quarterfinal defeat in Rome against Martina Hingis. 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. Retiring from the sport in 1999, Graf's career remains one of the most looked upon in tennis history. Graf started 1988 by winning the Australian Open, defeating Chris Evert in the final 61, 76. Vicario was the no 2 seed while Graf was ranked no 1. This including playing basketball and working with specialists in nutrition, physical and mental strength. Began playing Tennis: 1973 Turned Professional: 18.10.1982. She ended the 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995, and 1996 tennis seasons as the worlds top-ranked player. This is a list of the main career statistics of professional tennis player Steffi Graf. It was decided to grant her a joint number-one ranking with Graf who took her first loss of the year in the first round to Amanda Coetzer. Graf's technique on the forehand was unique and instantly recognizable: generating considerable racquet head speed with her swing, she reached the point of contact late and typically out of the air. Her father, an aspiring tennis coach, first introduced her to the game, teaching his . n civa ani ajunge . Official match time was 34 minutes, which charitably included two minutes of rain delay. As usual, the defining shot of the day was the one that earned Steffi her nickname, Frulein Forehand. 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]. [152] She was voted the WTA Player of the Year in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996. . She and Agassi, her husband, were on Team Elton John, which competed against Team Billie Jean King. In the womens tournament, Williams could repeat the achievement if she competes in what will be her fifth Olympic Games. She reached a total of 31 singles major finals. After breaking Sabatini's serve to even the third set at 66, Graf defeated Sabatini by winning the next two games to take the match 64, 36, 86. Whether this scandal affected Graf's form is open to debate. A commemorative plaque outside the venue in Seoul bears testament to the event: Historic Place for Golden Slam. . By August 1999, Graf had already announced twice that it was going to be her final year on the tour. Only results in WTA Tour (incl. He claimed that he committed the attack to help Graf reclaim the world No. Steffi Graf on how social media impacts the mental health of children. She was also inducted to the German Sport Hall of Fame. 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. She then beat Snchez Vicario in the finals of both the French Open and Wimbledon. She is the only singles player (male or female) to have achieved a Grand Slam across three surfaces (grass, clay, and hard courts). [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. Steffi Graf, a Tennis champ is married to husband Andre Agassi with two children. [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. [154] Her unprecedented Golden Slam saw her receive the 1988 BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year. Having won the first three Majors of the year, Djokovic is three-fifths of the way to a . 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. 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). 667 (25-02-23) Best Rank. She was named the 1988 BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year. After several months injury lay off, Graf returned to play in the German Open in Berlin in front of a home crowd and had the worst defeat of her career in the quarterfinal, when Amanda Coetzer beat her in just 56 minutes 60, 61. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for a record 377 total weeks. Graf ended 1989 with an 862 match record and the loss of only 12 sets. Steffi Graf went on to win Wimbledon in 1996, beating Arantxa . [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. [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. Graf's Grand Slam tournament breakthrough came in 1987. ", "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! [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. The match was notable for its dramatic ending. The shock was who she did it against. 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! 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]. In July, a left knee injury forced Graf to withdraw from the Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Graf is the first German to win the Spain's 'Prince of Asturias' award. Her winning streak (unbeaten since the 1989 French Open loss to Arantxa Snchez) continued with victories in Tokyo, Amelia Island, and Hamburg. Her 0.977 winning percentage is the second-highest in the open era behind Navratilova.[44]. [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. A worthy opponent, she is an exceptional and versatile player to have dominated the international women's tennis scene for a long time. 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. 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? [103] Graf completely ruled out a return to professional tennis. [151], Graf was voted the ITF World Champion in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995 and 1996. 1, 64, 46, 86 after beating Sabatini in a three-set semifinal. Though she did not win any title for the . Zvereva endured a magical run at Roland Garros that year, but things unraveled in the final when she came up against a Steffi Graf that was in destructive mode. Seles won the match on her fifth match point; Graf came within two points of winning the match a few games earlier. SANCHEZ BEATS GRAF 17-YEAR-OLD WINS TITLE", "TENNIS - Sanchez Surprises Graf to Win the French Open", "Graf and Navratilova March to a Showdown", "WTA | Players | Head to Head | Steffi Graf", "TENNIS - Seles Struggles With Injury and W.T.A. 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. 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. Graf again lost to Monica Seles in the final of the French Open 67, 46. 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 .