Steffi Graf

Stefanie Maria Graf (born June 14, 1969 in Mannheim, Germany) is a former World No. 1 woman tennis player from Germany. She is generally considered to be one of the greatest woman tennis players of all time. Graf won 22 Grand Slam singles titles. In 1988, she became the only player to achieve the "Golden Slam" – capturing all four Grand Slam singles titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same year. She was ranked the Women's Tennis Association's No. 1 player for a record 377 weeks (the longest of any player, male or female, since rankings began) and is the only player, male or female, to have won all four Grand Slam singles tournaments (Wimbledon, the US Open, the French Open and the Australian Open) at least four times each.

A notable feature of Graf's game was her versatility across all playing surfaces, exemplified by her winning 6 French Open singles titles (second to Chris Evert) and 7 Wimbledon singles titles (third behind Martina Navratilova and Helen Wills).

Graf is married to the former World No. 1 men's tennis player Andre Agassi.

Playing Style

The main weapon in Graf's game was her powerful forehand, which earned her the nickname "Fraulein Forehand." Over time, Graf also developed the best slice backhand in the game, as well as a consistent volley. She built her powerful and accurate serve up to 105 mph. She was also extremely fast and athletic, chasing down balls that seemed unplayable. Though she chose tennis as her career, she was also a top 400-metre runner in her youth and could potentially have been a world-class athlete in that event.

Biography

Early career

Steffi was introduced to tennis by her father Peter Graf, a car and insurance salesman and aspiring tennis coach, who taught his three-year-old daughter how to swing a wooden racket in the family's living room. She began practicing on a court at the age of four and played in her first tournament at five. She soon began winning junior tournaments with regularity, and in 1982 she won the European Championships 12s and 18s.

Graf played in her first professional tournament in October 1982 at Filderstadt, Germany. She lost 6-4, 6-0 to Tracy Austin, a two-time US Open champion and former World No. 1 player. After the match, Austin seemingly dismissed Graf's abilities, saying there were "hundreds" of kids like her in the United States. (In their only other career match, Graf defeated Austin 6-0, 6-0 at Indian Wells in 1994.)

At the start of her first full professional season in 1983, the 13-year-old Graf was ranked No. 124. She won no titles in the next three years, but her game improved consistently and her ranking steadily climbed: to No. 98 in 1983, No. 22 in 1984, and No. 6 in 1985. In 1984, she represented West Germany in the tennis demonstration event at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles and won the gold medal. Her schedule was closely controlled by her father, who limited her play so that she would not burn out as many young tennis stars had. In 1985, for instance, she played only 10 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. Peter Graf also kept a tight rein on Steffi's personal life. Social invitations on the tour were often declined as Steffi's focus was kept very much on practicing and match play. Working with her father and then-coach Pavel Slozil, Graf typically practiced for up to four hours a day, often heading straight from airports to practice courts. This narrow focus meant that Graf, already shy and retiring by nature, made few friends on the tour in her early years, but it led to a steady improvement in her play.

Graf finally won her first tour title in April 1986 at Hilton Head, South Carolina, defeating Chris Evert in the final. She followed this up with seven further tournament victories in 1986 and finished the year ranked No. 3.

Breakthrough year

Graf's Grand Slam breakthrough came in 1987. She started the year strongly, with six tournament victories heading into the French Open. In the final, she defeated the World No. 1 Martina Navratilova in an epic battle, 6-4, 4-6, 8-6. Graf lost to Navratilova in the finals at Wimbledon and the US Open later that year. But she won four more tournaments after the French Open, including the season-ending Virginia Slims Championships at Madison Square Garden, and did enough to claim the World No. 1 ranking from Navratilova in August 1987, finishing the year with a 75-2 match record. She also helped West Germany win the Fed Cup that year.

"Golden Slam"

1988 is widely considered to be the pinnacle of Graf's career. She started out the year by winning the Australian Open, beating Evert in straight sets (6-1 7-6) in the final. Then at the French Open, she successfully defended her title by routing Natalia Zvereva 6-0, 6-0 in a 32-minute championship match. Next came Wimbledon, where Navratilova had won six straight titles. After a tight start to the final, Graf took control in the second set and beat Navratilova 5-7, 6-2, 6-1, taking 12 of the last 13 games. She then beat Sabatini in three sets in the US Open final to duplicate the feat of winning all four Grand Slam singles titles in one year, previously achieved by only two women – Maureen Connolly (in 1953) and Margaret Court (in 1970). But with tennis becoming a full medal sport at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, there was one more feat which Graf could add. And she duly defeated Sabatini 6-3, 6-3 in the Olympic final to win the gold medal and achieve what the media had dubbed the "Golden Slam." Graf also won her only Grand Slam doubles title that year – at Wimbledon partnering Sabatini – and picked up a women's doubles Olympic bronze medal. She was named the 1988 BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year.

New challengers

Graf extended her Grand Slam winning streak to five events at the Australian Open in 1989, where she comfortably beat Helena Sukova in the final. The winning streak was ended at the 1989 French Open, where a 17-year-old Spanish contender, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, beat her in three sets to become the French Open's youngest-ever winner. However the winning touch was quickly rediscovered as Graf beat Navratilova in three-set finals at both Wimbledon and the US Open, and again in four sets in the final of the season-ending Virginia Slims Championships.

Few doubted that Graf would continue to dominate the women's game for years to come when she beat Mary Joe Fernández in the final of the 1990 Australian Open. But a new threat to her dominance broke through at the 1990 French Open, where 16-year-old Monica Seles beat Graf in straight sets. At Wimbledon, Graf was unexpectedly beaten in the semifinals by Zina Garrison. She then reached the US Open final, but lost in straight sets to Sabatini. Personal problems contributed to her difficulties. In the middle of the year, her father Peter was the subject of a paternity suit brought by a former Playboy model. The difficulty of answering questions about the matter came to a head at a press conference early in the tournament at Wimbledon, where Steffi broke down in tears. Wimbledon authorities then threatened to immediately shut down any subsequent press conferences where questions about the issue were asked. (Tests eventually proved Peter was not the baby's father.) Though Graf remained the world No. 1 player at the end of 1990, her aura of invincibility had been broken.

A mixture of injury problems, personal difficulties, and loss of form made 1991 a tough year for Graf. Seles established herself as the new dominant player on the women's tour, winning the Australian Open, French Open and US Open, and ending Graf's reign as World No. 1 in March. Seles did not play at Wimbledon, where Graf won her only Grand Slam final of the year.

1992 was another comparatively poor year for Graf. Seles again won the Australian, French, and US Opens. Seles and Graf met in the French Open final, which Seles won in a very close battle, taking the third set 10-8. They then met again in the Wimbledon final, where Graf comprehensively proved that she was still the tour's strongest grass court player, winning 6-2, 6-1. Some argue that her victory was easier than it would have been, if not for a new rule which stated that the volume of Seles' grunts could not exceed a certain amount of decibels. At the Olympic Games in Barcelona, Graf lost to Jennifer Capriati in the final and claimed the silver medal. However she did win her second Fed Cup with Germany.

All indications were that Seles would continue to have the upper hand at the start of the 1993, when she beat Graf in three sets in the final of the Australian Open (a match plagued by a controversial line call against Graf when she was leading one set to love). However, a stunning turn of events changed everything on April 30. During a quarterfinal match between Seles and Magdalena Maleeva at Hamburg, Seles was stabbed between the shoulder blades by a member of the crowd during a change-over. As Seles was rushed to hospital, her attacker was taken into custody. It turned out that the assailant was Günter Parche, a 38-year-old mentally unstable fan of Graf from eastern Germany, who claimed that he committed the attack in order to help Graf reclaim the No. 1 ranking, which Seles had held for the past two years. Graf visited Seles in hospital the following day, but said little in public about the attack. She reached the final in Hamburg that year. (Parche went on trial twice for his attack on Seles but was never imprisoned.)

Many tennis professionals and commentators, while noting Graf's tremendous athleticism and prior dominance, believe Graf's accomplishments would have paled in comparison to Seles' had the 1993 stabbing not occured.

Second period of dominance

The psychological effects of the attack kept Seles away from the tour for the next 28 months. Graf won the remaining three Grand Slam titles in 1993 and regained the top ranking.

The beginning of 1994 saw Graf beat Sánchez Vicario in the final of the Australian Open and, for the second time in her career, become the holder of all four Grand Slam titles simultaneously. However, she lost to Mary Pierce in the semifinals at the French Open and then was shockingly eliminated in the first round at Wimbledon by the American Lori McNeil. She reached the final of the US Open, where she lost to Sánchez Vicario in three sets. (During the match Graf felt the first effects of a bone spur in her back, a condition that plagued her for the remainder of her career.)

Injury kept Graf out of the Australian Open in 1995. She came back strongly to beat Sánchez Vicario in the finals of both the French Open and Wimbledon. The Wimbledon final, touted as one of the greatest women's finals at Wimbledon, featured an exciting game in the penultimate set that lasted 20 minutes. The US Open was Seles' first Grand Slam after returning from her long period away from the tour. Seles and Graf met in the final, and Graf won a dramatic battle 7-6, 0-6, 6-3. She then capped the year by beating countrywoman, Anke Huber, in five sets in the final of the season-ending WTA Championships at Madison Square Garden.

In personal terms, 1995 was a very difficult year for Steffi as she was accused by the German authorities of tax evasion in the early years of her career. In her defense, all she could say was that her father Peter had been her financial manager, and all financial matters relating to her earnings at the time had been under his control. As a result, Peter Graf was sentenced to 45 months in jail. He was eventually released after serving 25 months. Prosecutors dropped their case against Steffi in 1997, when she agreed to pay a fine of 1.3 million Deutsche Marks to the government and an unspecified charity.

In 1996 Steffi, again missed the Australian Open due to injury and then successfully defended the three Grand Slam titles she won the year before. In a classic French Open final, Graf again overcame Sánchez Vicario, taking the third-set 10-8. She then had straight-sets wins against Sánchez Vicario in the Wimbledon final and Seles in the US Open final. 1996 also saw Graf win her fifth and final WTA Championships title with a five set win over Martina Hingis in the final.

While known for her businesslike approach to the game, at times Graf displayed a sense of humor. During a tight 1996 semifinal match at Wimbledon against Kimiko Date, Graf was getting ready to serve when a spectator yelled out "Steffi, will you marry me?" The spectators at Centre Court burst into laughter. Steffi caught the ball she was bouncing, turned toward the fan, and yelled "How much money do you have?" Graf lost the set but won the match 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. ^*

Final years on the tour

The last few years of Graf's career were beset by injuries; particularly to her knees and back. But this did not prevent her from enjoying some final Grand Slam success as her career came to a close. Injury problems caused Graf to miss much of the season in 1997. She lost the world No. 1 ranking to Martina Hingis and failed to win a Grand Slam title for the first time in ten years. After missing almost half the season in 1998, she finished that year ranked No. 9, her lowest ranking since 1984.

But Graf still had a few more dramatic moments up her sleeve in 1999. At the French Open, she reached her first Grand Slam final for three years and fought back from a set and a break down in the second set to defeat the tennis world's new young star, #1 ranked Martina Hingis, in three sets, in what she called her most satisfying Grand Slam victory. She also became the first player in the Open era to beat the #1, #2, and #3 world ranked players in the same Grand Slam tournament by defeating then #2 ranked Lindsay Davenport in the quarterfinals and #3 ranked Monica Seles in the semifinals. She then reached her ninth Wimbledon final, where she lost to Lindsay Davenport.

With a series of injuries refusing to go away, Graf announced her retirement from the tour in August 1999. She was ranked the World No. 3 at the time of her retirement.

During her career, Graf won 107 singles titles and 11 doubles titles. Her 22 Grand Slam singles titles are second only to Margaret Court, who won 24. Graf won 7 singles titles at Wimbledon, 6 singles titles at the French Open, 5 singles titles at the US Open, and 4 singles titles at the Australian Open. She is the only person to have won at least 4 singles titles at each Grand Slam event. Her overall record in 56 Grand Slam events was 282-34 (89 percent) (87-10 at the French Open, 75-8 at Wimbledon, 73-10 at the US Open, and 47-6 at the Australian Open). Her career prize-money earnings totalled US$21,895,277. Her singles win-loss record was 902-115 (89 percent). She was ranked No. 1 for a massive 377 weeks (non-consecutive), including a record 186 consecutive weeks (from August 1987-March 1991) – longer than any other man or woman player.

Personal life

Graf dated Michael Bartels for seven years. In early 1999, rumors began to fly that she and Andre Agassi were an item. They married on October 22 2001 at his home in Las Vegas. Their son, Jaden Gil, was born on October 26, six weeks premature. Their daughter, Jaz Elle, was born on October 3, 2003.

Awards

1986 "Most Improved Player" WTA TOUR
1987-90 "Player of the Year" WTA TOUR
1993-96 "Player of the Year" WTA TOUR
1996, 98-99 "Most Exciting Player of the Year" WTA TOUR
1987-90 "World Champion" ITF award.
1993, 95-96 "World Champion" ITF award
1988 "BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year"
1989 "Associated press female athlete of the year"
1999 "Prince of Asturias Award" one of the most important awards of Spain named after the apparent heir of Spain, Prince Felipe
1999 "German Television Award"
1999 "Athlete of the Century" for the category "female athlete in ballsports"
1999 "Female Athlete of the Year" by German TV broadcaster ARD
1999 "Female Sports Award of the last Decade" by ESPY, Las Vegas
1999 "Olympic Medal of Honor" granted by Dr. Antonio Samaranch, President of the IOC,Lausanne
2002 "Medal of Honor" decorated by the Prime Minister of Graf's home state Baden-Württemberg, Mr. Erwin Teufel

Steffi Graf was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004.

Special Honours

Steffi is the only female to be selected for Forbes Top-30 "Most recognizable and marketable athletes" list in 1995.

Selected for Euro-Heroes in 2004.

Voted "Germans greatest rolemodel" by TV14 magazine.

voted "Most admirable German woman" by Amica magazine.

Voted 3rd of Top10 world athletes by Germans.

Grand Slam singles finals

Wins (22)

Year	Championship	Opponent in Final	Score in Final
1987	French Open	Martina Navratilova	6-4, 4-6, 8-6
1988	Australian Open	Chris Evert	6-1, 7-6
	French Open	Natalia Zvereva	6-0, 6-0
	Wimbledon	Martina Navratilova	5-7, 6-2, 6-1
	US Open	Gabriela Sabatini	6-3, 3-6, 6-1
1989	Australian Open	Helena Suková	6-4, 6-4
	Wimbledon	Martina Navratilova	6-2, 6-7, 6-1
	US Open	Martina Navratilova	3-6, 7-5, 6-1
1990	Australian Open	Mary Joe Fernández	6-3, 6-4
1991	Wimbledon	Gabriela Sabatini	6-4, 3-6, 8-6
1992	Wimbledon	Monica Seles	6-2, 6-1
1993	French Open	Mary Joe Fernández	4-6, 6-2, 6-4
	Wimbledon	Jana Novotná	7-6, 1-6, 6-4
	US Open	Helena Suková	6-3, 6-3
1994	Australian Open	Arantxa Sánchez Vicario	6-0, 6-2
1995	French Open	Arantxa Sánchez Vicario	7-5, 4-6, 6-0
	Wimbledon	Arantxa Sánchez Vicario	4-6, 6-1, 7-5
	US Open	Monica Seles	7-6, 0-6, 6-3
1996	French Open	Arantxa Sánchez Vicario	6-3, 6-7, 10-8
	Wimbledon	Arantxa Sánchez Vicario	6-3, 7-5
	US Open	Monica Seles	7-5, 6-4
1999	French Open	Martina Hingis	4-6, 7-5, 6-2

Runner-ups (9)

'''Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final 1987 Wimbledon Martina Navratilova 7-5, 6-3 1987 US Open Martina Navratilova 7-6, 6-1 1989 French Open Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 7-6, 3-6, 7-5 1990 French Open Monica Seles 7-6, 6-4 1990 US Open Gabriela Sabatini 6-2, 7-6 1992 French Open Monica Seles 6-2, 3-6, 10-8 1993 Australian Open Monica Seles 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 1994 US Open Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 1-6, 7-6, 6-4 1999 Wimbledon Lindsay Davenport 6-4, 7-5

Performance timeline

Tournament	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	Career
Australian Open	1r	3r	-	-	-	W	W	W	QF	-	F	W	-	-	4r	-	QF	4
French Open	2r	3r	4r	QF	W	W	F	F	SF	F	W	SF	W	W	QF	-	W	6
Wimbledon	-	4r	4r	-	F	W	W	1r	W	W	W	1r	W	W	-	3r	F	7
U.S. Open	-	1r	SF	SF	F	W	W	F	SF	QF	W	F	W	W	-	4r	-	5
Grand Slam Win-Loss	1-2	7-4	11-3	9-2	19-2	28-0	27-1	24-3	21-3	17-2	27-1	18-3	21-0	21-0	7-2	5-2	17-2	280-32
WTA Tour Championships	-	-	-	F	W	SF	W	SF	QF	4r	W	QF	W	W	-	SF	-	5

External links

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