Is it possible to have another Steffi Graf? | Talk Tennis 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. 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. Furthermore, Graf's backhand was, in a subtle way, an extremely aggressive shot. Steffi Graf collided against Spain's Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the finals of the 1995 Wimbledon. Meet Daughter Of Steffi Graf And Andre Agassi - VergeWiki However, seeing the current situation, Graff also feels frightened. [131][132] In 2015, she was appointed as the brand ambassador of Kerala tourism, for promoting Ayurveda in North America and Europe. Her father, an aspiring tennis coach, first introduced her to the game, teaching his . Angelique Kerber recalls memories of Steffi Graf at Wimbledon after becoming first German to win trophy since 1996 . At the year-ending Virginia Slims Championships, Graf was upset by Pam Shriver, only her third loss of the year. The Washington, D.C. tournament was notable because Graf won the first twenty points of the final against Zina Garrison. She was absolutely right the term Golden Slam was born at that exact moment. Notable features of Graf's game were her versatility across all playing surfaces, footwork and powerful forehand drive. Steffi Graf was already world number one, and just shy of 19 years old, when she began the 1988 season. The day Steffi Graf announced her retirement - Tennis Majors 1, 64, 46, 86 after beating Sabatini in a three-set semifinal. 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. The difficulty of answering questions about the matter came to a head at a Wimbledon press conference, where Graf broke down in tears. "Steffi Graf is the best all-around player," said Evert, whose name is also mentioned as one of the all-time greats. Natasha Zvereva, the 13th seed had shocked Martina Navratilova with a straight sets fourth round . At the first round of the season-ending Chase Championships, Graf defeated world No. "Such a cruel moment" - Steffi Graf once spoke about Martina Hingis . [80][81] 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". 3, having racked up a total of 107 tournament victories. Graf reached 13 consecutive singles major finals from the 1987 French Open to the 1990 French Open, winning nine of them. Voted Germany's Sportswoman of the Century in 1999 by the German press. The last few years of Graf's career were beset by injuries, particularly to her knees and back. Graf retired at the age of 30 in 1999 while ranked as the world No. 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. Graf was the first player other than Navratilova or Evert to hold the top spot since Tracy Austin in 1980.[27]. 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. Stefanie Graf - International Tennis Hall of Fame [101] She was beaten in two out of three matches, with each match being one set. 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. 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. She had some amazing rivalries with Hall of Fame opponents such as Navratilova, Evert, Sabatini and Seles. Kohde-Kilsch Finds She Can Do Nothing Against Dominant Graf 3. Queens of the Court: Steffi Graf - Bleacher Report Seles defeated Graf at the Australian Open 46, 63, 62. Some noted observers, such as Margaret Court, suggested that Graf could achieve the feat a couple more times. Graf, meanwhile, was back to defend her Olympic title on the clay courts of Barcelona 1992, where she took silver after losing to the USAs Jennifer Capriati in the final. Graf then lost a closely contested final to Monica Seles, 26, 63, 810. 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 . 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. She also . 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. Graf developed a bone spur at the base of her spine due to a congenital condition of the sacroiliac joint. It actually had several major flaws, especially based on today's understanding of stroke. (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. Eighteen-time Grand Slam champion and former rival Chris Evert opined, "Steffi Graf is the best all-around player. She was unstoppable. Five months later, the world no. 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. Graf did not lose a set during the tournament and lost a total of only 29 games. Is it possible to have another Steffi Graf? | Page 2 | Talk Tennis For the German painter, see. Even though she lost the opening set, Graf went on to prevail in three sets. [109], Note: Working with her father and then-coach Pavel Sloil, Graf typically practiced for up to four hours a day, often heading straight from airports to practice courts. I feel I have nothing left to accomplish. Serena Williams, who will face Kerber in the final, beat Steffi Graf for the title at Indian Wells, Calif., in 1999. 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 . 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. [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. 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). On this day in 1999, Steffi Graf bid adieu to the sport just weeks after winning the French Open and reaching the Wimbledon final. Graf again lost to Monica Seles in the final of the French Open 67, 46. 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. Steffi Graf, a Tennis champ is married to husband Andre Agassi with two children. As a result, she hit her forehand with exceptional pace and accuracy. Steffi Graf - Overpowering - Tennis, Forehand, Professional - JRank [77][78] In the French Open Graf was again beaten by Amanda Coetzer in straight sets, 61, 64. She always said: I never look back, I look forward, but she also said: You can't measure success if you have never failed. [105] It was the first time in 14 years Graf had played Navratilova. [68] 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 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. He claimed that he committed the attack to help Graf reclaim the world No. 1 player. 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. Pause, rewind, play: The great Steffi Graf forehand - Scroll.in Victories at Zurich and Brighton preceded the Virginia Slims Championships, where Graf cemented her top-ranked status by beating Navratilova in the four-set final. 1 ranking while she was sidelined. [144], In 1991, the Steffi Graf Youth Tennis Center in Leipzig was dedicated to her. Steffi Graf and Serena Williams are two of the greatest women's tennis players ever. Steffi Graf: Steffi Graf has 22 grand slams to her name, most coming during the late 80s and 90s. At age 13 she became the second youngest player ever to earn an international ranking. 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. Peter Graf also kept a tight rein on Graf's personal life. How Steffi Graf became tennis' Golden Slam winner in 1988 - Olympics.com Her 0.977 winning percentage is the second-highest in the open era behind Navratilova.[44]. Illness caused her to miss Wimbledon,[26] and an accident where she broke a toe several weeks later also curtailed her play. However, Graf admitted in 1995 that she would have preferred having a two-handed backhand in retrospect. [22] She began practising on a court at the age of four and played in her first tournament at five. [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. 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. Martina Navratilova then defeated Graf 76, 67, 64 in a US Open semifinal, the first time she had beaten Graf in four years. Graf who dated Michael Bartels is the daughter-in-law of Emmanuel Agassi. 1999 Prince of Asturias Award, one of the most important awards of Spain and named after the heir apparent of Spain. Steffi Graf vs. Serena Williams: Who's the GOAT? | Stadium Talk In the womens tournament, Williams could repeat the achievement if she competes in what will be her fifth Olympic Games. 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. [153] She was elected as the German Sportsperson of the Year in 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1999. The experience of 88 in Seoul probably stands out, just coming from the US Open where I won the Grand Slam. Since Graf skipped the Italian Open, she did not take part in the vote. Steffi Graf went on to win Wimbledon in 1996, beating Arantxa . Steffi Graf career statistics - Wikipedia A worthy opponent, she is an exceptional and versatile player to have dominated the international women's tennis scene for a long time. Key; W F SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A . All Rights Reserved. The greatest: Steffi Graf - power and perfect timing personified Graf beat opponents with spectacular precision, and Williams had a power game, unlike any woman in professional tennis. Graf played in her first professional tournament in October 1982 at Filderstadt, Germany. 1 men's tennis player Andre Agassi in October 2001. The Trials of Steffi Graf. Steffi Graf vs. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario ** **Head to Head: **28-8, Graf . Only results in WTA Tour (incl. Graf then reached her ninth Wimbledon singles final, losing to third-seeded Davenport in straight sets. At Wimbledon, Graf lost in the semifinals to Zina Garrison, who with this victory broke Graf's string of 13 consecutive major finals. Graf then won all five of her Fed Cup matches, helping Germany defeat Spain in the final by defeating Arantxa Snchez Vicario, 64, 62. 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. At the end of the year, the municipality of Brhl, her hometown, gave her the title of honorary citizen. Steffi Graf - Children, Andre Agassi & Facts - Biography [145] She is the founder and chairperson of "Children for Tomorrow", a non-profit foundation established in 1998 for implementing and developing projects to support children who have been traumatized by war or other crises. However, there was also a 15-year-old who shot into the scene in 1995 that would take the tennis world by storm. 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. [88] Sabatini said of the partnership: "doubles is all about communicating with each other, and we didn't communicate that much. 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. . Graf had complained of an issue with her left knee but showed little trouble outplaying her opponent. 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. [155], In 2004, the Berliner Tennis-Arena was renamed Steffi-Graf-Stadion in honor of Graf. Although she now lives in Las Vegas, Stefanie Maria Graf was born in Mannheim, West Germany on June 14, 1969. Steffi Graf - 22; The former German tennis star is third on the list with 22 grand slam titles victories. She repeated the feat in 1993, 1995, and 1996. 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. [98][99] It was Graf and Snchez Vicario's first head-to-head meeting since 1996. She lost the world No. Her career prize-money earnings totalled US$21,895,277 (a record until Lindsay Davenport surpassed this amount in January 2008). [9] She won 107 singles titles, ranking her third on the WTA's all-time list after Martina Navratilova (167 titles) and Chris Evert (157 titles). [138][139][140] They have two children, a son born in 2001 and a daughter born in 2003. Shortly after winning in Tokyo, Graf injured her right thumb while cross-country skiing in Switzerland and subsequently withdrew from the Virginia Slims of Florida and the Lipton Championships. Graf then went on to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open before losing to Monica Seles in two sets. [123] In 2006, she signed an endorsement deal with Head. [115], Early in her career, Graf wore Dunlop apparel, before signing an endorsement contract with Adidas in 1985. [108] She was ranked world No. I've always looked up to her and the way she approached the game" : Pete Sampras Graf began 1993 with four losses in her first six tournaments of the year: two to Snchez Vicario and one each to Seles and the 36-year-old Martina Navratilova. As usual, the defining shot of the day was the one that earned Steffi her nickname, Frulein Forehand. The German allowed Zvereva just 13 points, three of them in that one early game. Tennis Abstract: Steffi Graf Match Results, Splits, and Analysis [a] Widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, she was ranked world No. It was the days when the Williams . 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]. 22 in 1984, and No. 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. Twice in the third set Snchez Vicario served for the championship but was broken each time by Graf. 1 Lindsay Davenport en route to the Philadelphia title. [54] She then won her next four tournaments in Tokyo, Indian Wells, Delray Beach and Miami respectively. Steffi Graf - Wikipedia [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. Her toughest battle came against rising star Martina Hingis in the semifinal, with Hingis unable to convert on five set points.
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