Graf is the only person to have won the 'Golden Slam' (1988). 3, She was not included in the official year end ranking. Kerber's opponent will be the defending champion, . Is it possible to have any other year Steffi Graf: yep, it would be like Monica's or Serena's type of dominance. David Douillet writes judo history in Sydney in 2000. Venus Williams won her first Games titles 19 years ago, and she hasnt finished yet! 1 player. [156], Graf was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004 and the German Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.[157][158]. [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. That doesn't mean it will happen. Graf was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004. At Wimbledon, however, Graf captured her third women's crown, this time at Sabatini's expense. [143] Graf's mother and her brother also live there. . Like the exhibition match the previous year against Sabatini, proceeds went to "Children for Tomorrow". 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. 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. 98 in 1983, No. 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. [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. 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 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. Though she lost the game to opponent Tracy Austin by 6-4, 6-0, this did very little to dishearten the young blood. Graf developed a bone spur at the base of her spine due to a congenital condition of the sacroiliac joint. Graf, Kerber's idol . Though she lost the game to opponent Tracy Austin by 6-4, 6-0, this did very little to dishearten the young blood. It was important for me to win here, she said afterwards. After Wimbledon, for the first time in my career, I didn't feel like going to a tournament. At the end of the year, the municipality of Brhl, her hometown, gave her the title of honorary citizen. Just over 30 years old, Graf retired . After losing a fifth straight time to Sabatini in Amelia Island, Florida, Graf again defeated Seles in the Hamburg final. In her professional tennis career, Steffi Graf spent 377 weeks as the No. But Vicario took the first set and Graf took the second. Graf and Navratilova faced each other six times and Graf had the advantage, 4-2. Graf ended 1989 with an 862 match record and the loss of only 12 sets. At the Olympic Games in Barcelona, Graf lost to Jennifer Capriati in the final and claimed the silver medal. 3, Jana Novotn, before losing in the semifinal to first-seeded Davenport. 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. [137] She started dating Andre Agassi after the 1999 French Open and they married on 22 October 2001, with only their mothers as witnesses. 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. [65] She came back in February, winning four consecutive tournaments in Paris, Delray Beach, Miami and Houston. . Do Not Disturb. . Her toughest battle came against rising star Martina Hingis in the semifinal, with Hingis unable to convert on five set points. This is a list of the main career statistics of professional tennis player Steffi Graf. 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". [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. 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. She won there, comfortably beating Helena Sukov in the final after needing three sets to eliminate Gabriela Sabatini and Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively. It was Graf's final Grand Slam singles title as she retired later that year. [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. 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]. 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. 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". The 19-year-old Graf lost the first set 7-5 before getting the measure of her rival and fighting back to take the next two sets 6-2, 6-1. She would either destroy opponents, clinically and . Graf, however, won the tournament in San Antonio, Texas, and retained her title in Miami, where she once again defeated Evert in the final. It just felt something special that I was going to, recalls Graf. [155], In 2004, the Berliner Tennis-Arena was renamed Steffi-Graf-Stadion in honor of Graf. [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. 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. [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. Feb 24, 2023. She repeated the feat in 1993, 1995, and 1996. It was 1986, and Graf was 17. Graf who dated Michael Bartels is the daughter-in-law of Emmanuel Agassi. 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. 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's Grand Slam tournament breakthrough came in 1987. Furthermore, Graf's backhand was, in a subtle way, an extremely aggressive shot. American star Chris Evert, meanwhile, failed to take a set off Graf in three matches. [77] [54] She then won her next four tournaments in Tokyo, Indian Wells, Delray Beach and Miami respectively. [11][12][13][14] She won six French Open singles titles (second to Evert), seven Wimbledon singles titles, four Australian Open titles, and five US Open singles titles. 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. Graf said after the final that it would be her last French Open, fueling speculation about her retirement.[84]. Jaz Elle Agassi is best known as being a daughter of former tennis couple Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi.. Parents Wedding. She won her first French Open title since 1988 with a three-set victory over Mary Joe Fernndez in the final. Graf had already won 5 Wimbledon titles by then and was hunting for her 6th trophy. Graf lost to Conchita Martnez in her comeback tournament a month later in Philadelphia. She subsequently withdrew from the Pan Pacific Open and had arthroscopic surgery performed on her left knee. Steffi Graf was a dominant force in tennis during the late 1980s and for much of the 1990s. She lost the world No. . "Steffi Graf is the best all-around player," said Evert, whose name is also mentioned as one of the all-time greats. 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. 1 ranking. Steffi Graf and Serena Williams played just twice. Her career prize-money earnings totalled US$21,895,277 (a record until Lindsay Davenport surpassed this amount in January 2008). Graf remains one of the greatest champions in the history of her sport. [138][139][140] They have two children, a son born in 2001 and a daughter born in 2003. [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. Selected for European Heroes in 2004 and 2005 by TIME Magazine. 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. Although she now lives in Las Vegas, Stefanie Maria Graf was born in Mannheim, West Germany on June 14, 1969. [135][136], From 1992 to 1999, Graf dated racing driver Michael Bartels. Margaret Court, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams. Steffi Graf was born as Stefanie Maria Graf to Peter and Heidi Graf in Mannheim, Germany. 1 female player and won 22 Grand Slam singles titles. 'The Ten' went one way; you went another", "The greatest female tennis player of the last 50 years: the fans' verdict", "Exclusive Interview with Steve Flink about the career of Chris Evert", "A celebration of Martina Navratilova's multifaceted legacy", "Special events and records at the 1988 Australian Open Tennis Tournament", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Steffi_Graf&oldid=1140574067, Golden Slam (4 majors + Olympic gold in same calendar year), Non-Calendar Year Grand Slam in addition to already winning a Grand Slam, 100% match winning percentage in 1 season, 100% match winning percentage in 3 separate seasons, 89.67% (278-32) match winning percentage overall, 5 calendar years winning 3+ Grand Slam titles, Defeated the top 3 seeded players in the same tournament, Reached the final of all four Grand Slams tournaments in a calendar year, Reached the final of all four Grand Slams tournaments in a calendar year three times, 5 years as wire-to-wire (all 52 weeks) No. The facts: American Amy Frazier was Graf's final opponent. She is the only singles player (male or female) to have achieved a Grand Slam across three surfaces (grass, clay, and hard courts). 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. Performance timelines. 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. Only results in WTA Tour (incl. 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. All Rights Reserved. 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 . The match was notable for its dramatic ending. [66] In August Monica Seles made her much anticipated return to tennis at the Canadian Open. She would either destroy opponents, clinically and . Associations of International Sport Federations, Organising Committees for the Olympic Games. Steffi Graf collided against Spain's Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the finals of the 1995 Wimbledon. I had one day to turn around, get home, change and get on the flight to Seoul. At the French Open, Graf successfully defended her title by defeating Natasha Zvereva 60, 60 in a 34-minute final. Graf reached 13 consecutive singles major finals from the 1987 French Open to the 1990 French Open, winning nine of them. She was named the 1988 BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year. 124. Graf retired at the age of 30 in 1999 while ranked as the world No. It was the days when the Williams . 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. 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. No medals were awarded as this was not an official Olympic event.[23]. Her father was arrested in August and was sentenced to 45 months in jail. [33] Zvereva, who had eliminated Martina Navratilova in the fourth round, won only thirteen points in the match.[33].
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