No. In 1987, Grafs career truly took off: she won her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, beating world no. [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. She basically became a backhand slice guru ,,, This became only single taint in Graf's tennis career. It was like a death by a thousand cuts for her poor opponents who would be . Twice in the third set Snchez Vicario served for the championship but was broken each time by Graf. [100] In September 2004, Graf dispatched her former doubles partner Gabriela Sabatini, in straight sets, in an exhibition match played in Berlin, Germany. Titles. LEAVE A . Her birth name is Stefanie Maria Graf and she is currently 51 years old. Graf lost to Conchita Martnez in her comeback tournament a month later in Philadelphia. One was 19 and one is pushing 34. Voted Germany's Sportswoman of the Century in 1999 by the German press. 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. The similarities and differences between Steffi Graf in 1988 and Serena Williams in 2015. Graf is the first German to win the Spain's 'Prince of Asturias' award. 2021 International Olympic Committee. Graf retired at the age of 30 in 1999 while ranked as the world No. 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. On this day in 1999, Steffi Graf bid adieu to the sport just weeks after winning the French Open and reaching the Wimbledon final. 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. [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. She was absolutely right the term Golden Slam was born at that exact moment. In July, a left knee injury forced Graf to withdraw from the Summer Olympics in Atlanta. In the final, Evert was completely overwhelmed in the first set, losing 6-1. Eighteen-time Grand Slam champion and former rival Chris Evert opined, "Steffi Graf is the best all-around player. She also . . At the first round of the season-ending Chase Championships, Graf defeated world No. Began playing Tennis: 1973 Turned Professional: 18.10.1982. WATCH THIS STORY: When Roger Federer toyed his opponent so bad, he asked for advice from Andre Agassi in the crowd Wimbledon championships. The assailant, a fan of German . Serena uses her hard and powerful groundstrokes to bully her opponents and uses her serve, like Federer, to set up the point before finishing it off . They have two children. Steffi Graf on how social media impacts the mental health of children. 124. Steffi Graf, byname of Stephanie Maria Graf, (born June 14, 1969, Brhl, West Germany [now in Germany]), German tennis player who dominated women's tennis in the late 1980s and '90s, winning 22 Grand Slam singles titles. She was successful, however, in the mixed doubles match. Her name was Martina Hingis. 1 ranking. . [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. 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. At the Roland-Garros trophy ceremony, after she . 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). 1 Lindsay Davenport en route to the Philadelphia title. Just over 30 years old, Graf retired . Graf retired in August 1999 while ranked world No. She then successfully defended her title at the US Open, defeating Monica Seles in the final. She reached a total of 31 singles major finals. 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. She ended the 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995, and 1996 tennis seasons as the worlds top-ranked player. At the French Open, Graf successfully defended her title by defeating Natasha Zvereva 60, 60 in a 34-minute final. n 1973 Steffi avea 3 ani cnd a luat prima oar n Brhl (Baden) o rachet de tenis n mn. She has emerged as one of the strongest tennis players of all time. 1, 64, 46, 86 after beating Sabatini in a three-set semifinal. 1 female player and won 22 Grand Slam singles titles. Graf reached 13 consecutive singles major finals from the 1987 French Open to the 1990 French Open, winning nine of them. 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. In an interview with Stern magazine in July 1990, Graf stated, "I could not fight as usual."[46]. 1 German tennis player. 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. Proceeds from her match against Sabatini went to Graf's foundation, "Children for Tomorrow".[102]. [33] Zvereva, who had eliminated Martina Navratilova in the fourth round, won only thirteen points in the match.[33]. [25] During that period, she lost six times to Evert and three times to Navratilova, all in straight sets. Djokovic is now into his 378th week as the world number one, surpassing Steffi Graf's record for the most weeks at the top of the sport, a feat that prompted some of his young rivals to express . Graf then lost a closely contested final to Monica Seles, 26, 63, 810. 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. If Steffi Graf could shut out the world the way she shuts down opponents on the court then, for her, life would be perfect. After breaking Novotn's serve, Graf won the next four games to take the match 76, 16, 64. There really hasn't been anyone like her since. AP Photo/Bruno Mosconi. 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]. 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. 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. The assailant, a fan of German tennis star Steffi Graf, Top women's tennis player Monica Seles is stabbed by a deranged German man during a match in Hamburg. "[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. [79] Only one week later, she underwent reconstructive knee surgery in Vienna and subsequently missed the 1997 Wimbledon and US Open championships. 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 Martina Navratilova, and reached two finals, at Wimbledon and the US Open, losing out to Navratilova in both. Williams VS Graf MATCHES VS ALL OPPONENTS 49 . When she was nine years old, her family moved to the neighboring town of Brhl. Even discounting that result, no other player had played and won 27 Grand Slam matches in a single year before. He claimed that he committed the attack to help Graf reclaim the world No. 3, having racked up a total of 107 tournament victories. 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. Steffi Graf and Serena Williams are two of the greatest women's tennis players ever. Fury's brother suggests alternative opponent if Usyk fight does not happen. Seemingly free of injury for the first time in years, Graf began the year by winning the Australian Open, where she defeated Arantxa Snchez Vicario in the final with the loss of only two games. She and Agassi, her husband, were on Team Elton John, which competed against Team Billie Jean King. She claimed a prestigious and symbolic victory in the final against Yugoslavias Sabrina Gole on the courts at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), winning 6-1, 3-6, 6-4. [69] In her defense, she stated that her father Peter was her financial manager, and all financial matters relating to her earnings at the time had been under his control. Notable features of Graf's game were her versatility across all playing surfaces, footwork and powerful forehand drive. Kerber's opponent will be the defending champion, . . 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. 1 player. 1988 French Open. Graf then reached her ninth Wimbledon singles final, losing to third-seeded Davenport in straight sets. Associations of International Sport Federations, Organising Committees for the Olympic Games. ", "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! 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 had just lost a three-set semifinal to No. [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. 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. [34] She then won tournaments in Hamburg and Mahwah (where she lost only eight games all tournament). Graf began playing tennis with the encouragement of her father, who became her coach. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for a record 377 total weeks. Performance timelines. Graf, Kerber's idol . 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). 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". She would either destroy opponents, clinically and . [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. 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). But the world of tennis is still waiting for another player capable of securing a Golden Slam in one year. Nominated and voted the title Mother of the nation in her country, Germany, 2010. [113] She often positioned herself in her backhand corner and although this left her forehand wide open and vulnerable to attack, her court speed meant that only the most accurate shots wide to her forehand caused any trouble. The German, born on 14 June 1969 in Mannheim, was already showing the qualities that would lead to her being world no. And stepping on the plane there was a big group of German athletes on it. [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. At the Olympic Games in Barcelona, Graf lost to Jennifer Capriati in the final and claimed the silver medal. The match was notable for its dramatic ending. 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. 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. Seles defeated Graf at the Australian Open 46, 63, 62. She lost the world No. 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. Graf and Navratilova faced each other six times and Graf had the advantage, 4-2. In her semifinal match at the US Open, Graf defeated Sabatini 36, 64, 62. At Wimbledon, Graf lost in the semifinals to Zina Garrison, who with this victory broke Graf's string of 13 consecutive major finals. 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. Graf had complained of an issue with her left knee but showed little trouble outplaying her opponent. This is a list of the main career statistics of professional tennis player Steffi Graf. [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. Graf's schedule was closely controlled by her father, who limited her play so that she would not burn out. United States . 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. Instead of being hailed as the undisputed female GOAT, people will always talk about her mysterious backhand deficiency. The following day, Andre Agassi won the mens singles tournament, coming back from two sets down to beat Russias Andrei Medvedev, and he and Graf later started dating. Steffi Graf - 22; The former German tennis star is third on the list with 22 grand slam titles victories. She teamed with Ansley Cargill in women's doubles against Anna Kournikova and Likhovtseva but lost 52. . Social invitations on the tour were often declined as Graf's focus was kept on practicing and match play. She is the only singles player (male or female) to have achieved a Grand Slam across three surfaces (grass, clay, and hard courts). 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. In October, Graf defeated Sabatini in an exhibition match in Mannheim, Germany, winning both of their sets. The treatment was for a fracture of the cartilage as well as a shortening and partial rupture of the patellar tendon of her left knee. A worthy opponent, she is an exceptional and versatile player to have dominated the international women's tennis scene for a long time. [74] Graf had led 41 in the second set tiebreak, only to lose six points in a row and force a decider. [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. . [141] Agassi has said that he and Graf are not pushing their children toward becoming tennis players. She would later become the world's number one female tennis player. [10] Graf's athletic ability and aggressive game played from the baseline have been credited with developing the modern style of play that has come to dominate today's game. [65] She came back in February, winning four consecutive tournaments in Paris, Delray Beach, Miami and Houston. Natasha Zvereva, the 13th seed had shocked Martina Navratilova with a straight sets fourth round . 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. 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. Her year continued indifferently with losses in three of her first four tournaments, including a semifinal loss to Jana Novotn in Chicago. 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. This including playing basketball and working with specialists in nutrition, physical and mental strength. . 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 . Margaret Court, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams. Ideea de a ncerca jocul de tenis aparine tatlui ei, Peter Graf, care era agent la o asociaie de asigurri i vnztor de automobile pn la vrsta de 27 de ani cnd descoper posibilitile sale n domeniul sportului de tenis. Graf won 6-0, 6-0. From 1991 until the end of her career, Graf would only play doubles sporadically, forming short-term partnerships with a variety of players, including Lori McNeil, Anke Huber and her best friends on the tour, Rennae Stubbs, Patricia Tarabini and Ines Gorrochategui. In addition to being great as players, they were also great as husband and wife. 2 (21-06-10) Titles. After Wimbledon, for the first time in my career, I didn't feel like going to a tournament. Though she did not win any title for the . 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. . Next came Wimbledon, where Martina Navratilova had won six straight titles. In 1996, Steffi Graf was famously proposed to by a fan as she was getting ready to serve. She has a younger brother, Michael. Steffi Graf and Serena Williams played just twice. 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? It was Graf's final Grand Slam singles title as she retired later that year. [98][99] It was Graf and Snchez Vicario's first head-to-head meeting since 1996. The German allowed Zvereva just 13 points, three of them in that one early game. [54] She then won her next four tournaments in Tokyo, Indian Wells, Delray Beach and Miami respectively. (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. [142] The Graf-Agassi family resides in Summerlin, a community in the Las Vegas Valley. 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. Home; Q & A; Blog; Contact; Taramati Baradari Resort, Weather Biarritz October, Central Gwinnett High School, Facts About Victoria, Australia, Quick Funeral Home Obituaries . 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! 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 world of tennis is still waiting for another player capable of such a feat in the same calendar year! [36] Graf also won her only Grand Slam doubles title that yearat Wimbledon partnering Sabatiniand picked up a women's doubles Olympic bronze medal. Steffi Graf with the Wimbledon trophy in 1989 after defeating Martina Navratilova 6-2, 6-7 (1), 6-1 in the final. [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. Stefanie Maria "Steffi" Graf (German pronunciation: [tf gaf]; born 14 Juin 1969) is a umwhile Warld No. Despite their differences, their careers, on and off the court . It was the longest French Open women's singles final in history, both in terms of time (3 hours and 3 minutes) and number of games played (40). The facts: American Amy Frazier was Graf's final opponent. Graf later stated it was the best tennis she had ever played in a Grand Slam final. By August 1999, Graf had already announced twice that it was going to be her final year on the tour. 22 in 1984, and No. . 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. [47] She would work with him for the remainder of her career. Then on 11 September in New York, Graf became the first woman to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in the same year since Australias Margaret Smith-Court in 1970. 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 Torture and boredom, boredom and torture, that's how it is for Steffi Graf. At Wimbledon, however, Graf captured her third women's crown, this time at Sabatini's expense. #3. 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). Her parents are Heidi Schalk and Peter Graf. In 2008 Graf lost an exhibition match against Kimiko Date at Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo. The shock was who she did it against. 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. In their five previous head-to-head matches, Graf had defeated Martnez each time. 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. Speculation was rife at the beginning of 1989 about the possibility of Graf winning another Grand Slam. 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. All right, yes, there is the winning and, with it, the money, but they come too easily and bring only temporary relief. [105] It was the first time in 14 years Graf had played Navratilova. 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. Highly emotional and sensitive, with a . Steffi Graf, a Tennis champ is married to husband Andre Agassi with two children. 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. [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. [124][125][126] In 2010, Graf and Agassi collaborated with Head and developed the new line of Star Series tennis racquets. Venus Williams. 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. Defending champion Steffi Graf was seeded first again at the French Open and swiftly went about beating her opponents, dropping only 11 games until the semi-finals.. Up against fourth-seeded Argentine Gabriela Sabatini in the last four, Steffi Graf faced her first real test, but overcame it with ease, winning 6-3, 7-6 to go through to the final. Whether this scandal affected Graf's form is open to debate. TMF. 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. At the end of the year, the municipality of Brhl, her hometown, gave her the title of honorary citizen. 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.