1 German tennis player. [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. Voted The best female role model in sports in a survey by Barclays, sponsors of the Premier League, 2010. 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. The match was the Wimbledon women's singles semi-final between Ms Graf and Kimiko Date. Steffi Graf was a dominant force in tennis during the late 1980s and for much of the 1990s. thesportslegends. (Twelve years later, Graf defeated Austin 60, 60 during a second round match at the Evert Cup in Indian Wells, California, which was their second and last match against each other. Finally Graf was given a match but prevailed 6-3, 7-6 where she would meet a surprise opponent in the final. We would just say the basic things, but nothing else. [152] She was voted the WTA Player of the Year in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996. [155], In 2004, the Berliner Tennis-Arena was renamed Steffi-Graf-Stadion in honor of Graf. Steffi Graf was born as Stefanie Maria Graf to Peter and Heidi Graf in Mannheim, Germany. Graf is the first German to win the Spain's 'Prince of Asturias' award. In the meantime, she lost surprisingly to Nicole Bradtke of Australia in a Fed Cup match on clay before winning the Acura Classic in San Diego and the Canadian Open in Toronto in preparation for the US Open. Chicago was notable, however, for being the first tournament Graf played with her new coach, former Swiss player Heinz Gnthardt. Stefanie Maria Graf (/rf, rf/ GRA(H)F, German: [tfi af] (listen);[4][5] born 14 June 1969) is a German former professional tennis player. [65] She came back in February, winning four consecutive tournaments in Paris, Delray Beach, Miami and Houston. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for a record 377 total weeks. She has a brother named Michael. Graf reached 13 consecutive major singles finals, from the 1987 French Open through to . The American then took her opponent to a tie-break in the second set, eventually going down 7-3. Her year continued indifferently with losses in three of her first four tournaments, including a semifinal loss to Jana Novotn in Chicago. Her career prize-money earnings totalled US$21,895,277 (a record until Lindsay Davenport surpassed this amount in January 2008). In 1987, Grafs career truly took off: she won her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, beating world no. [62] Although Graf ended the year ranked No. WATCH THIS STORY: When Roger Federer toyed his opponent so bad, he asked for advice from Andre Agassi in the crowd Wimbledon championships. I feel I have nothing left to accomplish. 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. Seles and Graf met in the final, with Graf winning in three sets, saving a set point in the first set. [85][86] She was ranked No. 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. 2021 International Olympic Committee. [134] During her career, Graf divided her time between her hometown of Brhl; Boca Raton, Florida; and New York City where she owned a penthouse in the former Police Headquarters Building in SoHo. She then successfully defended the three Grand Slam titles she won the year before. Though she lost the game to opponent Tracy Austin by 6-4, 6-0, this did very little to dishearten the young blood. United States . 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. 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. . In 1988, Graf became only the second tennis player in history to win a Slam on hardcourt, clay, and grass all in the same season. [17] Graf married former world No. 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. Even discounting that result, no other player had played and won 27 Grand Slam matches in a single year before. No medals were awarded as this was not an official Olympic event.[23]. She and Agassi, her husband, were on Team Elton John, which competed against Team Billie Jean King. "[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. 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. [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. She then successfully defended her title at the US Open, defeating Monica Seles in the final. She basically became a backhand slice guru ,,, This became only single taint in Graf's tennis career. She won no titles during the next three years, but her ranking climbed steadily to world No. [108] She was ranked world No. [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. At Wimbledon, Graf lost in the semifinals to Zina Garrison, who with this victory broke Graf's string of 13 consecutive major finals. 3, having racked up a total of 107 tournament victories. Retiring from the sport in 1999, Graf's career remains one of the most looked upon in tennis history. Proceeds from her match against Sabatini went to Graf's foundation, "Children for Tomorrow".[102]. Graf then lost a closely contested final to Monica Seles, 26, 63, 810. At the US Open, Graf was upset in the quarterfinals by Snchez Vicario 76, 63. She has emerged as one of the strongest tennis players of all time. 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. 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. In 2015, Graf was the recipient of the International Club's Jean Borotra Sportsmanship Award. [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 difficulty of answering questions about the matter came to a head at a Wimbledon press conference, where Graf broke down in tears. 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). Only results in WTA Tour (incl. 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. Graf won 6-0, 6-0. Graf started 1988 by winning the Australian Open, defeating Chris Evert in the final 61, 76. Fernandez had two break points to take a 30 and double break lead in the third set. My father taught me that if you really do want to reach your goals, you can't spend any time worrying about whether you're going to win or lose. Began playing Tennis: 1973 Turned Professional: 18.10.1982. Graf defeated Mary Joe Fernndez in the final of the Australian Open, which was her eighth Grand Slam singles title in the last nine she contested. The American then took her opponent to a tie-break in the second set, eventually going down 7-3. At the Olympic Games in Barcelona, Graf lost to Jennifer Capriati in the final and claimed the silver medal. She repeated the feat in 1993, 1995, and 1996. [138][139][140] They have two children, a son born in 2001 and a daughter born in 2003. And Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, arguably the most accomplished sports couple there ever was, had good reason to be on campus that day. [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. And stepping on the plane there was a big group of German athletes on it. 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. [88] Sabatini said of the partnership: "doubles is all about communicating with each other, and we didn't communicate that much. . Graf again lost to Monica Seles in the final of the French Open 67, 46. It was the days when the Williams . "[38], Graf followed this with easy victories in her next four tournaments at Washington, D.C., San Antonio, Texas, Boca Raton, Florida, and Hilton Head. 1999 Germany Television Award for her outstanding performance as tennis player and her importance to the German public. Graf then reached her ninth Wimbledon singles final, losing to third-seeded Davenport in straight sets. [127], Graf has signed many endorsement deals throughout the years including a ten-year endorsement deal with car manufacturer Opel in 1985,[128] and Rexona from 1994 to 1998. 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. Her name was Martina Hingis. International Olympic Committee. In an interview with Stern magazine in July 1990, Graf stated, "I could not fight as usual."[46]. 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. Steffi Graf vs Serena Williams vs Martina Navratilova - Who is the Greatest Female tennis player of all time? 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. The match was played over two days with Navratilova finally winning after saving three match points 61, 67, 76. And Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, arguably the most accomplished sports couple there ever was, had good reason to be on campus that day. The earliest sign that Steffi Graf was going to be one of the sport's all-time winners came at the end of a defeat. ), At the start of her first full professional year in 1983, Graf was 13 years old and ranked world No. Home; Q & A; Blog; Contact; Taramati Baradari Resort, Weather Biarritz October, Central Gwinnett High School, Facts About Victoria, Australia, Quick Funeral Home Obituaries . Chosen by World Economic Forum As Young Global Leader for 2008, Godmother of the Navigator of The Seas (Royal Caribbean Cruiselines), 2002. That doesn't mean it will happen. It is undeniable that Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi had a successful professional relationship. '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. Steffi Graf vs. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario ** **Head to Head: **28-8, Graf .