Venus Williams won her first Games titles 19 years ago, and she hasnt finished yet! 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. . Tennis Abstract: Steffi Graf Match Results, Splits, and Analysis If Steffi Graf could shut out the world the way she shuts down opponents on the court then, for her, life would be perfect. Steffi Graf's 22 Grand Slam Championship Points - YouTube At the end of the year, the municipality of Brhl, her hometown, gave her the title of honorary citizen. She was also inducted to the German Sport Hall of Fame. 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. For the German painter, see. 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). She was unstoppable. Her father, an aspiring tennis coach, first introduced her to the game, teaching his . It was like a death by a thousand cuts for her poor opponents who would be . . Steffi Graf vs Serena Williams vs Martina Navratilova - reddit 1 German tennis player. It is undeniable that Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi had a successful professional relationship. And so many times she was able to absorb her opponent's biggest blows and . . Unbeatable. And each time the opponent threw a problem her way, she . 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. After Wimbledon, for the first time in my career, I didn't feel like going to a tournament. Her winning streak (unbeaten since the 1989 French Open loss to Arantxa Snchez) continued with victories in Tokyo, Amelia Island, and Hamburg. 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. 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. 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. She won 7 Wimbledon, 6 French Open, 5 US Open and 4 Australian Open . 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. [39] In the Boca Raton final, Graf lost the only set she conceded to Chris Evert in their final seven matches.[40]. Williams VS Graf MATCHES VS ALL OPPONENTS She would later become the world's number one female tennis player. After breaking Novotn's serve, Graf won the next four games to take the match 76, 16, 64. The similarities and differences between Steffi Graf in 1988 and Serena Williams in 2015. 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. Victories at Hamburg and Berlin (beating Snchez Vicario in the finals of both) prepared her for the French Open, where she defeated Snchez Vicario in the semifinals after losing the first set 60. 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]. The German allowed Zvereva just 13 points, three of them in that one early game. 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. 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. [131][132] In 2015, she was appointed as the brand ambassador of Kerala tourism, for promoting Ayurveda in North America and Europe. The loss deprived her of the Golden Super Slam. And stepping on the plane there was a big group of German athletes on it. In August as a 15-year-old (and youngest entrant) representing West Germany, she won the tennis demonstration event at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. [152] She was voted the WTA Player of the Year in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996. Once was in Syndey early in the year at a small tournament, and again at Indian Wells, 1999. [90][91] She played her last Grand Slam doubles tournament at the 1999 Australian Open with Gorrochategui, losing in the second round. 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. Focus only on getting better. Extremely sound advice! Instead of being hailed as the undisputed female GOAT, people will always talk about her mysterious backhand deficiency. SAN DIEGO The shock was not that top-ranked Steffi Graf won another match, 6-0, 6-0. 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? Meet Daughter Of Steffi Graf And Andre Agassi - VergeWiki It actually had several major flaws, especially based on today's understanding of stroke. [98][99] It was Graf and Snchez Vicario's first head-to-head meeting since 1996. As a result, she hit her forehand with exceptional pace and accuracy. [88] Sabatini said of the partnership: "doubles is all about communicating with each other, and we didn't communicate that much. Highly emotional and sensitive, with a . Martina Navratilova included Graf at the top of her list of the greatest players ever. [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. Graf who dated Michael Bartels is the daughter-in-law of Emmanuel Agassi. 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 . 1 in women's singles for a record 377 weeks and won 22 major singles titles,[7] the second-most since the start of the Open Era in 1968 and the third-most of all-time. She would either destroy opponents, clinically and . 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. And on 5 June 1988, the match for the championship against the Soviet Unions Natasha Zvereva lasted a mere 34 minutes, with Zverera mustering only a few points in a 6-0, 6-0 whitewash. Graf did not lose a set during the tournament and lost a total of only 29 games. Both dominated opponents with power and movement. Tennis H2H Venus Williams vs Steffi Graf. [122] Graf's racquets were strung at 29 kilograms (64 pounds), significantly above the 50-60 pound range recommended by Wilson. 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. 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. 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. Williams vs. Graf, and Graf's Disciple - The New York Times (not considered in winloss records). [66] In August Monica Seles made her much anticipated return to tennis at the Canadian Open. [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. Her year continued indifferently with losses in three of her first four tournaments, including a semifinal loss to Jana Novotn in Chicago. Her singles winloss record was 900115 (88.7 percent). Graf said after the final that it would be her last French Open, fueling speculation about her retirement.[84]. to overwhelm her opponents. #3. Steffi Graf - Wikipedia In Indian Wells Graf lost to Serena Williams in three sets. 3, having racked up a total of 107 tournament victories. who often frustrated opponents with variety and consistency. Fearless Alcaraz can show next-gen how to topple Djokovic, say sports More than two years elapsed before Seles competed again. [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. [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. 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. However, in the Federation Cup final in Vancouver, Canada, three weeks later, she defeated Evert easily 62, 61. [63][64], A strained right calf muscle forced Graf to withdraw from the Australian Open. This was not a first-round sacrifice, an opponent drawn at random. 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. She was one of the most fierce Tennis stars of her generation and tasted great success on every court. In an unusual arrangement, she paired with her coaches Pavel Sloil at Wimbledon in 1988 and Heinz Gnthardt in 1992 and 1996, also at Wimbledon. She lost her first round match 64, 60 to Tracy Austin, a two-time US Open champion and former world No. 1999 Germany Television Award for her outstanding performance as tennis player and her importance to the German public. 1 ranking to Martina Hingis and failed to win a Grand Slam title for the first time in ten years in 1997. [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. That doesn't mean it will happen. Voted Germans greatest role model by TV14 magazine, 2004. Finally Graf was given a match but prevailed 6-3, 7-6 where she would meet a surprise opponent in the final. 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. Her birth name is Stefanie Maria Graf and she is currently 51 years old. At the Roland-Garros trophy ceremony, after she . [89][114], Graf also had a powerful backhand drive but over the course of her career tended to use it less frequently, opting more often for an effective backhand slice. 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. 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 . Online", "GOAT Vote: Steffi or Serena? The US Open was Monica Seles's first Grand Slam event since the 1993 attack, with much anticipation again around a potential Seles-Graf final. [141] Agassi has said that he and Graf are not pushing their children toward becoming tennis players. This including playing basketball and working with specialists in nutrition, physical and mental strength. She had some amazing rivalries with Hall of Fame opponents such as Navratilova, Evert, Sabatini and Seles. However, seeing the current situation, Graff also feels frightened. Though she lost the game to opponent Tracy Austin by 6-4, 6-0, this did very little to dishearten the young blood. [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. ", "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! steffi graf opponents Graf, however, won the tournament in San Antonio, Texas, and retained her title in Miami, where she once again defeated Evert in the final. 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". Stefanie Maria Steffi" Graf 1969614 GOAT According to her coaches Pavel Sloil and Heinz Gnthardt, Graf's superior sense of timing was the key behind the success of her forehand. In the French Open final, Graf defeated Navratilova, who was 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. Sabatini served for the match twice, and was two points away from her first Wimbledon title. Voted The best female role model in sports in a survey by Barclays, sponsors of the Premier League, 2010. Graf did not lose a set the whole tournament. Where Are They Now: Steffi Graf - Sports Illustrated Is it possible to have any other year Steffi Graf: yep, it would be like Monica's or Serena's type of dominance. The pair was moderately successful, winning the 1988 Wimbledon Championships together and reaching the finals of the French Open in 1986, 1987 and 1989. Steffi Graf's 1988 Golden Slam - an unprecedented achievement [82] Upon her return Graf defeated world No. (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. In the final, Evert was completely overwhelmed in the first set, losing 6-1. She then won her eighth German Open, but there were signs that her form was worsening as she almost lost to Julie Halard in a quarterfinal. 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. 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. Less than three weeks after beating her in New York, Graf inflicted yet another defeat on the Argentinean, giving her no chance with an imposing 6-3, 6-3 victory. Serena Williams, who will face Kerber in the final, beat Steffi Graf for the title at Indian Wells, Calif., in 1999. The 50 Greatest Players of the Open Era (W): No. 2, Steffi Graf She always said: I never look back, I look forward, but she also said: You can't measure success if you have never failed. 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. Margaret Court, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams. 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. Feb 24, 2023. 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. [142] The Graf-Agassi family resides in Summerlin, a community in the Las Vegas Valley. At the Olympic Games in Barcelona, Graf lost to Jennifer Capriati in the final and claimed the silver medal. "[87], From the beginning of her career until 1990, Graf regularly played doubles matches in Grand Slams and other tournaments, winning a total of 11 doubles titles. . 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. 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. Shortly after the US Open, she underwent surgery to remove a bone spur in her right wrist. Queens of the Court: Steffi Graf - Bleacher Report Graf is the only person to have won the 'Golden Slam' (1988). ", "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! Steffi Graf was born as Stefanie Maria Graf to Peter and Heidi Graf in Mannheim, Germany. 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! . 1 female player and won 22 Grand Slam singles titles. In a close French Open final, Graf again overcame Snchez Vicario, taking the third set 108. AP Photo/Bruno Mosconi. Novak Djokovic has arrived in Japan for the Tokyo Olympics 2020, and he is looking as confident as ever. [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 an interview with Stern magazine in July 1990, Graf stated, "I could not fight as usual."[46]. Steffi Graf was already world number one, and just shy of 19 years old, when she began the 1988 season. 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. Sport - Tennis: Novak Djokovic equals Steffi Graf's record for most weeks as world number one: Novak Djokovic equals Steffi Graf's record for most weeks as world. [105] It was the first time in 14 years Graf had played Navratilova. 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. The match was the Wimbledon women's singles semi-final between Ms Graf and Kimiko Date. 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". [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. "[15] 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. " ( . Grand Slams) main-draw, Olympic Games and Fed Cup are included in winloss records. Graf then lost a closely contested final to Monica Seles, 26, 63, 810. The Washington, D.C. tournament was notable because Graf won the first twenty points of the final against Zina Garrison. 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. Is it possible to have another Steffi Graf? | Talk Tennis 49 . Steffi Graf Loves Just Being Normal - MSN 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. She basically became a backhand slice guru ,,, This became only single taint in Graf's tennis career. [109], Note: [36] Graf also won her only Grand Slam doubles title that yearat Wimbledon partnering Sabatiniand picked up a women's doubles Olympic bronze medal. [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. 6 in 1985. 124. 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. Steffi Graf Bio, Affair, Married, Husband, Net Worth, Ethnicity 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 | Biography, Titles, & Facts | Britannica 22 in 1984, and No. 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. The German, born on 14 June 1969 in Mannheim, was already showing the qualities that would lead to her being world no. She won her first French Open title since 1988 with a three-set victory over Mary Joe Fernndez in the final. After losing a fifth straight time to Sabatini in Amelia Island, Florida, Graf again defeated Seles in the Hamburg final. She lost a lengthy one-set singles match to Clijsters and also the mixed doubles.[106]. This is a list of the main career statistics of professional tennis player Steffi Graf. Steffi Graf vs Serena Williams vs Martina Navratilova - Who is the Greatest Female tennis player of all time? City of Love: Graf and Agassi first linked by 1999 French Open [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. 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. Steffi Graf: Top five biggest wins of the tennis legend's career - Khel Now 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. . Why have we forgotten about Steffi Graf? In retrospect, isn't she the Graf lost her singles match to Elena Likhovtseva 54. [155], In 2004, the Berliner Tennis-Arena was renamed Steffi-Graf-Stadion in honor of Graf. No medals were awarded as this was not an official Olympic event.[23]. Graf ended 1989 with an 862 match record and the loss of only 12 sets. 1 ranking for the first time in her career, a ranking she would hold for the next 186 consecutive weeks, a record (it was tied by Serena Williams in 2016). [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. International Olympic Committee. Eighteen-time Grand Slam champion and former rival Chris Evert opined, "Steffi Graf is the best all-around player. 33 years ago, Steffi Graf made this unique record which remains David Douillet writes judo history in Sydney in 2000. 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). She also . 2 Hingis and world No. Steffi Graf was born in Mannheim, West Germany on June 14, 1969. 2021 International Olympic Committee. As true as that forehand was, the mask was no less a lie. Answer (1 of 4): It isn't hard to replicate Steffi Graf's forehand, it's just not optimal. Steffi Graf - The German Way & More She had just lost a three-set semifinal to No. 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. 1988 French Open. She was named the 1988 BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year. Head To Head | Steffi Graf vs Serena Williams H2H Social invitations on the tour were often declined as Graf's focus was kept on practicing and match play.

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