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 . 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. In October, Graf defeated Sabatini in an exhibition match in Mannheim, Germany, winning both of their sets. Steffi Graf is seen as one of tennis' best ever players, winning 22 Grand Slams but 1988 was the year that will never be beaten. 22 in 1984, and No. 98 in 1983, No. 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 then went on to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open before losing to Monica Seles in two sets. 1988 BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year, 1996 Most Exciting Player of the Year, by the WTA, 1998 Most Exciting Player of the Year, by the WTA, 1999 Most Exciting Player of the Year, by the WTA. It just felt something special that I was going to, recalls Graf. In their five previous head-to-head matches, Graf had defeated Martnez each time. Kerber's opponent will be the defending champion, . "[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. [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. The American then took her opponent to a tie-break in the second set, eventually going down 7-3. Steffi Graf - The German Way & More City of Love: Graf and Agassi first linked by 1999 French Open Opponent W L Win% TB W L TB% First Last MS DR A% DF% 1stIn 1st% 2nd% SPW RPW BPSvd% BPCnv% 40: Gabriela Sabatini [ARG] 29: 11: 72.5%: 14: 7: 7: 50.0%: . 49 . [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. Her singles winloss record was 900115 (88.7 percent). Graf who dated Michael Bartels is the daughter-in-law of Emmanuel Agassi. n 1973 Steffi avea 3 ani cnd a luat prima oar n Brhl (Baden) o rachet de tenis n mn. [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. . Shortly after the US Open, she underwent surgery to remove a bone spur in her right wrist. 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. For the German painter, see. Speculation was rife at the beginning of 1989 about the possibility of Graf winning another Grand Slam. Seles won the match on her fifth match point; Graf came within two points of winning the match a few games earlier. While the Berlin tournament was being played, the largest-circulation German tabloid, Bild, ran a story about an alleged scandal involving Graf's father. Steffi Graf: Steffi Graf has 22 grand slams to her name, most coming during the late 80s and 90s. No. . 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. 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. 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. [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. Torture and boredom, boredom and torture, that's how it is for Steffi Graf. Graf won seven singles titles at Wimbledon, six singles titles at the French Open, five singles titles at the US Open, and four singles titles at the Australian Open. Steffi Graf | Player Stats & More - WTA Official She first used the Wilson Pro Staff 7.0 lite, then switched to the Pro Staff 7.5 in 1996 and to the Pro Staff 7.1 in 1998. [138][139][140] They have two children, a son born in 2001 and a daughter born in 2003. 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. All Rights Reserved. Graf was ranked world No. The facts: American Amy Frazier was Graf's final opponent. My motivation wasn't what it was in the past. In their prime, they ruled their eras with their own dominating styles. 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. A commemorative plaque outside the venue in Seoul bears testament to the event: Historic Place for Golden Slam. She had just lost a three-set semifinal to No. The weeks following Wimbledon [in 1999] weren't easy for me. 1 ranking for the first time in 22 months. 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. She did not drop a set en route to the final, defeating Czechoslovakias Hana Mandlkov in the quarter-final and compatriot Claudia Kohde-Kilsch in the semi-final. The 50 Greatest Players of the Open Era (W): No. 2, Steffi Graf As true as that forehand was, the mask was no less a lie. At Wimbledon, Graf lost in the semifinals to Zina Garrison, who with this victory broke Graf's string of 13 consecutive major finals. Martina Navratilova included Graf at the top of her list of the greatest players ever. [142] The Graf-Agassi family resides in Summerlin, a community in the Las Vegas Valley. [22] She began practising on a court at the age of four and played in her first tournament at five. 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). [147] In November 2018, Tennis.com polled its readers to choose the greatest women's tennis player of all time and Graf came in first. [103] Graf completely ruled out a return to professional tennis. She won no titles during the next three years, but her ranking climbed steadily to world No. Steffi Graf's 22 Grand Slam Championship Points - YouTube Williams vs. Graf, and Graf's Disciple - The New York Times Serena was 17. Steffi Graf - Wikipedia Graf retired at the age of 30 in 1999 while ranked as the world No. However, seeing the current situation, Graff also feels frightened. 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. Some noted observers, such as Margaret Court, suggested that Graf could achieve the feat a couple more times. 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. On 13 April 1986, Graf won her first WTA tournament and beat Evert for the first time in the final of the Family Circle Cup in Hilton Head, South Carolina (she never lost to Evert again, beating her six more times over the next three and a half years). There really hasn't been anyone like her since. Steffi Graf and Serena Williams are two of the greatest women's tennis players ever. Steffi Graf Biography - Facts, Childhood, Family Life & Achievements She is the only singles player (male or female) to have achieved a Grand Slam across three surfaces (grass, clay, and hard courts). 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. [24] In 1985, for instance, she played only ten events leading up to the US Open, whereas another up-and-coming star, Gabriela Sabatini of Argentina, who was a year younger than Graf, played 21. Her glittering career saw her occupy the world no.1 spot for a total of 377 weeks (a record), including a run of 186 consecutive weeks between August 1987 and March 1991. 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. She teamed with Ansley Cargill in women's doubles against Anna Kournikova and Likhovtseva but lost 52. 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. [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. Most sliced shots float these days; Graf's seemed to reach her opponent's side in a straight line, skimming low over the net. Having also won bronze in the womens doubles with Claudia Kohde-Kilsch in Seoul, her Olympic record stands at four podium finishes, including two titles counting the one she won in Los Angeles aged 14 when tennis was a demonstration sport! [77][78] In the French Open Graf was again beaten by Amanda Coetzer in straight sets, 61, 64. Though she did not win any title for the . 2021 International Olympic Committee. She always said: I never look back, I look forward, but she also said: You can't measure success if you have never failed. Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi met for the first time during a tournament.Andre Agassi had been secretly pining for her since 1990, but she showed no interest in him.. At that time, Steffi Graf was dating Michael Bartels, a racing driver. Novak Djokovic has arrived in Japan for the Tokyo Olympics 2020, and he is looking as confident as ever. Steffi Graf: Top five biggest wins of the tennis legend's career - Khel Now 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. In 1987, Grafs career truly took off: she won her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, beating world no. Going back in time, one can recall the right-handed player who fearlessly outplayed her opponents. In the final, Evert was completely overwhelmed in the first set, losing 6-1. [105] It was the first time in 14 years Graf had played Navratilova. Home; Q & A; Blog; Contact; Taramati Baradari Resort, Weather Biarritz October, Central Gwinnett High School, Facts About Victoria, Australia, Quick Funeral Home Obituaries . . Sabatini served for the match twice, and was two points away from her first Wimbledon title. Both dominated opponents with power and movement. As usual, the defining shot of the day was the one that earned Steffi her nickname, Frulein Forehand. Graf began playing tennis with the encouragement of her father, who became her coach. The world of tennis is still waiting for another player capable of such a feat in the same calendar year! I had one day to turn around, get home, change and get on the flight to Seoul. 1 for 186 consecutive weeks from 17 August 1987: incredible footwork, a devastating forehand, an effective backhand and a powerful, reliable serve an all-round game that proved successful on every surface. 1 Novak Djokovic could do the same if he wins gold, as could Roger Federer if he is involved in the Games. TMF. Williams VS Graf MATCHES VS ALL OPPONENTS 1 Martina Hingis of Switzerland. [124][125][126] In 2010, Graf and Agassi collaborated with Head and developed the new line of Star Series tennis racquets. Notable features of Graf's game were her versatility across all playing surfaces, footwork and powerful forehand drive. Nominated and voted the title Mother of the nation in her country, Germany, 2010. [115], Early in her career, Graf wore Dunlop apparel, before signing an endorsement contract with Adidas in 1985. The pair was moderately successful, winning the 1988 Wimbledon Championships together and reaching the finals of the French Open in 1986, 1987 and 1989. [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. 29 Jan Tennis Norge . 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. And Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, arguably the most accomplished sports couple there ever was, had good reason to be on campus that day. In the late eighties and nineties Graf dominated. Why is it so hard to replicate Steffi Graf's forehand? - Quora She retired from tennis in 1999. [8] Furthermore, she is the only tennis player, male or female, to have won each major tournament at least four times. 1 was in peerless form on the clay courts of Roland . She has a brother named Michael. Classic Rivalries: Graf vs. Hingis - TennisPAL Graf then lost a closely contested final to Monica Seles, 26, 63, 810. As true as that forehand was, the mask was no less a lie. Just Don't Ask Her", "The Shadow of Steffi Graf: Before Serena, Women's Tennis Had Another Unconquerable Force ", "Remembering What Made Steffi Graf a Tennis Legend", "73 Questions with Serena Williams | Vogue", "Tennis in Reunified Germany: Then and Now The Tennis Island", "Serving Her Country A Grand Slam May Have Brought West Germany's Steffi Graf Fame And Fortune, But To The Delight Of Her Countrymen Who've Watched Her Climb To The Top, She Remains 'one Of Them', "Steffi's father Peter Graf dies after cancer battle", "Both on and Off Court, Graf Has Come a Long Way in Past Year", "Tennis Roundup: Mysterious Illness Forces Graf to Withdraw From Wimbledon", "Graf Defeats Evert, Gains No. [148] In July 2020, The Guardian polled its readers to determine the greatest female tennis player of the past 50 years, and Steffi was the clear favorite, picking up nearly twice as many votes as any other player. 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. 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. Her toughest battle came against rising star Martina Hingis in the semifinal, with Hingis unable to convert on five set points. [82] Upon her return Graf defeated world 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 then beat Snchez Vicario in the finals of both the French Open and Wimbledon. 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. . Stefanie ("Steffi") Graf | Former German Tennis Pro and Champion. 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 remains one of the greatest champions in the history of her sport. [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. Graf lost twice to Sabatini during the spring, once on hardcourts in Boca Raton, Florida, and once on clay at Amelia Island, Florida. She won 7 Wimbledon, 6 French Open, 5 US Open and 4 Australian Open . The shock was who she did it against. [79] Only one week later, she underwent reconstructive knee surgery in Vienna and subsequently missed the 1997 Wimbledon and US Open championships. 1 on the computer the ITF named Sanchez Vicario its World Champion for the year, while the WTA backed their official rankings and named Graf. Graf then reached her ninth Wimbledon singles final, losing to third-seeded Davenport in straight sets. Her 0.977 winning percentage is the second-highest in the open era behind Navratilova.[44]. But the world of tennis is still waiting for another player capable of securing a Golden Slam in one year. 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. Tennis H2H Venus Williams vs Steffi Graf. Illness caused her to miss Wimbledon,[26] and an accident where she broke a toe several weeks later also curtailed her play. 124. 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). [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. Steffi Graf - Husband Andre, Son, Daughter, Children, Net Worth Winner of as many as 22 Grand Slam titles, Steffi's presence was enough to send shivers down the spine of her opponents. Graf's father had approached Gnthardt during the 1991 Virginia Slims Championships. Just over 30 years old, Graf retired . [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. Steffi Graf career statistics - Wikipedia In an interview with Stern magazine in July 1990, Graf stated, "I could not fight as usual."[46]. 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 . Steffi Graf was born as Stefanie Maria Graf on 14th June 1969 in West Germany. 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. Steffi Graf went on to win Wimbledon in 1996, beating Arantxa . "[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. Venus Williams. 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). Steffi Graf was born in Mannheim, West Germany on June 14, 1969. She had some amazing rivalries with Hall of Fame opponents such as Navratilova, Evert, Sabatini and Seles. 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. 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. Steffi Graf, a Tennis champ is married to husband Andre Agassi with two children. Steffi Graf - Children, Andre Agassi & Facts - Biography 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. 1 German tennis player. Opponent Score Loss: 1986: Year-end championships: Carpet (i) Martina Navratilova: 6-7 (8-10), 3-6, 2-6 Win: 1987: Year-end championships: Graf developed a bone spur at the base of her spine due to a congenital condition of the sacroiliac joint. 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. In a close French Open final, Graf again overcame Snchez Vicario, taking the third set 108. Her 63, 60 defeat of Gabriela Sabatini in a semifinal was described by veteran observer Ted Tinling as "probably the best tennis I've seen". 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. 1 ranking while she was sidelined. . . But Vicario took the first set and Graf took the second. [154] Her unprecedented Golden Slam saw her receive the 1988 BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year. She was absolutely right the term Golden Slam was born at that exact moment. Since Graf skipped the Italian Open, she did not take part in the vote. 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 . Her winning streak (unbeaten since the 1989 French Open loss to Arantxa Snchez) continued with victories in Tokyo, Amelia Island, and Hamburg. The American then took her opponent to a tie-break in the second set, eventually going down 7-3. Steffi Graf Videos Thread | Tennis Forum The difficulty of answering questions about the matter came to a head at a Wimbledon press conference, where Graf broke down in tears. Though she lost the game to opponent Tracy Austin by 6-4, 6-0, this did very little to dishearten the young blood. [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. Finally Graf was given a match but prevailed 6-3, 7-6 where she would meet a surprise opponent in the final. (not considered in winloss records). Voted Germans greatest role model by TV14 magazine, 2004. (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. [54] She then won her next four tournaments in Tokyo, Indian Wells, Delray Beach and Miami respectively. Steffi Graf | Biography, Titles, & Facts | Britannica 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. She has a younger brother, Michael. [116][13] Graf stated that grass was her favorite surface to play on, while clay was her least favorite. [115], She built her powerful and accurate serve up to 183km/h (114mph), making it one of the fastest serves in women's tennis and was a capable volleyer. Instead of being hailed as the undisputed female GOAT, people will always talk about her mysterious backhand deficiency. At the Roland-Garros trophy ceremony, after she . In the Miami final, she lost her first set of the yearto Natasha Zverevaafter winning 54 consecutive sets. She did not win a tournament but consistently reached tournament finals, semifinals and quarterfinals, with the highlight being her semifinal loss to Navratilova at the US Open. Furthermore, Graf's backhand was, in a subtle way, an extremely aggressive shot. 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. . Seles and Graf met in the final, with Graf winning in three sets, saving a set point in the first set. Graf then lost to Navratilova 75, 63 in the Wimbledon final, her first loss of the year. 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. 1 female player and won 22 Grand Slam singles titles. [70][71] He was eventually released after serving 25 months. 1 was in peerless form on the clay courts of Roland Garros.
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