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). Is it possible to have any other year Steffi Graf: yep, it would be like Monica's or Serena's type of dominance. 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. 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. That was the last competitive match Graf and Snchez Vicario would ever play against one another. 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. [124][125][126] In 2010, Graf and Agassi collaborated with Head and developed the new line of Star Series tennis racquets. Social invitations on the tour were often declined as Graf's focus was kept on practicing and match play. She soon began taking the top prize at junior tournaments with regularity, going on to win the European Championships 12s and 18s in 1982. Graf is the only female athlete in the list of Forbes Top-30 Most recognizable and marketable athletes in 1995. Last edited on 28 February 2023, at 20:01, Learn how and when to remove this template message, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Steffi_Graf_career_statistics&oldid=1142150918, Virginia Slims Championships, New York City, WTA Tour Championships, New York, United States. In their prime, they ruled their eras with their own dominating styles. 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). All Rights Reserved. She would later become the world's number one female tennis player. Performance timelines. Tennis was a demonstration sport during the 1984 Olympic Games. Graf secured the World 124th position in her first year. [22] She began practising on a court at the age of four and played in her first tournament at five. [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. Although Sabatini got the best of Graf in the semifinals of the season-ending Virginia Slims Championships, Graf still finished the year as the top-ranked player. 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. Argentinas Gabriela Sabatini reached her first ever final, but Graf secured a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory. Stefanie Maria "Steffi" Graf; 14. 1969, , ) . But Vicario took the first set and Graf took the second. 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. At the year-ending Virginia Slims Championships, Graf was upset by Pam Shriver, only her third loss of the year. 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]. [79] Only one week later, she underwent reconstructive knee surgery in Vienna and subsequently missed the 1997 Wimbledon and US Open championships. Sabatini served for the match twice, and was two points away from her first Wimbledon title. 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. Martina Navratilova included Graf at the top of her list of the greatest players ever. She was named the 1988 BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year. A bout of rubella forced Graf to miss the first major event of 1992, the Australian Open. Selected for European Heroes in 2004 and 2005 by TIME Magazine. 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. At the beginning of 1999 Graf played the warm up event to the Australian Open in Sydney; she defeated Serena Williams in the second round and Venus in the quarterfinals before losing to Lindsay Davenport in the semifinal. Serena Williams, who will face Kerber in the final, beat Steffi Graf for the title at Indian Wells, Calif., in 1999. Graf played a singles exhibition match against Kim Clijsters and a mixed doubles exhibition alongside husband Andre Agassi against Tim Henman and Clijsters as part of a test event and celebration for the newly installed roof over Wimbledon's Centre Court in 2009. Steffi Graf was born in Mannheim, West Germany on June 14, 1969. The USAs Andre Agassi sealed his Career Golden Slam with the gold medal at Atlanta 1996, Spains Rafael Nadal did so at Beijing 2008 and American Serena Williams completed hers at London 2012. In the French Open final, Graf defeated Navratilova, who was the world No. [88] Sabatini said of the partnership: "doubles is all about communicating with each other, and we didn't communicate that much. thesportslegends. 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. Steffi Graf: Steffi Graf has 22 grand slams to her name, most coming during the late 80s and 90s. In 2008 Graf lost an exhibition match against Kimiko Date at Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo. SAN DIEGO The shock was not that top-ranked Steffi Graf won another match, 6-0, 6-0. She always said: I never look back, I look forward, but she also said: You can't measure success if you have never failed. (not considered in winloss records). [105] It was the first time in 14 years Graf had played Navratilova. [146], In December 1999, Graf was named the greatest female tennis player of the 20th century by a panel of experts assembled by the Associated Press. Graf, however, won the tournament in San Antonio, Texas, and retained her title in Miami, where she once again defeated Evert in the final. She was also inducted to the German Sport Hall of Fame. 6 in 1985. The Washington, D.C. tournament was notable because Graf won the first twenty points of the final against Zina Garrison. And so many times she was able to absorb her opponent's biggest blows and . She has a brother named Michael. At age 13 she became the second youngest player ever to earn an international ranking. The German allowed Zvereva just 13 points, three of them in that one early game. 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. However, Graf admitted in 1995 that she would have preferred having a two-handed backhand in retrospect. 3, Jana Novotn, before losing in the semifinal to first-seeded Davenport. [154] Her unprecedented Golden Slam saw her receive the 1988 BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year. Having also won bronze in the womens doubles with Claudia Kohde-Kilsch in Seoul, her Olympic record stands at four podium finishes, including two titles counting the one she won in Los Angeles aged 14 when tennis was a demonstration sport! Her career prize-money earnings totalled US$21,895,277 (a record until Lindsay Davenport surpassed this amount in January 2008). The similarities and differences between Steffi Graf in 1988 and Serena Williams in 2015. Although she now lives in Las Vegas, Stefanie Maria Graf was born in Mannheim, West Germany on June 14, 1969. In February 2000, Graf played against Kimiko Date at Nagoya Rainbow Hall in Tokyo, winning in three sets. . The last few years of Graf's career were beset by injuries, particularly to her knees and back. Graf is the only person to have won the 'Golden Slam' (1988). The difficulty of answering questions about the matter came to a head at a Wimbledon press conference, where Graf broke down in tears. She lost a lengthy one-set singles match to Clijsters and also the mixed doubles.[106]. [98][99] It was Graf and Snchez Vicario's first head-to-head meeting since 1996. Graf was the first tennis player to achieve the feat: wheelchair tennis players Diede de Groot and Dylan Alcott achieved the Golden Slam in 2021. [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. Only three other players have won the four majors plus the Olympic Games title, and never in the same calendar year. Graf has a 20863 (76.8%) record against players who were, at the time the match was played, ranked in the top 10.[1]. 1 Novak Djokovic could do the same if he wins gold, as could Roger Federer if he is involved in the Games. Peter Graf also kept a tight rein on Graf's personal life. 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. At the US Open, Graf was upset in the quarterfinals by Snchez Vicario 76, 63. Steffi Graf and Serena Williams are two of the greatest women's tennis players ever. She won five consecutive singles majors (1988 Australian Open to 1989 Australian Open), and seven out of eight, in two calendar years (1988 Australian Open to 1989 US Open, except 1989 French Open). Graf said after the final that it would be her last French Open, fueling speculation about her retirement.[84]. [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. Kerber's opponent will be the defending champion, . Along with Boris Becker, Graf was considered instrumental in popularizing tennis in Germany, where it remains one of the foremost national sports.[18][19][20]. Jaz Elle Agassi is best known as being a daughter of former tennis couple Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi.. Parents Wedding. "Peter Graf" redirects here. 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. 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. 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. Even discounting that result, no other player had played and won 27 Grand Slam matches in a single year before. Graf then won the tournament in Berlin, losing only twelve games in five matches. Four Grand Slam wins and an Olympic title in the same year a feat that no male or female player had achieved before or has done since. No medals were awarded as this was not an official Olympic event.[23]. At the Olympic Games in Barcelona, Graf lost to Jennifer Capriati in the final and claimed the silver medal.