Williams VS Graf MATCHES VS ALL OPPONENTS Tennis H2H Venus Williams vs Steffi Graf. She had just lost a three-set semifinal to No. - [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. Steffi Graf - 22; The former German tennis star is third on the list with 22 grand slam titles victories. Graf did not lose a set the whole tournament. [25] During that period, she lost six times to Evert and three times to Navratilova, all in straight sets. 124. Then on 11 September in New York, Graf became the first woman to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in the same year since Australias Margaret Smith-Court in 1970. Associations of International Sport Federations, Organising Committees for the Olympic Games. Voted Germans greatest role model by TV14 magazine, 2004. Voted The best female role model in sports in a survey by Barclays, sponsors of the Premier League, 2010. In 2008 Graf lost an exhibition match against Kimiko Date at Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo. [145], In 2001, Graf indicated that she preferred to be called Stefanie instead of Steffi. played a game called "Can you last an hour on court with Graf" because throughout her career she used to beat her opponents 6-0 6-1. The match was played over two days with Navratilova finally winning after saving three match points 61, 67, 76. But Vicario took the first set and Graf took the second. 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. Graf had complained of an issue with her left knee but showed little trouble outplaying her opponent. Meet Daughter Of Steffi Graf And Andre Agassi - VergeWiki Graf also won the 1984 demonstration event at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, but this was for players aged 21 or under, and it was not an official Olympic event. That was the last competitive match Graf and Snchez Vicario would ever play against one another. [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. Steffi Graf collided against Spain's Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the finals of the 1995 Wimbledon. 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. [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. [17] Graf married former world No. [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 edges Hingis, captures sixth and 'last' French title", "Do Not Disturb: If Steffi Graf could shut out the world the way she shuts down opponents on the court then, for her, life would be perfect", "Tennis | Martinez wins controversial clash", "Results Archive - Steffi Graf - Australian Open Tennis Championships", "Tennis: Wimbledon 99 - Magic mixture of McEnroe and Graf", "TENNIS; Without Dad Around To Disturb Her, Lucic Upsets Fourth-Seeded Seles at Wimbledon", "Graf overcomes layoff to beat Coetzer in farewell exhibition", "* NZine * Tennis - The Biggest Participant Sport In New Zealand - Tennis, Steffi Graf, Indoor Tennis Centre, Davis Cup, Anthony Wilding, Wilding Park, Maurice Agar, Scenic Circles Indoor Tennis Centre, New Zealand Tennis", "Steffi Graf delights crowd at Westside Tennis Club - Houston Chronicle", "Steffi Graf: The Queen Returns to Centre Court", "Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova and Elton John headline an evening of tennis for charity in Washington", "ASAP Sports Transcripts - Tennis - 1995 - WTA TOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS - November 18 - Steffi Graf", "Today in Performance Sneaker History: Steffi Graf Becomes First Female with 500 Wins in Signature adidas Model", "Take a look at this Dunlop Steffi Graf ad from 1989! 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. Her 0.977 winning percentage is the second-highest in the open era behind Navratilova.[44]. Kohde-Kilsch Finds She Can Do Nothing Against Dominant Graf Peter Graf also kept a tight rein on Graf's personal life. As usual, the defining shot of the day was the one that earned Steffi her nickname, Frulein Forehand. Graf lost twice to Sabatini during the spring, once on hardcourts in Boca Raton, Florida, and once on clay at Amelia Island, Florida. Tennis Abstract: Steffi Graf Match Results, Splits, and Analysis Her rivalries with Yugoslavias Monica Seles and Spains Arantxa Snchez Vicario in the 1980s and 1990s have gone down in tennis folklore. . LEAVE A . [8] Furthermore, she is the only tennis player, male or female, to have won each major tournament at least four times. Her father, an aspiring tennis coach, first introduced her to the game, teaching his . Graf lost an Australian Open quarterfinal to Jana Novotn, the first time she did not reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam singles tournament since the 1986 French Open. The match was notable for its dramatic ending. 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. Her name was Martina Hingis. Steffi Graf vs. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario ** **Head to Head: **28-8, Graf . 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for a record 377 total weeks. (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. 33 years ago, Steffi Graf made this unique record which remains [88] Sabatini said of the partnership: "doubles is all about communicating with each other, and we didn't communicate that much. This was not a first-round sacrifice, an opponent drawn at random. And each time the opponent threw a problem her way, she . 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. The last few years of Graf's career were beset by injuries, particularly to her knees and back. Serena did that only for a few tournaments in her career while Steffi did . Graf began playing tennis with the encouragement of her father, who became her coach. She won no titles during the next three years, but her ranking climbed steadily to world No. 2 Hingis and world No. Shortly after the stabbing, during a players meeting at the Italian Open in Rome, 17 of the world's top 25 WTA members voted against preserving Seles' world No. 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). 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 soon began taking the top prize at junior tournaments with regularity, going on to win the European Championships 12s and 18s in 1982. It just felt something special that I was going to, recalls Graf. 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. After breaking Novotn's serve, Graf won the next four games to take the match 76, 16, 64. 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 February 2000, Graf played against Kimiko Date at Nagoya Rainbow Hall in Tokyo, winning in three sets. Williams vs. Graf, and Graf's Disciple - The New York Times 1 Novak Djokovic could do the same if he wins gold, as could Roger Federer if he is involved in the Games. She was named the 1988 BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year. 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. Like the exhibition match the previous year against Sabatini, proceeds went to "Children for Tomorrow". Graf lost to Conchita Martnez in her comeback tournament a month later in Philadelphia. I was not having fun anymore. Her year continued indifferently with losses in three of her first four tournaments, including a semifinal loss to Jana Novotn in Chicago. For the German painter, see. 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. Angelique Kerber recalls memories of Steffi Graf at Wimbledon after becoming first German to win trophy since 1996 . In 1996, Steffi Graf was famously proposed to by a fan as she was getting ready to serve. Steffi Graf and Serena Williams played just twice. Where Are They Now: Steffi Graf - Sports Illustrated She then won her eighth German Open, but there were signs that her form was worsening as she almost lost to Julie Halard in a quarterfinal. Steffi Graf, byname of Stephanie Maria Graf, (born June 14, 1969, Brhl, West Germany [now in Germany]), German tennis player who dominated women's tennis in the late 1980s and '90s, winning 22 Grand Slam singles titles. 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. Going back in time, one can recall the right-handed player who fearlessly outplayed her opponents. Steffi Graf was a dominant force in tennis during the late 1980s and for much of the 1990s. [122] Graf's racquets were strung at 29 kilograms (64 pounds), significantly above the 50-60 pound range recommended by Wilson. 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. Talk Tennis Guru. Serena Williams, who will face Kerber in the final, beat Steffi Graf for the title at Indian Wells, Calif., in 1999. As true as that forehand was, the mask was no less a lie. [85][86] She was ranked No. Graf developed a bone spur at the base of her spine due to a congenital condition of the sacroiliac joint. 1 ranking to Martina Hingis and failed to win a Grand Slam title for the first time in ten years in 1997. Steffi Graf Net Worth 2023: Age, Height, Weight, Husband, Kids, Bio Instead of being hailed as the undisputed female GOAT, people will always talk about her mysterious backhand deficiency. 1 . 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). 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. In the middle of the second set, Graf suffered back spasms while reaching for a ball in the ad court. She teamed with Ansley Cargill in women's doubles against Anna Kournikova and Likhovtseva but lost 52. [22] She began practising on a court at the age of four and played in her first tournament at five. Kerber's opponent will be the defending champion, . 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. Graf who dated Michael Bartels is the daughter-in-law of Emmanuel Agassi. Steffi Graf and Serena Williams are two of the greatest women's tennis players ever. Performance timelines. Graf then won in Leipzig, with her 500th career victory coming in a quarterfinal against Judith Wiesner. [83], At the French Open, Graf reached her first Grand Slam final in three years and fought back from a set and twice from a break down in the second set to defeat the top ranked Hingis in three sets for a memorable victory. Steffi Graf | Player Stats & More - WTA Official 1 female player and won 22 Grand Slam singles titles. At the year-ending Virginia Slims Championships, Graf was upset by Pam Shriver, only her third loss of the year. Online", "GOAT Vote: Steffi or Serena? 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. No. She would either destroy opponents, clinically and . More than two years elapsed before Seles competed again. [143] Graf's mother and her brother also live there. [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). Graf won a majority of her slams using her sharp slice backhand and her incredible forehand. thesportslegends. Steffi Graf vs. Serena Williams: Who's the GOAT? | Stadium Talk 1 ranking. 3, Jana Novotn, before losing in the semifinal to first-seeded Davenport. 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. [142] The Graf-Agassi family resides in Summerlin, a community in the Las Vegas Valley. [79] Only one week later, she underwent reconstructive knee surgery in Vienna and subsequently missed the 1997 Wimbledon and US Open championships. But from 1990 onward, Graf hit fewer & fewer of those beautiful backhand drive/topspins for some reason. At Tokyo 2020, current world no. At Wimbledon, however, Graf captured her third women's crown, this time at Sabatini's expense. She lost her first round match 64, 60 to Tracy Austin, a two-time US Open champion and former world No. Steffi Graf - Wikipedia The match was poised for a final set to decide the . She then successfully defended the three Grand Slam titles she won the year before. . Graf retired at the age of 30 in 1999 while ranked as the world No. 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. Graf warmed up for the US Open with easy tournament victories in San Diego and Mahwah. Graf then won all five of her Fed Cup matches, helping Germany defeat Spain in the final by defeating Arantxa Snchez Vicario, 64, 62. In the Miami final, she lost her first set of the yearto Natasha Zverevaafter winning 54 consecutive sets. Despite their differences, their careers, on and off the court . Pause, rewind, play: The great Steffi Graf forehand - Scroll.in Her toughest battle came against rising star Martina Hingis in the semifinal, with Hingis unable to convert on five set points. Graf, Kerber's idol . [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. Most sliced shots float these days; Graf's seemed to reach her opponent's side in a straight line, skimming low over the net. She would either destroy opponents, clinically and . n civa ani ajunge . In 1988, there was no bronze medal match, and both beaten semifinalists received bronze medals. [105] It was the first time in 14 years Graf had played Navratilova. Her winning streak (unbeaten since the 1989 French Open loss to Arantxa Snchez) continued with victories in Tokyo, Amelia Island, and Hamburg. Graf, however, won the tournament in San Antonio, Texas, and retained her title in Miami, where she once again defeated Evert in the final. 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. According to her coaches Pavel Sloil and Heinz Gnthardt, Graf's superior sense of timing was the key behind the success of her forehand. At the first round of the season-ending Chase Championships, Graf defeated world No. [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. Argentinas Gabriela Sabatini reached her first ever final, but Graf secured a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory. It was like a death by a thousand cuts for her poor opponents who would be . Graf then won the tournament in Berlin, losing only twelve games in five matches. In addition to being great as players, they were also great as husband and wife. She ended the 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995, and 1996 tennis seasons as the worlds top-ranked player. In an unusual arrangement, she paired with her coaches Pavel Sloil at Wimbledon in 1988 and Heinz Gnthardt in 1992 and 1996, also at Wimbledon. The Washington, D.C. tournament was notable because Graf won the first twenty points of the final against Zina Garrison. Titles. [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. 1 ranking for the first time in 22 months. Graf had a bone splinter in her right foot during this tournament (and for the next few months), finally resulting in surgery on 4 October.[53]. 29 Jan Tennis Norge . At Wimbledon, Graf lost in the semifinals to Zina Garrison, who with this victory broke Graf's string of 13 consecutive major finals. My motivation wasn't what it was in the past. 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. will, Steffi would don her stoical mask and use her cannon of a forehand, the most powerful weapon in the women's game, to overwhelm her opponents. Four consecutive indoor tournament victories in the autumn helped improve her season, but for the third consecutive year, she failed to win the Virginia Slims Championships, where she lost in the first round to Lori McNeil. [77][78] In the French Open Graf was again beaten by Amanda Coetzer in straight sets, 61, 64. Graf was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004. [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. (not considered in winloss records). . I have complied some stats . Graf then capped the year by beating countrywoman Anke Huber in a five-set final at the season-ending WTA Championships in 2 hours and 46 minutes. She reached a total of 31 singles major finals. 2021 International Olympic Committee. Steffi Graf was already world number one, and just shy of 19 years old, when she began the 1988 season. . [144], In 1991, the Steffi Graf Youth Tennis Center in Leipzig was dedicated to her. Graf was trailing Martina Navratilova in the final 75, 20 before winning the match 57, 62, 61. Speculation was rife at the beginning of 1989 about the possibility of Graf winning another Grand Slam. [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. [122][129] Other companies she has endorsed include Barilla, Apollinaris, Citibank, Danone and Teekanne. One was 19 and one is pushing 34. It was important for me to win here, she said afterwards. 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. Ranking. The German, born on 14 June 1969 in Mannheim, was already showing the qualities that would lead to her being world no. [75] Graf then had a straight-sets win against Snchez Vicario in the Wimbledon final. Steffi Graf's 1988 Golden Slam - an unprecedented achievement In the French Open final, Graf defeated Navratilova, who was the world No. Graf won 6-0, 6-0. 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. [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 won 22 Grand Slam Singles' teetles, an in 1988 wis the only tennis player tae achieve the "Gowden Slam", winnin, in the Singles, aw fower Grand Slam teetles an the Olympic Gowd medal in the semme year. 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. In 2015, Graf was the recipient of the International Club's Jean Borotra Sportsmanship Award. She struggled at the German Open in Berlin where she lost a 60 set to the unheralded Sabine Hack before defeating Mary Joe Fernndez and Sabatini in three-set matches to claim her seventh title there in eight years. Monica Seles was an opponent in six major finals and the duo spilt at 3-3. 3, having racked up a total of 107 tournament victories. 1 Martina Navratilova, and reached two finals, at Wimbledon and the US Open, losing out to Navratilova in both. 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. Date biografice. Twice in the third set Snchez Vicario served for the championship but was broken each time by Graf. 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 . 1 ranking. She was in hard-court action in the capital of the Republic of Korea on 20 September and breezed through the rounds conceding just one set, against the Soviet Unions Larissa Savchenko in the quarter-final before coming up against Sabatini once again in the gold-medal match on 1 October 1988. Steffi Graf was born as Stefanie Maria Graf on 14th June 1969 in West Germany. Once was in Syndey early in the year at a small tournament, and again at Indian Wells, 1999. Early life. [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. 49 . Who is the GOAT: Serena Williams or Steffi Graf? It was the days when the Williams . 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 . In 1988, Graf became the third women's star to win the Golden Slam. Tennis's 10 Greatest Rivalries | GQ 1999 Germany Television Award for her outstanding performance as tennis player and her importance to the German public. 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. No medals were awarded as this was not an official Olympic event.[23]. 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. Seles was behind 26 in the first-set tiebreaker, but then came back to win six points in a row and take the set. 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. Social invitations on the tour were often declined as Graf's focus was kept on practicing and match play. Suffering from food poisoning, she had struggled to beat Monica Seles in their semifinal 63, 36, 63 and said that she had menstrual cramps in the final. Voted Germany's Sportswoman of the Century in 1999 by the German press. . She then lost to Sabatini in her next three tournaments before winning the U.S. Hardcourt Championships in San Antonio, beating Monica Seles in the final. . 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. Focus only on getting better. Extremely sound advice! In the late eighties and nineties Graf dominated. Meanwhile, her naturally aggressive style of play, effective backhand slice and speed around the court made her even more dominant on fast surfaces such as hard courts, grass and carpet. . Sport - Tennis: Novak Djokovic equals Steffi Graf's record for most weeks as world number one: Novak Djokovic equals Steffi Graf's record for most weeks as world. The Trials of Steffi Graf With Her Father in Jail and Her Own Innocence She is better than them all. Novak Djokovic: 'I'm not in touch with Steffi Graf but' Graf retired in August 1999 while ranked world No. 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. 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. Graf is the only person to have won the 'Golden Slam' (1988). Steffi Graf Bio, Affair, Married, Husband, Net Worth, Ethnicity In the subsequent Amelia Island final on clay, Graf lost her first match of the year to Sabatini but returned to European clay with easy victories at Hamburg and Berlin. 1 for 186 consecutive weeks (from August 1987 to March 1991; tied with Serena Williams, a record in the women's game) and a record total 377 weeks overall. 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.