Stefanie Maria Graf (/ɡrɑːf,ɡræf/GRA(H)F,German:[ˈʃtɛfiˈɡʁaːf]ⓘ;[4][5] born 14 June 1969), known professionally asSteffi Graf and preferring to be calledStefanie since 2001,[6] is a German former professionaltennis player.[a] She was ranked as theworld No. 1 in women's singles by theWomen's Tennis Association (WTA) for a record 377 weeks, and finished as theyear-end No. 1 a record eight times. Graf won 107 singles titles on theWTA Tour, including 22major women's singles titles, the second-most since the start of theOpen Era in 1968 and thethird-most of all time. She is the only tennis player, male or female, to have won each major singles tournament at least four times — aquadruple career Grand Slam.
A teenage phenomenon, Graf became the youngest player to appear in the main draw of a major at the1983 French Open aged 13. She improved over the following years and emerged as the player who endedChris Evert andMartina Navratilova's dominance on women's tennis, winning her first major at the1987 French Open. In1988, Graf ascended to dominance, becoming the first tennis player to achieve theGolden Slam by winning all four major titles and theOlympic gold medal in the same calendar year. The following years saw her remain the best player in the world, but struggle with injuries and the rise of young rivals, especiallyMonica Seles. After thestabbing of Seles in 1993, Graf returned to dominance on the women's tour for several years. After more injuries in 1997 and 1998, in 1999 Graf captured her 22nd and final major title at theFrench Open, reached theWimbledon final, and retired from the sport, aged 30 and ranked as the world No. 3.
Graf's game was noted for versatility across all playing surfaces, footwork, and powerful forehand drive. Her athletic ability and aggressive game played from the baseline have been credited with developing the style of play that dominates today's game.Billie Jean King said, "Steffi [Graf] is definitely the greatest women's tennis player of all time." Graf was named the greatest female tennis player of the 20th century by theAssociated Press; asked in 2016 to name the greatest players of all time,Serena Williams answered Graf andRoger Federer. Graf was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004. Along withBoris Becker, Graf is considered instrumental in popularizing tennis in Germany. She has been married to fellow tennis playerAndre Agassi since 2001. They have two children.
Stefanie Graf was born on 14 June 1969, inMannheim, Baden-Württemberg,West Germany, to Heidi Schalk and car-and-insurance salesmanPeter Graf (18 June 1938 − 30 November 2013). When she was nine years old, her family moved to the neighboring town ofBrühl. She has a younger brother, Michael.[8]
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.[9] She began practising on a court at the age of four and played in her first tournament at five. 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 played in her first professional tournament in October 1982 atFilderstadt, Germany. She lost her first round match 6–4, 6–0 toTracy Austin, a two-time US Open champion and former world No. 1 player.
At the start of her first full professional year in 1983, Graf was 13 years old and ranked world No. 124. She won no titles during the next three years, but her ranking climbed steadily to world No. 98 in 1983, No. 22 in 1984, and No. 6 in 1985. In 1984, she first gained international attention when she almost upset the tenth seed,Jo Durie of the United Kingdom, in a fourth roundCentre Court match at Wimbledon. In August as a 15-year-old (and youngest entrant) representing West Germany, she won the tennis demonstration event at the1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. No medals were awarded as this was not an official Olympic event.[10]
Graf's schedule was closely controlled by her father Peter Graf, who limited her play so that she would not burn out.[11] In 1985, for instance, she played only ten events leading up to the US Open, whereas another up-and-coming star,Gabriela Sabatini, played 21. Peter Graf also kept a tight rein on his daughter's personal life. Social invitations on the tour were often declined as Graf's focus was kept on practicing and match play. Working with her father and then-coachPavel Složil, 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,[11] made few friends on the tour in her early years, but it led to a steady improvement in her play.
In 1985 and early 1986, Graf emerged as the top challenger to the dominance ofMartina Navratilova andChris Evert.[12] During that period, she lost six times to Evert and three times to Navratilova, all in straight sets. She did not win a tournament but consistently reached tournament finals, semifinals and quarterfinals, with the highlight being a semifinal defeat to Navratilova at the US Open.
On 13 April 1986, Graf won her first WTA tournament and beat Evert for the first time in the final of theFamily Circle Cup inHilton Head, South Carolina (she never lost to Evert again, beating her seven more times over the next three and a half years). Graf then won her next three tournaments atAmelia Island, Indianapolis, andBerlin, culminating in a 6–2, 6–3 defeat of Navratilova in the final of the latter. Illness caused her to miss Wimbledon,[13] and an accident where she broke a toe several weeks later also curtailed her play. She returned to win a small tournament atMahwah just before the US Open where, in one of the most anticipated matches of the year, she encountered Navratilova in a semifinal. Navratilova prevailed over Graf in the semifinal 6–1, 6–7(7–3), 7–6(10–8), saving three match points in an epic spread over two days.[14][15] Graf then won three consecutive indoor titles atTokyo,Zurich, andBrighton, before once again contending with Navratilova at the season-endingVirginia Slims Championships in New York. This time, Navratilova beat Graf 7–6, 6–3, 6–2.
Graf's Grand Slam tournament breakthrough came in 1987. She started the year strongly, with six tournament victories heading into the French Open, with the highlight being at the tournament inMiami, 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 French Open final, Graf defeated Navratilova, who was the world No. 1, 6–4, 4–6, 8–6 after beating Sabatini in a three-set semifinal.
Graf then lost to Navratilova 7–5, 6–3 in the Wimbledon final, her first loss of the year. However, in theFederation Cup final inVancouver, Canada, three weeks later, she defeated Evert easily 6–2, 6–1. The US Open ended anti-climactically as Navratilova defeated Graf in the final 7–6, 6–1.
Graf had a win–loss record of 75–2 for a 97.4 winning percentage in 1987, both losses coming to Navratilova as they split the four matches they played during the year. 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. 1 ranking for the first time in her career, a ranking she would hold for the next 186 consecutive weeks, a record (it was tied by Serena Williams in 2016). Graf was the first player other than Navratilova or Evert to hold the top spot since Tracy Austin in 1980.[16]
Graf started 1988 by winning the Australian Open, defeating Chris Evert in the final 6–1, 7–6. Graf did not lose a set during the tournament and lost a total of only 29 games.
Graf lost twice to Sabatini during the spring, once on hardcourts in Boca Raton, Florida, and once on clay atAmelia Island, Florida. Graf, however, won the tournament in San Antonio, Texas, and retained her title in Miami, where she once again defeated Evert in the final. Graf then won the tournament inBerlin, losing only twelve games in five matches.
At theFrench Open, Graf successfully defended her title by defeatingNatasha Zvereva 6–0, 6–0 in a 34-minute final.[17][18][19][20] 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.[21] That was the shortest-ever and most one-sided Grand Slam tournament final ever and the firstdouble bagel in a major final in theOpen Era.[22] Zvereva, who had eliminatedMartina Navratilova in the fourth round, won only thirteen points in the match.[22]
Next came Wimbledon, where Martina Navratilova had won six straight titles. Graf was trailing Martina Navratilova in the final 7–5, 2–0 before winning the match 5–7, 6–2, 6–1.[23] She then won tournaments inHamburg andMahwah (where she lost only eight games all tournament).
At the US Open, Graf beat Sabatini in a three-set final, 6–3, 3–6, 6–1, to win theGrand Slam, a feat previously performed by only two other women,Maureen Connolly Brinker in 1953 andMargaret Court in 1970. 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.[24]
In reaching and winning all four Grand Slam finals, Graf became the first player in history to contest and win 28 Grand Slam singles matches in a single year; albeit including the unplayed walkover against Evert in the US Open. Even discounting that result, no other player had played and won 27 Grand Slam matches in a single year before. Since then, five players managed a 27–1 win–loss record, meaning all of them failed to win the Grand Slam: Graf in 1989 and 1993,Monica Seles in 1992,Martina Hingis in 1997,Roger Federer in 2006, andNovak Djokovic in 2015, 2021 and 2023.
Graf then defeated Sabatini 6–3, 6–3 in the gold medal match at theOlympic Games inSeoul and achieved what the media had dubbed the "Golden Slam", the first tennis player to do this.[25][26][27] 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. Graf was the first tennis player to achieve this.[citation needed]
Speculation was rife at the beginning of 1989 about the possibility of Graf winning another Grand Slam. Some noted observers, such as Margaret Court, suggested that Graf could achieve the feat a couple more times. And the year began as expected, with Graf extending her Grand Slam tournament winning streak to five events at the Australian Open, defeatingHelena Suková in the final. Her 6–3, 6–0 defeat of Gabriela Sabatini in a semifinal was described by veteran observerTed Tinling as "probably the best tennis I've seen".[28] He went on to add, "I saw what Steffi did to Sabatini at the Australian Open this year, and that was it. She is better than them all."[29]
Graf followed this with easy victories in her next four tournaments at Washington, D.C., San Antonio, Texas, Boca Raton, Florida, andHilton Head. The Washington, D.C. tournament was notable because Graf won the first twenty points of the final againstZina Garrison.[30] In the Boca Raton final, Graf lost the only set she conceded to Chris Evert in their final seven matches.[31]
In the subsequentAmelia Island final on clay, Graf lost her first match of the year to Sabatini but returned to European clay with easy victories atHamburg andBerlin.
Graf's Grand Slam tournament winning streak ended at the French Open, where 17-year-old SpaniardArantxa Sánchez Vicario beat Graf in three sets. Graf served for the match at 5–3 in the third set but lost the game and won only three more points in the match. Suffering from food poisoning, she had struggled to beatMonica Seles in their semifinal 6–3, 3–6, 6–3 and said that she had menstrual cramps in the final.[32][33] Graf, however, recovered to defeat Martina Navratilova 6–2, 6–7, 6–1 in the Wimbledon final after defeating Monica Seles 6–0, 6–1 in a fourth round match, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in a quarterfinal, and Chris Evert in a semifinal.
Graf warmed up for the US Open with easy tournament victories inSan Diego andMahwah. In her semifinal match at the US Open, Graf defeated Sabatini 3–6, 6–4, 6–2. The match was notable for its dramatic ending. 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.[34] In the final, Navratilova led 6–3, 4–2 before Graf rallied to win 3–6, 7–5, 6–1 for her third Grand Slam singles title of the year.
Victories at Zurich andBrighton preceded theVirginia Slims Championships, where Graf cemented her top-ranked status by beating Navratilova in the four-set final. Graf ended 1989 with an 86–2 match record and the loss of only 12 sets. Her 0.977 winning percentage is the second-highest in the open era behind Navratilova.[35]
Graf defeatedMary Joe Fernández in the final of the Australian Open, which was her eighth Grand Slam singles title in the last nine she contested. 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 6–4. Her winning streak (unbeaten since the 1989 French Open loss to Arantxa Sánchez) continued with victories inTokyo,Amelia Island, andHamburg. Shortly after winning in Tokyo, Graf injured her right thumb while cross-country skiing in Switzerland and subsequently withdrew from theVirginia Slims of Florida and theLipton Championships.[36] InBerlin, she extended her unbeaten streak to 66 matches (second inWTA history to Navratilova's 74) before losing the final to Monica Seles, 4–6, 3–6.
While the Berlin tournament was being played, the largest-circulation German tabloid,Bild, ran a story about an alleged scandal involving Graf's father. The difficulty of answering questions about the matter came to a head at a Wimbledon press conference, where Graf broke down in tears. Wimbledon authorities then threatened to immediately shut down any subsequent press conferences where questions about the issue were asked. Whether this scandal affected Graf's form is open to debate. In an interview withStern magazine in July 1990, Graf stated, "I could not fight as usual."[37]
Graf again lost to Monica Seles in the final of the French Open 6–7, 4–6. Seles was behind 2–6 in the first-set tiebreaker, but then came back to win six points in a row and take the set. At Wimbledon, Graf lost in the semifinals toZina Garrison, who with this victory broke Graf's string of 13 consecutive major finals. This was a major upset as Garrison had to save a match point to defeat Monica Seles in the quarterfinal, and was expected to easily fall to Graf, whom she had not beaten in four years. After victories inMontreal andSan Diego, Graf reached the US Open final, where she lost in straight sets to Sabatini. Graf won four indoor tournaments after the US Open, including a pair of straight-set wins over Sabatini in the finals ofZürich andWorcester. 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.
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, in March, ending Graf's record 186 consecutive-weeks hold on the World No. 1 ranking.[35] Graf briefly regained the top ranking after winning at Wimbledon but lost it again after her loss to Navratilova at the US Open.
Graf lost anAustralian Open quarterfinal toJana Novotná, the first time she did not reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam singles tournament since the 1986 French Open. She then lost to Sabatini in her next three tournaments before winning the U.S. Hardcourt Championships inSan Antonio, beating Monica Seles in the final. After losing a fifth straight time to Sabatini inAmelia Island, Florida, Graf again defeated Seles in theHamburg final. Following her tournament victory inGerman Open in Berlin, Graf suffered one of the worst defeats of her career in aFrench Open semifinal where she won only two games against Sánchez Vicario and lost her first 6–0 set since 1984. AtWimbledon, however, Graf captured her third women's crown, this time at Sabatini's expense. Sabatini served for the match twice, and was two points away from her first Wimbledon title. After breaking Sabatini's serve to even the third set at 6–6, Graf defeated Sabatini by winning the next two games to take the match 6–4, 3–6, 8–6. Martina Navratilova then defeated Graf 7–6, 6–7, 6–4 in aUS Open semifinal, the first time she had beaten Graf in four years. Graf then won in Leipzig, with her 500th career victory coming in a quarterfinal againstJudith Wiesner. After winning two more indoor tournaments at Zurich andBrighton, she failed once again in the Virginia Slims Championships, losing her quarterfinal to Novotná. Soon after, she split with her long-time coach, Pavel Složil.
A bout ofrubella forced Graf to miss the first major event of 1992, theAustralian Open. Her year continued indifferently with losses in three of her first four tournaments, including a semifinal loss toJana Novotná inChicago. It was Graf's second consecutive loss to Novotna, and dating back to their 1991 Australian Open quarterfinal match, Jana had won three of their last five meetings. It would also be the last loss Graf would ever have to Novotna in a match she completed (she did have a loss after withdrawing with injury after the first set of a late 1996 match). Chicago was notable, however, for being the first tournament Graf played with her new coach, former Swiss playerHeinz Günthardt. Graf's father had approached Günthardt during the 1991 Virginia Slims Championships.[38] She would work with him for the remainder of her career.[39] InBoca Raton, Florida, Graf reached her first final of the year, where she facedConchita Martínez for the title. In their five previous head-to-head matches, Graf had defeated Martínez each time. Even though she lost the opening set, Graf went on to prevail in three sets. She lost twice to Sabatini in the early spring at the Lipton International and the Bausch & Lomb Championships, which now brought her to seven losses in her last eight matches against Sabatini; however, the Bausch & Lomb loss would be Graf's final loss to Sabatini, winning her next, and last eight matches against Sabatini.[40]
Victories atHamburg andBerlin (beating Sánchez Vicario in the finals of both) prepared her for the French Open, where she defeated Sánchez Vicario in the semifinals after losing the first set 6–0. Graf then lost a closely contested final to Monica Seles, 2–6, 6–3, 8–10. Seles won the match on her fifth match point; Graf came within two points of winning the match a few games earlier. At Wimbledon, after struggling through early-round three-setters againstMariaan de Swardt andPatty Fendick, she easily defeated Natasha Zvereva in the quarterfinal, Sabatini in the semifinal, and Seles in the final, 6–2, 6–1, with Seles playing in almost complete silence because of widespread media and player criticism of hergrunting. Graf then won all five of herFed Cup matches, helping Germany defeat Spain in the final by defeating Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, 6–4, 6–2. At the Olympic Games in Barcelona, Graf lost toJennifer Capriati in the final and claimed the silver medal. At the US Open, Graf was upset in the quarterfinals by Sánchez Vicario 7–6, 6–3. 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 toLori McNeil.
Graf began 1993 with four losses in her first six tournaments of the year: two to Sánchez Vicario and one each to Seles and the 36-year-old Martina Navratilova. Seles defeated Graf at the Australian Open 4–6, 6–3, 6–2. She struggled at theGerman Open in Berlin where she lost a 6–0 set to the unheraldedSabine Hack before defeatingMary Joe Fernández and Sabatini in three-set matches to claim her seventh title there in eight years.
During a quarterfinal match between Seles andMagdalena Maleeva in Hamburg, Seles was stabbed between the shoulder blades by a mentally ill German fan of Graf, Günter Parche. He claimed that he committed the attack to help Graf reclaim the world No. 1 ranking. More than two years elapsed before Seles competed again. Shortly after the stabbing, during a players meeting at theItalian Open in Rome, 17 of the world's top 25 WTA members voted against preserving Seles' world No. 1 ranking while she was sidelined. Since Graf skipped the Italian Open, she did not take part in the vote.[41][42]
During Seles's absence, Graf won 65 of 67 matches,[43] three of four Grand Slam events and the year-end Virginia Slims championships. She won her first French Open title since 1988 with a three-set victory over Mary Joe Fernández in the final. Fernandez had two break points to take a 3–0 and double break lead in the third set. The win elevated Graf to the world No. 1 ranking for the first time in 22 months. At Wimbledon, Graf defeated Jana Novotná to win her third consecutive, and fifth overall, ladies' title. In the third and deciding set, Novotná had a point to go up 5–1 on her serve. After breaking Novotná's serve, Graf won the next four games to take the match 7–6, 1–6, 6–4. 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.[44]
In the meantime, she lost surprisingly toNicole Bradtke of Australia in aFed Cup match on clay before winning theAcura Classic in San Diego and theCanadian Open in Toronto in preparation for the US Open. She won there, comfortably beating Helena Suková in the final after needing three sets to eliminate Gabriela Sabatini andManuela Maleeva-Fragniere in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively. In the fall, Graf won theVolkswagen Card Cup in Leipzig a day before her foot operation, losing only two games to Jana Novotná in the final. Graf lost to Conchita Martínez in her comeback tournament a month later inPhiladelphia. However, she finished her year with a highlight, winning her first Virginia Slims Championships since 1989 by beating Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in the final despite needing painkillers for a back injury.
Seemingly free of injury for the first time in years, Graf began the year by winning theAustralian Open, where she defeated Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in the final with the loss of only two games. Graf later stated it was the best tennis she had ever played in a Grand Slam final.[45] She then won her next four tournaments inTokyo,Indian Wells,Delray Beach andMiami respectively. In the Miami final, she lost her first set of the year—to Natasha Zvereva—after winning 54 consecutive sets.[46] In the Hamburg final, she lost for the first time in 1994 after 36 consecutive match victories, losing to Sánchez Vicario in three sets. She then won her eighthGerman Open, but there were signs that her form was worsening as she almost lost toJulie Halard in a quarterfinal. As the defending champion Graf lost in straight sets toMary Pierce in theFrench Open semifinal.[47][48] This was followed by a first-round straight-sets loss atWimbledon toLori McNeil, her only loss at Wimbledon between 1991 and 1997 and her first loss in a first round Grand Slam tournament in ten years.[49] Graf still managed to winSan Diego the following month but aggravated a long-time back injury in beating Sánchez Vicario in the final. Graf developed a bone spur at the base of her spine due to a congenital condition of thesacroiliac joint.[50][51] She began to wear a back brace and was unsure about playing theUS Open but elected to play while receiving treatment and stretching for two hours before each match. She made it to the final and took the first set against Sánchez Vicario but lost the next two sets — Sanchez Vicario's last victory over Graf. In the middle of the second set, Graf suffered back spasms while reaching for a ball in the ad court.[52] She took the following nine weeks off, returning only for the Virginia Slims Championships where she lost in straight sets to Pierce in the quarterfinal.[53] Although Graf ended the year ranked No. 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.[54][55]
A strained right calf muscle forced Graf to withdraw from theAustralian Open.[56] She came back in February, winning four consecutive tournaments inParis,Delray Beach,Miami andHouston. She then beat Sánchez Vicario in the finals of both theFrench Open andWimbledon. The 1995 Wimbledon final is regarded as one of the most dramatic women's major finals in history as Graf and Sánchez Vicario battled in a tight third set that included a 16-minute long, 13-deuce game on Sanchez Vicario's serve at 5–5.[57] In August Monica Seles made her much anticipated return to tennis at the Canadian Open. 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. TheUS Open was Monica Seles's first Grand Slam event since the 1993 attack, with much anticipation again around a potential Seles-Graf final. 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. Seles and Graf met in the final, with Graf winning in three sets, saving a set point in the first set. Graf then capped the year by beating countrywomanAnke Huber in a five-set final at the season-endingWTA Championships in 2 hours and 46 minutes.[58][59]
In personal terms, 1995 was a difficult year for Graf, as she was accused by German authorities oftax evasion in the early years of her career.[60] In her defense, she stated that her father Peter was her financial manager, and all financial matters relating to her earnings at the time had been under his control. Her father was arrested in August and was sentenced to 45 months in jail.[61][62] He was eventually released after serving 25 months. Prosecutors dropped their case against Graf in 1997, when she agreed to pay a fine of 1.3 millionDeutsche Marks to the government and an unspecified charity.[63]
Graf again missed theAustralian Open after undergoing surgery in December 1995 to remove bone splinters from her left foot.[64] Graf came back to the tour in March, winning back to back titles inIndian Wells andMiami, followed by a record ninth title at theGerman Open in May and a quarterfinal defeat inRome against Martina Hingis. She then successfully defended the three Grand Slam titles she won the year before. In a closeFrench Open final, Graf again overcame Sánchez Vicario, taking the third set 10–8.[65] Graf had led 4–1 in the second set tiebreak, only to lose six points in a row and force a decider. Twice in the third set Sánchez Vicario served for the championship but was broken each time by Graf. It was the longest French Open women's singles final in history, both in terms of time (3 hours and 3 minutes) and number of games played (40).[66] Graf then had a straight-sets win against Sánchez Vicario in theWimbledon final. That was the last competitive match Graf and Sánchez Vicario would ever play against one another. In July, a left knee injury forced Graf to withdraw from theSummer Olympics inAtlanta.[67] Graf played only one warm-up event ahead of the US Open, theAcura Classic inManhattan Beach, California, where she lost to Lindsay Davenport in the semifinals. She then successfully defended her title at theUS Open, defeating Monica Seles in the final. Her toughest battle came against rising star Martina Hingis in the semifinal, with Hingis unable to convert on five set points. Graf did not lose a set the whole tournament. She also won her fifth and finalWTA Tour Championships title with a five set win over Martina Hingis, with Hingis cramping up in the fifth set.[59]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. She repeated the feat in 1993, 1995, and 1996.
The last few years of Graf's career were beset by injuries, particularly to her knees and back. 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 in 1997. That year Graf lost in the fourth round of the Australian Open in straight sets toAmanda Coetzer.[68]She subsequently withdrew from thePan Pacific Open and hadarthroscopic surgery performed on her left knee. 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 6–0, 6–1.[68][69] In the French Open Graf was again beaten by Amanda Coetzer in straight sets, 6–1, 6–4.[70] Only one week later, she underwent reconstructive knee surgery inVienna and subsequently missed the 1997 Wimbledon and US Open championships. 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.[71][72]After missing almost half of the tour in 1998, Graf lost in the third round atWimbledon and in the fourth round at theUS Open. Shortly after the US Open, she underwent surgery to remove a bone spur in her right wrist.[73] Upon her return Graf defeated world No. 2 Hingis and world No. 1Lindsay Davenport en route to thePhiladelphia title. At the first round of the season-endingChase Championships, Graf defeated world No. 3, Jana Novotná, before losing in the semifinal to first-seeded Davenport.
At the beginning of 1999 Graf played the warm up event to theAustralian Open in Sydney; she defeated Serena Williams in the second round and Venus in the quarterfinals before losing to Lindsay Davenport in the semifinal. Graf then went on to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open before losing to Monica Seles in two sets. In Indian Wells Graf lost to Serena Williams in three sets.[74]
At theFrench 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. Graf became the first player in theopen era to defeat the first, second, and third ranked players in the same Grand Slam tournament by beating second-ranked Davenport in the quarterfinals and third-ranked Seles in the semifinals. Graf said after the final that it would be her last French Open, fueling speculation about her retirement.[75]
Graf then reached her ninthWimbledon singles final, losing to third-seeded Davenport in straight sets. She had to overcome three difficult three set matches en route to this final, againstMariaan De Swardt in the second round, Venus Williams in the quarterfinals andMirjana Lučić in the semifinals.
On 13 August 1999, shortly after retiring with a strained hamstring from a second round match againstAmy Frazier inSan Diego, Graf announced her retirement from the women's tour at age 30.[76][77] She was ranked No. 3 at that time and said, "I have done everything I wanted to do in tennis. I feel I have nothing left to accomplish. The weeks following Wimbledon [in 1999] weren't easy for me. I was not having fun anymore. After Wimbledon, for the first time in my career, I didn't feel like going to a tournament. My motivation wasn't what it was in the past."[78]
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. In 1986, she formed a partnership with rivalGabriela Sabatini. The pair was moderately successful, winning the1988 Wimbledon Championships together and reaching the finals of the French Open in 1986, 1987 and 1989. 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.[79] Sabatini said of the partnership: "doubles is all about communicating with each other, and we didn't communicate that much. We would just say the basic things, but nothing else."[80] The pair played their last major tournament together at the1990 Wimbledon Championships, losing in the quarterfinals. From 1991 until the end of her career, Graf would only play doubles sporadically, forming short-term partnerships with a variety of players, includingLori McNeil,Anke Huber and her best friends on the tour,Rennae Stubbs,Patricia Tarabini andInes Gorrochategui.[81][82] She played her last Grand Slam doubles tournament at the1999 Australian Open with Gorrochategui, losing in the second round.[83][84]
Graf also occasionally played mixed doubles, although she never won a title. She partnered with doubles specialistMark Woodforde at the Australian Open in 1994, withHenri Leconte at Wimbledon in 1991 and at the French Open in 1994, and withCharlie Pasarell at the US Open in 1984. In an unusual arrangement, she paired with her coaches Pavel Složil at Wimbledon in 1988 and Heinz Günthardt in 1992 and 1996, also at Wimbledon.[85] At the1999 Wimbledon Championships, Graf formed a much-publicized partnership withJohn McEnroe, with whom she reached the semifinals before withdrawing due to concerns that her uncertain hamstring, coupled with a bout ofbronchitis, would affect her in the singles final.[86][87][88]
In late 1999 and early 2000, as part of her Farewell Tour, Graf played a series of exhibition matches against former rivals in New Zealand, Japan, Spain, Germany and South Africa. She playedJelena Dokic inChristchurch, New Zealand, Amanda Coetzer inDurban, South Africa, and her former rival Arantxa Sánchez Vicario inZaragoza, Spain.[89][90] It was Graf and Sánchez Vicario's first head-to-head meeting since 1996. In February 2000, Graf played againstKimiko Date at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Tokyo, Nagoya Rainbow Hall in Nagoya, winning in three sets.[91] In September 2004, Graf dispatched her former doubles partner Gabriela Sabatini, in straight sets, in an exhibition match played inBerlin, Germany.[92] She was also in Berlin to host a charity gala, as well as inaugurating a tennis stadium renamed the "Steffi Graf Stadion". Proceeds from her match against Sabatini went to Graf's foundation, "Children for Tomorrow".[93]
In July 2005, Graf competed in one tie ofWorld Team Tennis (WTT) on theHouston Wranglers team.[92] She was beaten in two out of three matches, with each match being one set. Graf lost her singles match toElena Likhovtseva 5–4. She teamed withAnsley Cargill in women's doubles againstAnna Kournikova and Likhovtseva but lost 5–2. She was successful, however, in the mixed doubles match.[94] Graf completely ruled out a return to professional tennis. In October, Graf defeated Sabatini in an exhibition match inMannheim, Germany, winning both of their sets. Like the exhibition match the previous year against Sabatini, proceeds went to "Children for Tomorrow".
Graf at a charity tennis tournament in 2010
In 2008 Graf lost an exhibition match against Kimiko Date atAriake Colosseum in Tokyo.[95] As part of the event, billed as "Dream Match 2008", she defeated Martina Navratilova in a one-set affair 8–7, with Graf winning a tiebreaker 10–5.[96] It was the first time in 14 years Graf had played Navratilova. Graf played a singles exhibition match againstKim Clijsters and a mixed doubles exhibition alongside husbandAndre Agassi againstTim Henman and Clijsters as part of a test event and celebration for the newly installed roof over Wimbledon'sCentre Court in 2009. She lost a lengthy one-set singles match to Clijsters and also the mixed doubles.[97]
In 2010, Graf participated in the WTT Smash Hits exhibition in Washington, D.C. to support theElton John AIDS Foundation.[98] She and Agassi, her husband, were on Team Elton John, which competed against Team Billie Jean King.[99] 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 won seven singles titles at Wimbledon, six singles titles at the French Open, five singles titles at the US Open, and four singles titles at the Australian Open. Her overall record in 54 Grand Slam events was 278–32 (90 percent) (84–10 at the French Open, 74–7 at Wimbledon, 73–9 at the US Open, and 47–6 at the Australian Open). Her career prize-money earnings totalled US$21,895,277 (a record untilLindsay Davenport surpassed this amount in January 2008). Her singles win–loss record was 900–115 (88.7 percent).[100] She was ranked world No. 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.[101]
The main weapons in Graf's game were her powerful inside-out forehand drive (which earned her the monikerFräulein Forehand) and her intricate footwork.[105] 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. Graf's game was versatile across multiple playing surfaces, and she excelled at her footwork and powerful forehand drive.[106]
Graf's technique on the forehand was unique and instantly recognizable: generating considerable racquet head speed with her swing, she reached the point of contact late and typically out of the air. As a result, she hit her forehand with exceptional pace and accuracy. According to her coaches Pavel Složil and Heinz Günthardt, Graf's superior sense of timing was the key behind the success of her forehand.[80][107]
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. Starting in the early 1990s, she used the slice almost exclusively in baseline rallies and mostly limited the topspin backhand to passing shots. Her accuracy with the slice, both cross-court and down the line and her ability to skid the ball and keep it low, enabled her to use it as an offensive weapon to set the ball up for her forehand put-aways. However, Graf admitted in 1995 that she would have preferred having a two-handed backhand in retrospect.[108]
She built her powerful and accurate serve up to 183 km/h (114 mph), making it one of the fastest serves in women's tennis and was a capable volleyer.[109][110]
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. Eighteen-time Grand Slam champion and former rivalChris Evert opined, "Steffi Graf is the best all-around player. 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."[80] 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 theGerman Open. 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.[111][110] Graf stated that grass was her favorite surface to play on, while clay was her least favorite.[108]
Early in her career, Graf woreDunlop apparel, before signing an endorsement contract withAdidas in 1985. She had an Adidas sneakers line known as the St. Graf Pro line.[112] Early in her career, Graf used theDunlop Maxpower Pro and Maxpower Kevlar racquets and then played with the Max 200G racquet from 1984 to 1993[113][114][115][116] before switching toWilson from 1994 to 1999. She first used the Wilson Pro Staff 7.0 lite, then switched to the Pro Staff 7.5 in 1996 and to the Pro Staff 7.1 in 1998.[117] Graf's racquets were strung at 29 kilograms (64 pounds), significantly above the 50–60 pound range recommended by Wilson.[118] In 2006, she signed an endorsement deal withHead.[119][120][121] In 2010, Graf and Agassi collaborated with Head and developed the new line of Star Series tennis racquets.[122]
Graf has signed many endorsement deals throughout the years including a ten-year endorsement deal with car manufacturerOpel in 1985,[123] andRexona from 1994 to 1998.[117][124] Other companies she has endorsed includeBarilla,Apollinaris,Citibank,Danone andTeekanne. She has appeared in many advertisements and television commercials with Andre Agassi includingCanon Inc.[125] andLongines in 2008 (Agassi became Longines ambassador in 2007).[126][127] In 2015, she was appointed as the brand ambassador ofKerala tourism, for promotingAyurveda in North America and Europe.[128]
From 1992 to 1999, Graf dated racing driverMichael Bartels.[132] She started datingAndre Agassi after the1999 French Open, and they married on 22 October 2001, with only their mothers as witnesses.[133][134][135] They have two children: a son, born in 2001; and a daughter, born in 2003.[136] Agassi has said that he and Graf are not pushing their children toward becoming tennis players.[137] The Graf-Agassi family resides inSummerlin, a community in theLas Vegas Valley.[138] Graf's mother and her brother also live there.[139]
In 1991, the Steffi Graf Youth Tennis Center inLeipzig was dedicated to her.[140] 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 that have been traumatized by war or other crises.[140]
In 2001, Graf indicated that she preferred to be called "Stefanie" instead of "Steffi".[141]
In December 1999, Graf was named the greatest female tennis player of the 20th century by a panel of experts assembled by theAssociated Press.[142] Graf was ranked as the world No. 1 in women's singles by the WTA for a record 377 weeks, and finished as the year-end No. 1 a record eight times,[143] and she won 22major women's singles titles.[144] Graf's athletic ability and aggressive power game played from the baseline have been credited with developing the modern style of play that has come to dominate today's game.[145][146][110][109]
In the year of Graf's retirement,Billie Jean King said, "Steffi [Graf] is definitely the greatest women's tennis player of all time."[147] In March 2012, Tennis Channel picked Graf as the greatest female tennis player ever in their list of 100 greatest tennis players of all time.[148] In November 2018, Tennis.com polled its readers to choose the greatest women's tennis player of all time and Graf came in first.[149] In December 1999, Graf was named the greatest female tennis player of the 20th century by a panel of experts assembled by theAssociated Press.[142] When asked in a 2016 interview to name the greatest players of all time,Serena Williams answered Graf andRoger Federer.[150]
In July 2020,The Guardian polled its readers to determine the greatest female tennis player of the past 50 years, and Graf was the clear favorite, picking up nearly twice as many votes as any other player.[151] Along withBoris Becker, Graf is considered instrumental in popularizing tennis in Germany, where it remains one of the foremost national sports.[152][153][154] Tennis writer Steve Flink, in his bookThe Greatest Tennis Matches of the Twentieth Century, named Graf as the best female player of the 20th century.[155] 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.[156]
^Von Geyer, Matthias; Winterfeldt, Jörg (23 November 1998)."Ein deutsches Comeback".Der Spiegel.Archived from the original on 24 September 2014. Retrieved19 September 2014.
^Wolff, Alexander (20 September 1993)."Serves and Follies".Sports Illustrated. p. 26.Archived from the original on 14 March 2017. Retrieved25 January 2019.
World No. 1 17 August 1987 – March 10, 1991 5 August 1991 – August 11, 1991 19 August 1991 – September 8, 1991 7 June 1993 – February 5, 1995 20 February 1995 – February 26, 1995 10 April 1995 – May 14, 1995 12 June 1995 – March 30, 1997 inc. 15 August 1995 – November 3, 1996(w/ M. Seles) inc. 18 November 1996 – November 24, 1996(w/ M. Seles)
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