Steffi Graf's 1988 Golden Slam - an unprecedented achievement [37] He went on to add, "I saw what Steffi did to Sabatini at the Australian Open this year, and that was it. And the year began as expected, with Graf extending her Grand Slam tournament winning streak to five events at the Australian Open, defeating Helena Sukov in the final. 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. Grand Slams) main-draw, Olympic Games and Fed Cup are included in winloss records. And Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, arguably the most accomplished sports couple there ever was, had good reason to be on campus that day. As usual, the defining shot of the day was the one that earned Steffi her nickname, Frulein Forehand. [75] Graf then had a straight-sets win against Snchez Vicario in the Wimbledon final. Her toughest battle came against rising star Martina Hingis in the semifinal, with Hingis unable to convert on five set points. In the third and deciding set, Novotn had a point to go up 51 on her serve. The experience of 88 in Seoul probably stands out, just coming from the US Open where I won the Grand Slam. Graf then reached her ninth Wimbledon singles final, losing to third-seeded Davenport in straight sets. Though she lost the game to opponent Tracy Austin by 6-4, 6-0, this did very little to dishearten the young blood. [155], In 2004, the Berliner Tennis-Arena was renamed Steffi-Graf-Stadion in honor of Graf. [124][125][126] In 2010, Graf and Agassi collaborated with Head and developed the new line of Star Series tennis racquets. Her overall record in 56 Grand Slam events was 27832 (90 percent) (8410 at the French Open, 747 at Wimbledon, 739 at the US Open, and 476 at the Australian Open). [153] She was elected as the German Sportsperson of the Year in 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1999. Notable features of Graf's game were her versatility across all playing surfaces, footwork and powerful forehand drive. 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. Steffi Graf - Husband Andre, Son, Daughter, Children, Net Worth I was not having fun anymore. 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. Their bond was unbreakable, and as Steffi became a force in tennis, Peter was right beside hercontrolling her life and business off the court while she controlled the rhythms on it. 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). 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]. As a result, she hit her forehand with exceptional pace and accuracy. Graf retired at the age of 30 in 1999 while ranked as the world No. Comparing The Grand Years Of Steffi Graf And Serena Williams 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. steffi graf opponents. 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. Feb 24, 2023. In 1986, she formed a partnership with rival Gabriela Sabatini. 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. 1 Martina Hingis of Switzerland. [100] In September 2004, Graf dispatched her former doubles partner Gabriela Sabatini, in straight sets, in an exhibition match played in Berlin, Germany. She had just lost a three-set semifinal to No. 1 German tennis player. By August 1999, Graf had already announced twice that it was going to be her final year on the tour. Graf was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004. 1999 Germany Television Award for her outstanding performance as tennis player and her importance to the German public. 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. Steffi Graf with the Wimbledon trophy in 1989 after defeating Martina Navratilova 6-2, 6-7 (1), 6-1 in the final. 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. 'How much money do you have?' - Steffi Graf had perfect response to 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. [80][81] She then successfully defended the three Grand Slam titles she won the year before. Before Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi became the power tennis couple off court, the two were connected by a remarkable weekend 20 years ago at Roland Garros. Graf was the first player other than Navratilova or Evert to hold the top spot since Tracy Austin in 1980.[27]. 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]. 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. 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. [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. 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. As true as that forehand was, the mask was no less a lie. Barbara Schett: "Novak Djokovic will exceed 400 weeks as no.1" Both dominated opponents with power and movement. 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. 667 (25-02-23) Best Rank. 1 ranking while she was sidelined. [138][139][140] They have two children, a son born in 2001 and a daughter born in 2003. After losing a fifth straight time to Sabatini in Amelia Island, Florida, Graf again defeated Seles in the Hamburg final. I have complied some stats . The difficulty of answering questions about the matter came to a head at a Wimbledon press conference, where Graf broke down in tears. 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. Torture and boredom, boredom and torture, that's how it is for Steffi Graf. She retired from tennis in 1999. Steffi Graf was a dominant force in tennis during the late 1980s and for much of the 1990s. 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. Chicago was notable, however, for being the first tournament Graf played with her new coach, former Swiss player Heinz Gnthardt. At Wimbledon, Graf defeated Jana Novotn to win her third consecutive, and fifth overall, ladies' title. (not considered in winloss records). [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. Graf is the only female athlete in the list of Forbes Top-30 Most recognizable and marketable athletes in 1995. [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. 1 Novak Djokovic could do the same if he wins gold, as could Roger Federer if he is involved in the Games. She also won her fifth and final WTA Tour Championships title with a five set win over Martina Hingis, with Hingis cramping up in the fifth set. Her father, an aspiring tennis coach, first introduced her to the game, teaching his . No. They have two children. Graf lost her singles match to Elena Likhovtseva 54. Queens of the Court: Steffi Graf - Bleacher Report [92][93], Graf also occasionally played mixed doubles, although she never won a title. 49 . 1 Martina Navratilova, and reached two finals, at Wimbledon and the US Open, losing out to Navratilova in both. [101] She was also in Berlin to host a charity gala, as well as inaugurating a tennis stadium renamed the "Steffi Graf Stadion". Graf then lost a closely contested final to Monica Seles, 26, 63, 810. Illness caused her to miss Wimbledon,[26] and an accident where she broke a toe several weeks later also curtailed her play. . [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. The day Steffi Graf announced her retirement - Tennis Majors She lost a lengthy one-set singles match to Clijsters and also the mixed doubles.[106]. Steffi Graf: Top five biggest wins of the tennis legend's career - Khel Now After victories in Montreal and San Diego, Graf reached the US Open final, where she lost in straight sets to Sabatini. [115], Early in her career, Graf wore Dunlop apparel, before signing an endorsement contract with Adidas in 1985. She has emerged as one of the strongest tennis players of all time. Graf was trailing Martina Navratilova in the final 75, 20 before winning the match 57, 62, 61. Instead of being hailed as the undisputed female GOAT, people will always talk about her mysterious backhand deficiency. [61] She took the following nine weeks off, returning only for the Virginia Slims Championships where she lost in straight sets to Pierce in the quarterfinal. [137] She started dating Andre Agassi after the 1999 French Open and they married on 22 October 2001, with only their mothers as witnesses. 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 a majority of her slams using her sharp slice backhand and her incredible forehand. Opponent Score Loss: 1986: Year-end championships: Carpet (i) Martina Navratilova: 6-7 (8-10), 3-6, 2-6 Win: 1987: Year-end championships: Voted The best female role model in sports in a survey by Barclays, sponsors of the Premier League, 2010. [103] Graf completely ruled out a return to professional tennis. [77][78] In the French Open Graf was again beaten by Amanda Coetzer in straight sets, 61, 64. In the middle of the second set, Graf suffered back spasms while reaching for a ball in the ad court. Furthermore, Graf's backhand was, in a subtle way, an extremely aggressive shot. Fury's brother suggests alternative opponent if Usyk fight does not happen. 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. Her birth name is Stefanie Maria Graf and she is currently 51 years old. Steffi Graf | Player Stats & More - WTA Official 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. AP Photo/Bruno Mosconi. In her semifinal match at the US Open, Graf defeated Sabatini 36, 64, 62. Graf then went on to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open before losing to Monica Seles in two sets. Steffi Graf - Wikipedia [149], Tennis writer Steve Flink, in his book The Greatest Tennis Matches of the Twentieth Century, named Graf as the best female player of the 20th century. Graf remains one of the greatest champions in the history of her sport. Novak Djokovic: 'I'm not in touch with Steffi Graf but' [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. The American then took her opponent to a tie-break in the second set, eventually going down 7-3. 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. June 4, 2020 marks the 32nd anniversary of Steffi Graf's ruthless lesson in the 1998 French Open final with Natasha Zvereva on the receiving end. 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. 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. She married fellow Olympic champion Agassi in 2001, and the pair have two children together. 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. [16] When asked in an interview to name the greatest players of all time, Serena Williams stated Graf and Roger Federer. 1 was in peerless form on the clay courts of Roland . 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! Graf then won three consecutive indoor titles at Tokyo, Zurich, and Brighton, before once again contending with Navratilova at the season-ending Virginia Slims Championships in New York. 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. Graf retired in August 1999 while ranked world No. 33 years ago, Steffi Graf made this unique record which remains Argentinas Gabriela Sabatini reached her first ever final, but Graf secured a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory. [131][132] In 2015, she was appointed as the brand ambassador of Kerala tourism, for promoting Ayurveda in North America and Europe. . Tennis H2H Venus Williams vs Steffi Graf. 1 was in peerless form on the clay courts of Roland Garros. No medals were awarded as this was not an official Olympic event.[23]. 3. I don't care who believes Court and Serena are greater than her because I don't subscribe to highest slam count is the be-all and end-all in GOAT. 6 in 1985. At the end of the year, the municipality of Brhl, her hometown, gave her the title of honorary citizen. But Vicario took the first set and Graf took the second. At age 13 she became the second youngest player ever to earn an international ranking. She was in hard-court action in the capital of the Republic of Korea on 20 September and breezed through the rounds conceding just one set, against the Soviet Unions Larissa Savchenko in the quarter-final before coming up against Sabatini once again in the gold-medal match on 1 October 1988. [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. Steffi Graf - Overpowering - Tennis, Forehand, Professional - JRank 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. Graf beat opponents with spectacular precision, and Williams had a power game, unlike any woman in professional tennis. [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. Graf then lost to Navratilova 75, 63 in the Wimbledon final, her first loss of the year. Graf became the first player in the open era to defeat the first, second, and third ranked players in the same Grand Slam tournament by beating second-ranked Davenport in the quarterfinals and third-ranked Seles in the semifinals. International Olympic Committee. Steffi Graf's 22 Grand Slam Championship Points - YouTube 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. Though she did not win any title for the . [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. Head To Head | Venus Williams vs Steffi Graf H2H - Steve G Tennis SAN DIEGO The shock was not that top-ranked Steffi Graf won another match, 6-0, 6-0. Some noted observers, such as Margaret Court, suggested that Graf could achieve the feat a couple more times. 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. [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. Even discounting that result, no other player had played and won 27 Grand Slam matches in a single year before. Who is the GOAT: Serena Williams or Steffi Graf? 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. This time, Navratilova beat Graf 76, 63, 62. In 2010, Graf participated in the WTT Smash Hits exhibition in Washington, D.C. to support the Elton John AIDS Foundation. 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. Her 0.977 winning percentage is the second-highest in the open era behind Navratilova.[44]. Once was in Syndey early in the year at a small tournament, and again at Indian Wells, 1999. [108] She was ranked world No. [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. [44] Graf briefly regained the top ranking after winning at Wimbledon but lost it again after her loss to Navratilova at the US Open. [98][99] It was Graf and Snchez Vicario's first head-to-head meeting since 1996. The partnership was the subject of much discussion, as the two women, both known to be shy, usually kept communication to a minimum during changeovers and between points, a highly unusual situation in doubles. She had some amazing rivalries with Hall of Fame opponents such as Navratilova, Evert, Sabatini and Seles. Graf ended 1989 with an 862 match record and the loss of only 12 sets. 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.
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