[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. Stefanie Maria "Steffi" Graf (German pronunciation: [tf gaf]; born 14 Juin 1969) is a umwhile Warld No. Graf ended 1989 with an 862 match record and the loss of only 12 sets. Graf remains one of the greatest champions in the history of her sport. This is a list of the main career statistics of professional tennis player Steffi Graf. [153] She was elected as the German Sportsperson of the Year in 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1999. Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis played out a thrilling final at the 1999 French Open, with the former winning 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. Her name was Martina Hingis. [92][93], Graf also occasionally played mixed doubles, although she never won a title. The shock was who she did it against. At the Olympic Games in Barcelona, Graf lost to Jennifer Capriati in the final and claimed the silver medal. She was also inducted to the German Sport Hall of Fame. Vicario was the no 2 seed while Graf was ranked no 1. 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). [22] She began practising on a court at the age of four and played in her first tournament at five. [155], In 2004, the Berliner Tennis-Arena was renamed Steffi-Graf-Stadion in honor of Graf. n 1973 Steffi avea 3 ani cnd a luat prima oar n Brhl (Baden) o rachet de tenis n mn. Martina [Navratilova] won more on fast courts and I won more on slow courts, but Steffi came along and won more titles on both surfaces. [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. Graf's Grand Slam tournament breakthrough came in 1987. Steffi Graf was born as Stefanie Maria Graf on 14th June 1969 in West Germany. 29 Jan Tennis Norge .
T365 Recall: Steffi Graf's brutal 32-minute 6-0, 6-0 - Tennis365 .
"Such a cruel moment" - Steffi Graf once spoke about Martina Hingis Graf lost her singles match to Elena Likhovtseva 54. [14][13], An exceptionally versatile competitor, Graf remains the only player, male or female, to have won the calendar-year Grand Slam on three surfaces or to have won each Grand Slam at least four times. 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%: . [50][51], During Seles's absence, Graf won 65 of 67 matches,[52] three of four Grand Slam events and the year-end Virginia Slims championships. 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]. 1988 French Open. Her toughest battle came against rising star Martina Hingis in the semifinal, with Hingis unable to convert on five set points. 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. She married fellow Olympic champion Agassi in 2001, and the pair have two children together. [137] She started dating Andre Agassi after the 1999 French Open and they married on 22 October 2001, with only their mothers as witnesses. [98][99] It was Graf and Snchez Vicario's first head-to-head meeting since 1996.
The Tennis 128: No. 2, Steffi Graf - Heavy Topspin Tennis was a demonstration sport during the 1984 Olympic Games. '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. At the French Open, Graf successfully defended her title by defeating Natasha Zvereva 60, 60 in a 34-minute final. . [124][125][126] In 2010, Graf and Agassi collaborated with Head and developed the new line of Star Series tennis racquets. Steffi Graf's 22 Grand Slam singles titles put her second on the list of major wins in the female competition since the introduction of the Open Era in 1968 . 2 (21-06-10) Titles. In the 1980s and '90s Graf was ranked the top woman player by the Women's Tennis Association . 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. Seles defeated Graf at the Australian Open 46, 63, 62. 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. Although she now lives in Las Vegas, Stefanie Maria Graf was born in Mannheim, West Germany on June 14, 1969. . Voted Germany's Sportswoman of the Century in 1999 by the German press. Graf, Kerber's idol .
Queens of the Court: Steffi Graf - Bleacher Report [156], Graf was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004 and the German Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.[157][158]. Sela said: Is it possible to have another 1988 Golden Grand Slam Steffi Graf: yeah sure, anything's possible, like having all eight planets aligned in the solar system. 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. . After surviving a scare in a three-setter against Amanda Coetzer in the first round, Graf reached the final with relative ease, while Seles went through her side of the draw in even more convincing fashion. In the final, Evert was completely overwhelmed in the first set, losing 6-1. However, Graf admitted in 1995 that she would have preferred having a two-handed backhand in retrospect. She had an Adidas sneakers line known as the St. Graf Pro line. [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. Some noted observers, such as Margaret Court, suggested that Graf could achieve the feat a couple more times. Opponent Score Loss: 1986: Year-end championships: Carpet (i) Martina Navratilova: 6-7 (8-10), 3-6, 2-6 Win: 1987: Year-end championships: In her semifinal match at the US Open, Graf defeated Sabatini 36, 64, 62. 667 (25-02-23) Best Rank. In their prime, they ruled their eras with their own dominating styles. But Vicario took the first set and Graf took the second.
Novak Djokovic: 'I'm not in touch with Steffi Graf but' [36] Graf also won her only Grand Slam doubles title that yearat Wimbledon partnering Sabatiniand picked up a women's doubles Olympic bronze medal.
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. Her birth name is Stefanie Maria Graf and she is currently 51 years old. . He claimed that he committed the attack to help Graf reclaim the world 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. [80][81] She soon began taking the top prize at junior tournaments with regularity, going on to win the European Championships 12s and 18s in 1982. Steffi Graf - 22; The former German tennis star is third on the list with 22 grand slam titles victories. 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.
Tennis Abstract: Steffi Graf Match Results, Splits, and Analysis Graf won 6-0, 6-0. All Rights Reserved. Victories at Hamburg and Berlin (beating Snchez Vicario in the finals of both) prepared her for the French Open, where she defeated Snchez Vicario in the semifinals after losing the first set 60. Next up were the grass courts of Wimbledon, where Graf was never in any danger until the final, when she came up against six-time defending champion Navratilova, unbeaten since 1981. In a close French Open final, Graf again overcame Snchez Vicario, taking the third set 108. After winning two more indoor tournaments at Zurich and Brighton, she failed once again in the Virginia Slims Championships, losing her quarterfinal to Novotn. 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). Starting in the early 1990s, she used the slice almost exclusively in baseline rallies and mostly limited the topspin backhand to passing shots. At the US Open, Graf beat Sabatini in a three-set final to win the Grand Slam by 63, 36, 61, a feat previously performed by only two other women, Maureen Connolly Brinker in 1953 and Margaret Court in 1970. Steffi Graf and Serena Williams played just twice. She also . [150] Flink said in 2020 that the jury was still out on (Serena) Williams as the greatest ever, but Williams' consistency over the long span did not match that of Graf or Navratilova. Graf did not lose a set the whole tournament. Wimbledon authorities then threatened to immediately shut down any subsequent press conferences where questions about the issue were asked. She was successful, however, in the mixed doubles match. . 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. [88] Sabatini said of the partnership: "doubles is all about communicating with each other, and we didn't communicate that much. Graf served for the match at 53 in the third set but lost the game and won only three more points in the match. 1999 Germany Television Award for her outstanding performance as tennis player and her importance to the German public. 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. In Indian Wells Graf lost to Serena Williams in three sets. "[89] Her endurance and superior footwork allowed her to excel on clay courts, where, in addition to six French Open titles, she won 26 regular tour events, including a record eight titles at the German Open. [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. All right, yes, there is the winning and, with it, the money, but they come too easily and bring only temporary relief. Steffi Graf collided against Spain's Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the finals of the 1995 Wimbledon. She would later become the world's number one female tennis player. 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. In August as a 15-year-old (and youngest entrant) representing West Germany, she won the tennis demonstration event at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. 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 . She had to overcome three difficult three set matches en route to this final, against Mariaan De Swardt in the second round, Venus Williams in the quarterfinals and Mirjana Lui in the semifinals. WATCH THIS STORY: When Roger Federer toyed his opponent so bad, he asked for advice from Andre Agassi in the crowd Wimbledon championships. 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. [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. When she was nine years old, her family moved to the neighboring town of Brhl. Key; W F SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A . She had just lost a three-set semifinal to No. She returned to win a small tournament at Mahwah just before the US Open where, in one of the most anticipated matches of the year, she encountered Navratilova in a semifinal. Fury's brother suggests alternative opponent if Usyk fight does not happen. At Wimbledon, Graf defeated Jana Novotn to win her third consecutive, and fifth overall, ladies' title. The last few years of Graf's career were beset by injuries, particularly to her knees and back. The facts: American Amy Frazier was Graf's final opponent. That doesn't mean it will happen. Since Graf skipped the Italian Open, she did not take part in the vote. Her winning streak (unbeaten since the 1989 French Open loss to Arantxa Snchez) continued with victories in Tokyo, Amelia Island, and Hamburg. 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. Having suffered from leg cramps since the middle of the third set, Graf ran off the court seconds after match point to seek medical treatment. 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. "Steffi Graf is the best all-around player," said Evert, whose name is also mentioned as one of the all-time greats. Official match time was 34 minutes, which charitably included two minutes of rain delay. 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. [63][64], A strained right calf muscle forced Graf to withdraw from the Australian Open. [37] He went on to add, "I saw what Steffi did to Sabatini at the Australian Open this year, and that was it. 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. A commemorative plaque outside the venue in Seoul bears testament to the event: Historic Place for Golden Slam. [28][29][30][31] The official time of the match given on the scoresheet was 34 minutes; however, just 32 minutes of that was spent on the court, as a rain break split the match into two periods of play, of nine and 23 minutes. Even though she lost the opening set, Graf went on to prevail in three sets.
Steffi Graf's 1988 Golden Slam - an unprecedented achievement Graf won four indoor tournaments after the US Open, including a pair of straight-set wins over Sabatini in the finals of Zrich and Worcester. 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.
Where Are They Now: Steffi Graf - Sports Illustrated [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. 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. 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. Graf has a 20863 (76.8%) record against players who were, at the time the match was played, ranked in the top 10.[1]. She hit the sliced backhand harder and with more underspin than any woman I have ever seen. Venus Williams won her first Games titles 19 years ago, and she hasnt finished yet! 1999 Athlete of the Century for the category Female Athlete in Ballsports by a panel of the, 1999 The Greatest Female Tennis Player of the 20th century, by a panel of tennis experts assembled by the Associated Press, 1999 Female Athlete of the Year, by the German television broadcaster ARD, 1999 Female Sports Award of the Last Decade, by, 1999 Olympic Order granted by Dr. Antonio Samaranch, president of the IOC, 2002 Medal of Honor, bestowed by the prime minister of Graf's home state, 2008 Cross of the Order of Merit awarded to her by German Federal President Horst Khler.
Steffi Graf Net Worth 2023: Age, Height, Weight, Husband, Kids, Bio [17] Graf married former world No. 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. [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. At Wimbledon, however, Graf captured her third women's crown, this time at Sabatini's expense. [105] It was the first time in 14 years Graf had played Navratilova. Graf began playing tennis with the encouragement of her father, who became her coach. 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. 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. Graf then reached her ninth Wimbledon singles final, losing to third-seeded Davenport in straight sets. [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.
[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. 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. (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. [82] Upon her return Graf defeated world No. Graf started 1988 by winning the Australian Open, defeating Chris Evert in the final 61, 76. Just over 30 years old, Graf retired . Seles was behind 26 in the first-set tiebreaker, but then came back to win six points in a row and take the set. " ( . Shortly after the US Open, she underwent surgery to remove a bone spur in her right wrist. [66] In August Monica Seles made her much anticipated return to tennis at the Canadian Open.
Kohde-Kilsch Finds She Can Do Nothing Against Dominant Graf Martina Navratilova included Graf at the top of her list of the greatest players ever. [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).
The 50 Greatest Players of the Open Era (W): No. 2, Steffi Graf ", "An Evolutionary History of Tennis Racquets", "Marketing to the female target audience", "OFFBEAT: Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf team up for new tennis racquet", "Viewing Gallery: Happy Birthday! [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. AP Photo/Bruno Mosconi. In 1988, Graf became the first tennis player to achieve the Golden Slam by winning all four major singles titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same calendar year. David Douillet writes judo history in Sydney in 2000. Less than three weeks after beating her in New York, Graf inflicted yet another defeat on the Argentinean, giving her no chance with an imposing 6-3, 6-3 victory.
Steffi Graf | Biography, Titles, & Facts | Britannica 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. Nominated and voted the title Mother of the nation in her country, Germany, 2010. 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. (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. Steffi Graf vs. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario ** **Head to Head: **28-8, Graf . The similarities and differences between Steffi Graf in 1988 and Serena Williams in 2015. First Grand Slam victory of the year for Graf: 6-1, 7-6. It was like a death by a thousand cuts for her poor opponents who would be . Stefanie ("Steffi") Graf | Former German Tennis Pro and Champion. Though she did not win any title for the . [70][71] He was eventually released after serving 25 months. [90][91] She played her last Grand Slam doubles tournament at the 1999 Australian Open with Gorrochategui, losing in the second round. The American then took her opponent to a tie-break in the second set, eventually going down 7-3.
Steffi Graf - Wikipedia Is it possible to have another Steffi Graf? | Page 2 | Talk Tennis