At Wimbledon, Graf lost in the semifinals to Zina Garrison, who with this victory broke Graf's string of 13 consecutive major finals. In 1988, Graf became the third women's star to win the Golden Slam. [116][13] Graf stated that grass was her favorite surface to play on, while clay was her least favorite. She was absolutely right the term Golden Slam was born at that exact moment. 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. 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. . 1 men's tennis player Andre Agassi in October 2001. Some noted observers, such as Margaret Court, suggested that Graf could achieve the feat a couple more times. She was also inducted to the German Sport Hall of Fame. Steffi Graf was born in Mannheim, West Germany on June 14, 1969. Graf played in her first professional tournament in October 1982 at Filderstadt, Germany. Highly emotional and sensitive, with a . Seles defeated Graf at the Australian Open 46, 63, 62. [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. [155], In 2004, the Berliner Tennis-Arena was renamed Steffi-Graf-Stadion in honor of Graf. Serena Williams, who will face Kerber in the final, beat Steffi Graf for the title at Indian Wells, Calif., in 1999. 29 Jan Tennis Norge . [82] Upon her return Graf defeated world No. He claimed that he committed the attack to help Graf reclaim the world No. She married fellow Olympic champion Agassi in 2001, and the pair have two children together. It is undeniable that Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi had a successful professional relationship. [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. Steffi Graf: Steffi Graf has 22 grand slams to her name, most coming during the late 80s and 90s. She won no titles during the next three years, but her ranking climbed steadily to world No. [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. Graf was the first player other than Navratilova or Evert to hold the top spot since Tracy Austin in 1980.[27]. 1 ranking while she was sidelined. The match was notable for its dramatic ending. In the subsequent Amelia Island final on clay, Graf lost her first match of the year to Sabatini but returned to European clay with easy victories at Hamburg and Berlin. Peter Graf also kept a tight rein on Graf's personal life. Four Grand Slam wins and an Olympic title in the same year a feat that no male or female player had achieved before or has done since. One was 19 and one is pushing 34. [80][81] In 1985 and early 1986, Graf emerged as the top challenger to the dominance of Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. Graf was trailing Martina Navratilova in the final 75, 20 before winning the match 57, 62, 61. 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. [138][139][140] They have two children, a son born in 2001 and a daughter born in 2003. 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. 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. 2 (21-06-10) Titles. Graf later stated it was the best tennis she had ever played in a Grand Slam final. SAN DIEGO The shock was not that top-ranked Steffi Graf won another match, 6-0, 6-0. Her name was Martina Hingis. Soon after, she split with her long-time coach, Pavel Sloil. used to be curious about one player who will make the women's singles Grand Slam finals as the other name was always Steffi Graf. She repeated the feat in 1993, 1995, and 1996. 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. 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. 98 in 1983, No. 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. [77][78] In the French Open Graf was again beaten by Amanda Coetzer in straight sets, 61, 64. Though she lost the game to opponent Tracy Austin by 6-4, 6-0, this did very little to dishearten the young blood. Williams VS Graf MATCHES VS ALL OPPONENTS I had one day to turn around, get home, change and get on the flight to Seoul. [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. [88] Sabatini said of the partnership: "doubles is all about communicating with each other, and we didn't communicate that much. 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. But Vicario took the first set and Graf took the second. Tennis was a demonstration sport during the 1984 Olympic Games. Graf secured the World 124th position in her first year. That doesn't mean it will happen. [70][71] He was eventually released after serving 25 months. 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 . Official match time was 34 minutes, which charitably included two minutes of rain delay. In 1987, Grafs career truly took off: she won her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, beating world no. Once was in Syndey early in the year at a small tournament, and again at Indian Wells, 1999. Selected for European Heroes in 2004 and 2005 by TIME Magazine. In a close French Open final, Graf again overcame Snchez Vicario, taking the third set 108. 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. 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. The world of tennis is still waiting for another player capable of such a feat in the same calendar year! [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. Her gold medal came after victories in the Grand Slam tournaments at Melbourne, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and New York, giving rise to a new term: the Golden Slam. She subsequently withdrew from the Pan Pacific Open and had arthroscopic surgery performed on her left knee. The US Open ended anti-climactically as Navratilova defeated Graf in the final 76, 61. Graf won a majority of her slams using her sharp slice backhand and her incredible forehand. Graf retired in August 1999 while ranked world No. Twice in the third set Snchez Vicario served for the championship but was broken each time by Graf. 1 player. 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]. 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. Graf's Grand Slam tournament winning streak ended at the French Open, where 17-year-old Spaniard Arantxa Snchez Vicario beat Graf in three sets. 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. [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. 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. (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 and Navratilova faced each other six times and Graf had the advantage, 4-2. No. 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. She is better than them all. And Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, arguably the most accomplished sports couple there ever was, had good reason to be on campus that day. And stepping on the plane there was a big group of German athletes on it. . 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. [135][136], From 1992 to 1999, Graf dated racing driver Michael Bartels. 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). A bout of rubella forced Graf to miss the first major event of 1992, the Australian Open. Serena was 17. [39] In the Boca Raton final, Graf lost the only set she conceded to Chris Evert in their final seven matches.[40]. As the defending champion Graf lost in straight sets to Mary Pierce in the French Open semifinal. 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. 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. The USAs Andre Agassi sealed his Career Golden Slam with the gold medal at Atlanta 1996, Spains Rafael Nadal did so at Beijing 2008 and American Serena Williams completed hers at London 2012. A worthy opponent, she is an exceptional and versatile player to have dominated the international women's tennis scene for a long time. Graf is the only person to have won the 'Golden Slam' (1988). Graf began playing tennis with the encouragement of her father, who became her coach. It was 1986, and Graf was 17. Fernandez had two break points to take a 30 and double break lead in the third set. Graf then won all five of her Fed Cup matches, helping Germany defeat Spain in the final by defeating Arantxa Snchez Vicario, 64, 62. 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! [14][13], An exceptionally versatile competitor, Graf remains the only player, male or female, to have won the calendar-year Grand Slam on three surfaces or to have won each Grand Slam at least four times. Fury's brother suggests alternative opponent if Usyk fight does not happen. [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. It was like a death by a thousand cuts for her poor opponents who would be . 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. 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. [25] During that period, she lost six times to Evert and three times to Navratilova, all in straight sets. Torture and boredom, boredom and torture, that's how it is for Steffi Graf. 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. Venus Williams won her first Games titles 19 years ago, and she hasnt finished yet! On this day in 1999, Steffi Graf bid adieu to the sport just weeks after winning the French Open and reaching the Wimbledon final. thesportslegends. Graf did not lose a set the whole tournament. In 1988, there was no bronze medal match, and both beaten semifinalists received bronze medals. That was the last competitive match Graf and Snchez Vicario would ever play against one another. Five months later, the world no. [122][129] Other companies she has endorsed include Barilla, Apollinaris, Citibank, Danone and Teekanne. [94] At the 1999 Wimbledon Championships, Graf formed a much-publicized partnership with John McEnroe, with whom she reached the semifinals before withdrawing due to concerns that her uncertain hamstring, coupled with a bout of bronchitis, would affect her in the singles final. Angelique Kerber recalls memories of Steffi Graf at Wimbledon after becoming first German to win trophy since 1996 . 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 . 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. 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). It was the days when the Williams . Though she did not win any title for the . 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. She had an Adidas sneakers line known as the St. Graf Pro line. Graf, however, won the tournament in San Antonio, Texas, and retained her title in Miami, where she once again defeated Evert in the final. She retired from tennis in 1999. 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? [79] Only one week later, she underwent reconstructive knee surgery in Vienna and subsequently missed the 1997 Wimbledon and US Open championships. Stefanie Maria Steffi" Graf 1969614 GOAT Serena did that only for a few tournaments in her career while Steffi did . 1 ranking for the first time in 22 months. 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. [107] Graf played in the celebrity doubles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles before straining her left calf muscle and being replaced by Anna Kournikova. She is now a naturalized American citizen, and has even been nominated as one of 2022's Great US Immigrants by Carnegie Corporation of New York. [156], Graf was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004 and the German Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.[157][158]. 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. 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. 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. At the first round of the season-ending Chase Championships, Graf defeated world No. She also . Steffi Graf - 22; The former German tennis star is third on the list with 22 grand slam titles victories. [34] She then won tournaments in Hamburg and Mahwah (where she lost only eight games all tournament). [77] 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. Graf reached 13 consecutive singles major finals from the 1987 French Open to the 1990 French Open, winning nine of them. The German, born on 14 June 1969 in Mannheim, was already showing the qualities that would lead to her being world no. 1 Martina Navratilova, and reached two finals, at Wimbledon and the US Open, losing out to Navratilova in both. [83], At the French Open, Graf reached her first Grand Slam final in three years and fought back from a set and twice from a break down in the second set to defeat the top ranked Hingis in three sets for a memorable victory. The shock was who she did it against. 1999 Germany Television Award for her outstanding performance as tennis player and her importance to the German public. Speculation was rife at the beginning of 1989 about the possibility of Graf winning another Grand Slam. Steffi Graf was already world number one, and just shy of 19 years old, when she began the 1988 season. Her winning streak (unbeaten since the 1989 French Open loss to Arantxa Snchez) continued with victories in Tokyo, Amelia Island, and Hamburg. She had just lost a three-set semifinal to No. Graf's 1988 Grand Slam remains the only one in history completed on three surfaces (grass, clay, hard court), as all other Grand Slams in tennis history were achieved prior to the introduction of hard court at the US Open in 1978.[35]. Graf was ranked world No. Her toughest battle came against rising star Martina Hingis in the semifinal, with Hingis unable to convert on five set points. She started the year strongly, with six tournament victories heading into the French Open, with the highlight being at the tournament in Miami, where she defeated Martina Navratilova in a semifinal and Chris Evert in the final and lost only 20 games in the seven rounds of the tournament.
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