STEFFI GRAF


'Stefanie Maria Graf' (born June 14, 1969, in Mannheim, West Germany) is a former
World No. 1 ranked female tennis player from Germany. Graf is widely considered to be the greatest female tennis player in history. Graf won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, second among male and female players only to Margaret Smith Court's 24. She also won 107 singles titles, which ranks her third on the list of most singles titles won during the open era, behind Martina Navratilova (167 titles) and Chris Evert (154 titles). 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.[2] Tennis writer Steve Flink, in his book ''The Greatest Tennis Matches of the Twentieth Century'', named her as the best female player of the 20th century.[3]
In 1988, tennis was reintroduced to the Olympic games as a medal sport after more than a forty-year absence. Graf won the Olympic gold medal in singles and
all four Grand Slam singles titles that year, capturing the "Golden Slam," a term created in her honor.
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 to have won all four Grand Slam singles tournaments (Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, the French Open and the Australian Open) at least four times each. Graf also holds the record (eight) for most years as year end number one. [1]
A notable feature of Graf's game was her versatility across all playing surfaces. She won six French Open singles titles (second to Evert) and seven Wimbledon singles titles (third behind Navratilova and Helen Wills Moody). She is the only singles player to have achieved a Calendar Year Grand Slam across all three types of tennis courts, as the other Calendar Year Grand Slams won by other players occurred when the Australian and U.S. Opens were still played on grass. Graf reached thirteen consecutive Grand Slam singles finals, from the French Open in 1987 through the French Open in 1990, winning nine of them. She played in 36 Grand Slam singles tournaments from the 1987 French Open through the 1996 U.S. Open, reaching the finals 29 times and winning 21 titles. Her 22nd and last Grand Slam title was the French Open in 1999. She reached 31 grand slam singles finals, third overall behind Evert (34 finals) and Navratilova (32 finals).
Graf retired in 1999, giving her the distinction of being the highest ranked player ever to retire, retiring at No. 3 in the world.
Graf is married to the former World No. 1 men's tennis player Andre Agassi.

Contents
Playing style
Biography
Early career
Breakthrough year
"Golden Slam"
New challengers and personal challenges
Second period of dominance
Final years on the tour
Accolades
Personal life
Trivia
Grand Slam singles finals
Wins (22)
Runner-ups (9)
Grand Slam women's doubles titles
Win (1)
Runner-ups (3)
WTA Tour singles finals
Wins (107)
Runner-ups (31)
WTA Tour doubles finals
Wins (11)
Runner-ups (7)
Major tournament singles performance timeline
Awards
Special honours
Notes
External links

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 a very effective slice backhand, as well as a consistent volley. She built her powerful and accurate serve up to 180 km/h (112 mph), and at one point, hers would be the fastest serve in the tournaments she would play. She was also very fast and athletic, chasing down balls that seemed unplayable. Her footwork was unique and instantly recognizable. Her powerful strokes, along with those of Monica Seles, are thought by some to have started the current trend of power baseline tennis that is common among women tennis players today.

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 Stuttgart, Germany. She lost her first round match 6-4, 6-0 to Tracy Austin, a two-time U.S. Open champion and former World No. 1 player. Austin remarked of the then-thirteen year old Graf that "there are hundreds of girls like her in America." Twelve years later, Graf defeated Austin 6-0, 6-0 during a second round match in Indian Wells, California, which was their second and last match against each other.
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 event. 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 U.S. 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 Graf's personal life. Social invitations on the tour were often declined as Graf'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 additional 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.
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"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). With tennis becoming a full medal sport at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Graf 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 and personal challenges

Graf extended her Grand Slam winning streak to five events at the Australian Open in 1989, where she easily defeated Helena Sukova in the final, taking just 32 minutes to take the title. The winning streak ended at the 1989 French Open, where 17-year-old Spaniard Arantxa Sánchez Vicario beat Graf in three sets. Graf, however, defeated Martina Navratilova in three-set finals at both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and in four sets in the final of the season-ending Virginia Slims Championships.
In 1990, most believed Graf would dominate the women's game for years to come when she beat Mary Joe Fernández in the final of the 1990 Australian Open, making it her eighth Grand Slam championship in the last nine she contested. Major personal issues arose, however, when Graf's father Peter was the subject of a fraudulent 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 Graf broke down in tears. Wimbledon authorities then threatened to immediately shut down any subsequent press conferences where questions about the issue were asked. The blackmail scheme eventually failed when DNA tests proved Peter was not the baby's father. In the same year at the French Open, 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 U.S. Open final, but lost in straight sets to Gabriela Sabatini. Graf remained the top ranked player at the end of 1990, even though she did not win a Grand Slam event after the blackmail scandal broke.
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 U.S. 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.
Still struggling with injuries, in 1992 Graf won only one Grand Slam event, Wimbledon. Because of injuries, she did not compete at the Australian Open. Seles and Graf met in the French Open final, which Seles won in a very close battle, taking the third set 10-8. Seles and she met again in the Wimbledon final, with Graf routing Seles 6-2, 6-1. Graf won all five of her Fed Cup matches, helping Germany defeat Spain in the final by defeating Sánchez Vicario 6-4, 6-2. At the Olympic Games in Barcelona, Graf lost to Jennifer Capriati in the final and claimed the silver medal. At the U.S. Open, Graf was upset in a quarterfinal by Sánchez Vicario 7-6(5), 6-3.
In 1993, Seles beat Graf in three sets in the final of the Australian Open. The burgeoning rivalry between them was then cut short. During a quarterfinal match between Seles and Magdalena Maleeva in Hamburg, Seles was stabbed between the shoulder blades by a mentally ill Günter Parche. He claimed that he committed the attack to help Graf reclaim the number one ranking. Almost two years elapsed before Seles competed again.
The indirect effects of Seles's injury on Graf's career is the subject of frequent speculation. Seles was number one at the time of the attack. In head-to-head matches, Graf never had a losing record versus Seles at any point in her career, and prior to the year the blackmail scandal first broke, Graf was undefeated versus Seles in three encounters. Seles, however, won four of the seven matches they played from 1990 through 1993, including a 3-1 advantage over Graf in Grand Slam tournaments. Graf retired with a 10-5 lifetime record over Seles, including a 6-4 winning record versus Seles in Grand Slam singles tournaments.
Second period of dominance

Graf won three of four Grand Slam events in 1993, and in the beginning of 1994, Graf beat Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in the final of the Australian Open. For the second time in her career, Graf was the holder of all four Grand Slam titles simultaneously. She lost, however, to Mary Pierce in the semifinals of the French Open and then was surprisingly eliminated in the first round at Wimbledon by the American Lori McNeil. Graf reached the final of the U.S. Open, where she lost to Sánchez Vicario in three sets.
Injury kept Graf out of the Australian Open in 1995. She came back to beat Sánchez Vicario in the finals of both the French Open and Wimbledon. The U.S. Open was Seles's first Grand Slam event after the 1993 attack. Seles and Graf met in the final, with Graf winning 7-6, 0-6, 6-3. Graf then capped the year by beating countrywoman Anke Huber in a five-set final at the season-ending WTA Tour Championships.
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. 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. As a result, Peter 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, Graf again missed the Australian Open due to injury and then successfully defended the three Grand Slam titles she won the year before. In a close French Open final, Graf again overcame Sánchez Vicario, taking the third-set 10-8. Graf then had straight-sets wins against Sánchez Vicario in the Wimbledon final and Seles in the U.S. Open final. Graf also won her fifth and final WTA Tour Championships title with a five set win over Martina Hingis.
Final years on the tour

The last few years of Graf's career were beset by injuries, particularly to her knees and back. These injuries caused Graf to miss much of the tour 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 tour in 1998, she finished that year ranked ninth, her lowest ranking since 1984.
At the 1999 French Open, Graf reached her first Grand Slam final in three years and fought back from a set and two breaks down in the second set to defeat the top ranked Hingis in three sets. Graf also became the first player in the open era to defeat the first, second, and third ranked players in the same Grand Slam tournament by defeating second ranked Lindsay Davenport in the quarterfinals and third ranked Monica Seles in the semifinals. Graf said after the final that it would be her last French Open,[4] fueling speculation about her retirement.
Graf continued her success after the French Open when she reached her ninth Wimbledon singles final, where she lost in straight sets to Davenport.
Graf announced her retirement from the tour in August 1999. She was ranked third in the world 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 (11 open era). Graf won 7 singles titles at Wimbledon, 6 singles titles at the French Open, 5 singles titles at the U.S. Open, and 4 singles titles at the Australian Open. She is the only person to have won at least four 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 U.S. $21,895,277. Her singles win-loss record was 902-115 (89 percent). She was ranked No. 1 for 377 weeks (non-consecutive; overall record), including a record 186 consecutive weeks (from August 1987-March 1991) – the latter record was only recently surpassed by Roger Federer, and is still the outstanding record in the women's game.
Accolades

In an interview with ESPN Classic's SportsCentury series, Chris Evert said, "Steffi Graf's 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." Evert also has said that Graf's forehand was "the best in women's tennis".[2] Billie Jean King said in 1999 that she considered Graf to be the greatest female tennis player ever.[3] Navratilova said in 1996, "Steffi is the best all-around player of all time, regardless of the surface.”[4]

Personal life


With her father dominating her personal life until the Graf tax scandal in 1995, Graf often declined social invitations and made few friends on tour. Soon after retiring she made headlines off the court for dating Andre Agassi. They married in October 2001 with only their mothers as witnesses. Four days later Steffi gave birth, six weeks prematurely, to their son Jaden Gil (named for Andre's longtime trainer Gil Reyes). Their daughter, Jaz Elle, was born in October 2003.


Steffi has one younger brother Michael Graf (not the race car driver) and prior to Agassi, had a high profile seven year long relationship with Michael Bartels. She has also been romantically linked with Simply Red singer Mick Hucknall.

Trivia


At the 1992 Wimbledon champions banquet, she and husband-to-be Andre Agassi showed no interest in one another. However, in a 2006 ''Sports Illustrated'' piece, Agassi - who claimed he had been secretly pining for Graf as far back as 1990 - said that officials would not allow him to dance with her, which was a Wimbledon tradition.
Hugh Laurie sang a song about her on the show ''A Bit of Fry and Laurie''.
Graf, known for her industrious and business-like approach to the game, could at times display a sense of humor. During a 1996 Wimbledon semifinal against Kimiko Date, a spectator yelled out, "Steffi, will you marry me?" Pausing momentarily as the stadium burst into laughter, she turned to the fan and yelled, "How much money do you have?"

Grand Slam singles finals


Wins (22)

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

Runner-ups (9)

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

Grand Slam women's doubles titles


Win (1)

'Year'Championship'Partnering'Opponents in Final'Score/Final
1988 Wimbledon Gabriela Sabatini Larisa Neiland
Natasha Zvereva 		6-3, 1-6, 12-10

Runner-ups (3)

'Year'Championship'Partnering'Opponents in Final'Score/Final
1986 French Open Gabriela Sabatini Martina Navratilova
Andrea Temesvari 		6-1, 6-2
1987 French Open (2) Gabriela Sabatini Martina Navratilova
Pam Shriver 		6-2, 6-1
1989 French Open (3) Gabriela Sabatini Larisa Neiland
Natalia Zvereva 		6-4, 6-4

WTA Tour singles finals


Wins (107)

Legend (Singles)
Tier I (15)
Tier II (30)
Tier III (9)
Tier IV (8)
VS (17)
Grand Slam Title (22)
WTA Tour Championship (5)
Olympic Gold (1)

#DateTournamentTierSurfaceOpponent in finalScore
1. April 13, 1986 Hilton Head, USA VS Clay Chris Evert-Lloyd 6-4, 7-5
2. April 20, 1986 WITA Championship, Florida, USA VS Clay Claudia Kohde-Kilsch 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(3)
3. May 3, 1986 US Clay Courts, USA VS Clay Gabriela Sabatini 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-4
4. May 3, 1986 Berlin, Germany VS Clay Martina Navrátilová 6-2, 6-3
5. August 24, 1986 UNITED JERSEY, New Jersey, USA VS Hard Molly van Nostrand 7-5, 6-1
6. September 14, 1986 Tokyo, Japan VS Carpet (I) Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere 6-4, 6-2
7. October 12, 1986 European Indoors, Switzerland VS Carpet (I) Helena Suková 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
8. October 26, 1986 Brighton, Great Britain VS Carpet (I) Catarina Lindqvist 6-3, 6-3
9. February 22, 1987 VS OF Florida, USA VS Hard Helena Suková 6-2, 6-3
10. March 8, 1987 Miami, USA VS Hard Chris Evert 6-1, 6-2
11. April 12, 1987 Hilton Head, USA VS Clay Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
12. April 19, 1987 WITA Championship, Florida, USA VS Clay Hana Mandlíková 6-3, 6-4
13. May 10, 1987 Rome, Italy VS Clay Gabriela Sabatini 7-5, 4-6, 6-0
14. May 17, 1987 Berlin, Germany VS Clay Claudia Kohde-Kilsch 6-2, 6-3
15. June 6, 1987 French Open, France GS Clay Martina Navrátilová 6-4, 4-6, 8-6
16. August 16, 1987 Los Angeles, USA VS Hard Chris Evert 6-3, 6-4
17. September 27, 1987 Citzen Cup, Germany VS Clay Isabel Cueto 6-2, 6-2
18. November 1, 1987 European Indoors, Switzerland VS Carpet (I) Hana Mandlíková 6-2, 6-2
19. November 22, 1987 VS Championships, New York, USA CH Carpet (I) Gabriela Sabatini 4-6, 6-4, 6-0, 6-4
20. January 24, 1988 Australian Open, Australia GS Hard Chris Evert 6-1, 7-6(3)
21. March 6, 1988 US Hardcourts, USA IV Hard Katerina Maleeva 6-4, 6-1
22. March 27, 1988 Miami, USA I Hard Chris Evert 6-4, 6-4
23. May 15, 1988 Berlin, Germany II Clay Helena Suková 6-3, 6-2
24. June 5, 1988 French Open, France GS Clay Natasha Zvereva 6-0, 6-0
25. July 3, 1988 Wimbledon, Great Britain GS Grass Martina Navrátilová 5-7, 6-2, 6-1
26. July 31, 1988 Citzen Cup, Germany IV Clay Katerina Maleeva 6-4, 6-2
27. August 28, 1988 UNITED JERSEY, New Jersey, USA IV Hard Nathalie Tauziat 6-0, 6-1
28. September 11, 1988 U.S. Open, USA GS Hard Gabriela Sabatini 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
29. October 2, 1988 Olympics, Seoul OT Hard Gabriela Sabatini 6-3, 6-3
30. October 30, 1988 Brighton, Great Britain III Carpet (I) Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere 6-2, 6-0
31. January 29, 1989 Australian Open, Australia GS Hard Helena Suková 6-4, 6-4
32. February 19, 1989 Washington DC, USA II Carpet (I) Zina Garrison Jackson 6-1, 7-5
33. March 5, 1989 US Hardcourts, USA IV Hard Ann Henricksson 6-1, 6-4
34. March 19, 1989 VS OF Florida, USA II Hard Chris Evert 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
35. April 9, 1989 Hilton Head, USA II Clay Natasha Zvereva 6-1, 6-1
36. May 7, 1989 Citzen Cup, Germany IV Clay Jana Novotná W/O
37. May 21, 1989 Berlin, Germany II Clay Gabriela Sabatini 6-3, 6-1
38. July 9, 1989 Wimbledon, Great Britain GS Grass Martina Navrátilová 6-2, 6-7(1), 6-1
39. August 6, 1989 San Diego, USA IV Hard Zina Garrison Jackson 6-4, 7-5
40. August 20, 1989 United Jersey, New Jersey, USA IV Hard Andrea Temesvari 7-5, 6-2
41. September 10, 1989 U.S. Open, USA GS Hard Martina Navrátilová 3-6, 7-5, 6-1
42. October 22, 1989 European Indoors, Switzerland III Carpet (I) Jana Novotná 6-1, 7-6(6)
43. October 29, 1989 Brighton, Great Britain III Carpet (I) Monica Seles 7-5, 6-4
44. November 19, 1989 VS Championships, New York, USA CH Carpet (I) Martina Navrátilová 6-4, 7-5, 2-6, 6-2
45. January 28, 1990 Australian Open, Australia GS Hard Mary Joe Fernández 6-3, 6-4
46. February 4, 1990 Tokyo, Japan II Carpet (I) Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 6-1, 6-2
47. April 15, 1990 Amelia Island, USA II Clay Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 6-1, 6-0
48. May 6, 1990 Citzen Cup, Germany IV Clay Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 5-7, 6-0, 6-1
49. August 5, 1990 Montréal, Canada I Hard Katerina Maleeva 6-1, 6-7(6), 6-3
50. August 12, 1990 San Diego, USA III Hard Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere 6-3, 6-2
51. September 30, 1990 Leipzig, Germany III Carpet (I) Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 6-1, 6-1
52. October 14, 1990 European Indoors, Switzerland II Carpet (I) Gabriela Sabatini 6-3, 6-2
53. October 28, 1990 Brighton, Great Britain II Carpet (I) Helena Suková 7-5, 6-3
54. November 11, 1990 New England, USA II Carpet (I) Gabriela Sabatini 7-6(5) 6-3
55. March 31, 1991 US Hardcourts, USA III Hard Monica Seles 6-4, 6-3
56. May 5, 1991 Citzen Cup, Germany II Clay Monica Seles 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-3
57. May 19, 1991 Berlin, Germany I Clay Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(6)
58. July 7, 1991 Wimbledon, Great Britain GS Grass Gabriela Sabatini 6-4, 3-6, 8-6
59. October 6, 1991 Leipzig, Germany III Carpet (I) Jana Novotná 6-3, 6-3
60. October 13, 1991 European Indoors, Switzerland II Carpet (I) Nathalie Tauziat 6-4, 6-4
61. October 27, 1991 Brighton, Great Britain II Carpet (I) Zina Garrison Jackson 5-7, 6-4, 6-1
62. March 8, 1992 VS OF Florida, USA II Hard Conchita Martínez 3-6, 6-2, 6-0
63. May 3, 1992 Citzen Cup, Germany II Clay Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 7-6(5), 6-2
64. May 17, 1992 Berlin, Germany I Clay Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 4-6, 7-5, 6-2
65. July 5, 1992 Wimbledon, Great Britain GS Grass Monica Seles 6-2, 6-1
66. October 4, 1992 Leipzig, Germany III Carpet (I) Jana Novotná 6-3, 1-6, 6-4
67. October 11, 1992 European Indoors, Switzerland II Carpet (I) Martina Navrátilová 2-6, 7-5, 7-5
68. October 25, 1992 Brighton, Great Britain II Carpet (I) Jana Novotná 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(3)
69. November 15, 1992 Philadelphia, USA II Carpet (I) Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
70. March 7, 1993 VS OF Florida, USA II Hard Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 6-4,F 6-3
71. April 4, 1993 Hilton Head, USA I Clay Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 7-6(8), 6-1
72. May 16, 1993 Berlin, Germany I Clay Gabriela Sabatini 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-4
73. June 6, 1993 French Open, France GS Clay Mary Joe Fernández 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
74. July 4, 1993 Wimbledon, Great Britain GS Grass Jana Novotná 7-6(6), 1-6, 6-4
75. August 8, 1993 San Diego, USA II Hard Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
76. August 22, 1993 Toronto, Canada I Hard Jennifer Capriati 6-1, 0-6, 6-3
77. September 12, 1993 U.S. Open, USA GS Hard Helena Suková 6-3, 6-3
78. October 3, 1993 Leipzig, Germany II Carpet (I) Jana Novotná 6-2, 6-0
79. November 21, 1993 VS Championships, New York, USA CH Carpet (I) Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 6-1, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
80. January 30, 1994 Australian Open, Australia GS Hard Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 6-0, 6-2
81. February 6, 1994 Tokyo, Japan I Carpet (I) Martina Navrátilová 6-2, 6-4
82. February 27, 1994 Indian Wells, USA II Hard Amanda Coetzer 6-0, 6-4
83. March 6, 1994 Delray, USA II Hard Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 6-3, 7-5
84. March 20, 1994 Miami, USA I Hard Natasha Zvereva 4-6, 6-1, 6-2
85. May 15, 1994 Berlin, Germany I Clay Brenda Schultz-McCarthy 7-6(3), 6-4
86. August 7, 1994 San Diego, USA II Hard Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 6-2, 6-1
87. February 19, 1995 Paris, France II Carpet (I) Mary Pierce 6-2, 6-2
88. March 12, 1995 Delray, USA II Hard Conchita Martínez 6-2, 6-4
89. March 26, 1995 Miami, USA I Hard Kimiko Date 6-1, 6-4
90. April 16, 1995 Houston, USA II Clay Asa Carlsson 6-1, 6-1
91. June 11, 1995 French Open, France GS Clay Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 7-5, 4-6, 6-0
92. July 9, 1995 Wimbledon, Great Britain GS Grass Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 4-6, 6-1, 7-5
93. September 10, 1995 U.S. Open, USA GS Hard Monica Seles 7-6(6), 0-6, 6-3
94. November 12, 1995 Philadelphia, USA I Carpet (I) Lori McNeil 6-1, 4-6, 6-3
95. November 19, 1995 VS Championships, New York, USA CH Carpet (I) Anke Huber 6-1, 2-6, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3
96. March 17, 1996 Indian Wells, USA I Hard Conchita Martínez 7-6(5), 7-6(5)
97. March 31, 1996 Miami, USA I Hard Chanda Rubin 6-1, 6-3
98. May 19, 1996 Berlin, Germany I Clay Karina Habšudová 4-6, 6-2, 7-5
99. June 9, 1996 French Open, France GS Clay Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 6-3, 6-7(4), 10-8
100. July 7, 1996 Wimbledon, Great Britain GS Grass Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 6-3, 7-5
101. September 8, 1996 U.S. Open, USA GS Hard Monica Seles 7-5, 6-4
102. November 17, 1996 VS Championships, New York, USA CH Carpet (I) Martina Hingis 6-3, 4-6, 6-0, 4-6, 6-0
103. May 25, 1997 Strasbourg, France III Clay Mirjana Lučić 6-2, 7-5
104. August 30, 1998 New Haven, USA II Hard Jana Novotná 6-4, 6-1
105. November 8, 1998 Leipzig, Germany II Carpet (I) Nathalie Tauziat 6-3, 6-4
106. November 15, 1998 Philadelphia, USA II Carpet (I) Lindsay Davenport 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
107. June 6, 1999 French Open, France GS Clay Martina Hingis 4-6, 7-5, 6-2

Runner-ups (31)

Legend (Singles)
Tier I (6)
Tier II (8)
Tier III (0)
Tier IV (0)
VS (6)
Grand Slam Title (9)
WTA Tour Championship (1)
Olympic (1)

#DateTournamentTierSurfaceOpponent in finalScore
1. October 15, 1984 Stuttgart, Germany VS Carpet (I) Catarina Lindqvist 6-1, 6-4
2. May 20, 1985 Berlin, Germany VS Clay Chris Evert-Lloyd 6-4, 7-5
3. August 18, 1985 UNITED JERSEY, New Jersey, USA VS Hard Kathy Rinaldi Stunkel 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
4. October 6, 1985 Maybelline, Florida, USA VS Hard Martina Navrátilová 6-3, 6-1
5. February 3, 1986 VS OF Florida, USA VS Hard Chris Evert-Lloyd 6-3, 6-1
6. February 23, 1986 Miami, USA VS Hard Chris Evert-Lloyd 6-4, 6-2
7. November 23, 1986 VS Championships, New York, USA CH Carpet (I) Martina Navrátilová 7-6(3), 6-2
8. July 5, 1987 Wimbledon, Great Britain GS Grass Martina Navrátilová 7-5, 6-3
9. September 13, 1987 U.S. Open, USA GS Hard Martina Navrátilová 7-6(4), 6-1
10. March 13, 1988 VS OF Florida, USA II Hard Gabriela Sabatini 2-6, 6-3, 6-1
11. April 16, 1989 Amelia Island, USA II Clay Gabriela Sabatini 3-6, 6-3, 7-5
12. June 11,1989 French Open, France GS Clay Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 7-6(6), 3-6, 7-5
13. May 20, 1990 Berlin, Germany I Clay Monica Seles 6-4, 6-3
14. June 10, 1990 French Open, France GS Clay Monica Seles 7-6(6), 6-4
15. September 9, 1990 U.S. Open, USA GS Hard Gabriela Sabatini 6-2, 7-6(4)
16. March 10, 1991 VS OF Florida, USA II Hard Gabriela Sabatini 6-4, 7-6(6)
17. April 14, 1991 Amelia Island, USA II Clay Gabriela Sabatini 7-5, 7-6(3)
18. April 12, 1992 Amelia Island, USA II Clay Gabriela Sabatini 6-2, 1-6, 6-3
19. June 7, 1992 French Open, France GS Clay Monica Seles 6-2, 3-6, 10-8
20. August 9, 1992 Olympics, Barcelona OT Clay Jennifer Capriati 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
21. January 31, 1993 Australian Open, Australia GS Hard Monica Seles 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
22. March 21, 1993 Miami, USA I Hard Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
23. May 2, 1993 Citzen Cup, Germany II Clay Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 6-3, 6-3
24. November 14, 1993 Philadelphia, USA I Carpet (I) Conchita Martínez 6-3, 6-3
25. May 1, 1994 Citzen Cup, Germany II Clay Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 4-6, 7-6(3), 7-6(6)
26. August 21, 1994 Montréal, Canada I Hard Arantxa Sánchez Vicario7-5, 1-6, 7-6(4)
27. September 11, 1994 U.S. Open, USA GS Hard Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 1-6, 7-6(3), 6-4
28. November 17, 1996 Philadelphia, USA II Carpet (I) Jana Novotná 6-4, retired
29. February 2, 1997 Tokyo, Japan I Carpet (I) Martina Hingis walkover
30. March 14, 1999 Indian Wells, USA I Hard Serena Williams 6-3, 3-6, 7-5
31. July 4, 1999 Wimbledon, Great Britain GS Grass Lindsay Davenport 6-4, 7-5

WTA Tour doubles finals


Wins (11)

Legend (Singles)
Tier I (1)
Tier II (2)
Tier III (0)
Tier IV (1)
VS (6)
Grand Slam Title (1)
WTA Tour Championship (0)

'No.' 'Date' 'Tournament' 'Tier' 'Partnering' 'Opponents in the final' 'Score'
1. April 28, 1986 U.S. Clay Court Championships, Indianapolis VS Gabriela Sabatini Gigi Fernández
Robin White		 6-2, 6-0
2. May 12, 1986 German Open, Berlin VS Helena Suková Martina Navrátilová
Andrea Temesvari		 7-5, 6-2
3. May 12, 1986 Tokyo, Japan VS Bettina Bunge Katerina Maleeva
Manuela Maleeva		 6-1, 6-7(4), 6-2
4. October 6, 1986 Zurich, Switzerland VS Gabriela Sabatini Lori McNeil
Alycia Moulton		 1-6, 6-4, 6-4
5. October 20, 1986 Brighton, United Kingdom VS Helena Suková Tine Scheuer-Larsen
Catherine Tanvier		 6-4, 6-4
6. April 13, 1987 Amelia Island, USA VS Gabriela Sabatini Hana Mandlíková
Wendy Turnbull		 3-6, 6-3, 7-5
7. March 13, 1988 Miami, USA I Gabriela Sabatini Gigi Fernández
Zina Garrison		 7-6(6), 6-3
8. June 20, 1988 Wimbledon, United Kingdom GS Gabriela Sabatini Larisa Neiland
Natasha Zvereva		 6-3, 1-6, 12-10
9. August 14, 1989 New Jersey, USA IV Pam Shriver Louise Allen
Laura Gildemeister		 6-2, 6-4
10. April 27, 1992 Hamburg, Germany II Rennae Stubbs Manon Bollegraf
Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario		 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
11. April 26, 1993 Hamburg, Germany II Rennae Stubbs Larisa Neiland
Jana Novotná		 6-4, 7-6(5)

Runner-ups (7)

Major tournament singles performance timeline


Tournament 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 Career SR Career Win-Loss
Australian Open A1R3R A NH A'W''W''W'QFAF'W'AA4RAQF4 / 1047-6
French Open A2R3R4RQF'W''W'FFSFF'W'SF'W''W'QFA'W'6 / 1687-10
WimbledonALQ4R4RAF'W''W'SF 'W' 'W' 'W'1R 'W' 'W' A3RF7 / 1575-8
U.S. Open A LQ1RSFSFF'W''W'FSFQF'W'F'W''W'A4RA5 / 1573-10
Grand Slam SR0 / 00 / 40 / 40 / 30 / 21 / 34 / 43 / 41 / 41 / 41 / 33 / 41 / 43 / 33 / 30 / 20 / 21 / 322 / 56 N/A
Grand Slam Win-Loss 0-0 5-4 7-4 11-3 9-2 19-2 27-0 27-1 24-3 21-3 17-2 26-1 18-3 21-0 21-0 7-2 5-2 17-2 N/A 282-34
WTA Tour Championships A A A AF 'W' SF 'W' SFQF4R 'W'QF 'W' 'W' A SF A5 / 1231-7
Olympic Games1NHNH'W'NHNHNH'W'NHNHNHFNHNHNHANHNHNH2 / 315-1
Tokyo²NHNHAA 'W'AAA 'W'QFA SF 'W'AAFAQF'3 / 7'22-3
Indian Wells³NHNHNHNHNHNHNHAAAAA 'W'A 'W'A SFF'2 / 4'17-2
Miami4NHNHNH SFF 'W' 'W'AA SF SFF 'W' 'W' 'W'AA SF'5 / 11'59-6
Hilton Head / Charleston5AA1R SF 'W' 'W'A 'W'AAA 'W'AAAAAA'4 / 6'26-2
Berlin6ALQQFF 'W' 'W' 'W' 'W'F 'W' 'W' 'W' 'W'A 'W'QFAQF'9 / 15'60-6
Rome7AAAAA 'W'AAAAAAAAQFAAA'1 / 2'7-1
San Diego8NHNHAAAAA 'W' 'W'AA 'W' 'W'AAA2R2R'4 / 6'21-2
Montreal/Toronto9AAAAAAAA 'W'AA 'W'F2RAA3RA'2 / 5'15-3
Moscow10NHNHNHNHNHNHNHNHNHNHNHNHNHNHAAAA'0 / 0'0-0
Zurich11NHNHAA 'W' 'W'A 'W' 'W' 'W' 'W'AAAAAAA'6 / 6'30-0
Tournaments played1151413141314161515151513111151310N/A223
Finals reached00131113121613911141098233N/A138
'Tournaments Won''0''0''0''0''8''11''11''14''10''7''8''10''7''9''7''1''3''1''N/A''107'
Hardcourt Win-Loss0-01-21-219-620-327-138-137-023-123-413-232-238-217-122-23-114-514-5N/A342-40
Clay Win-Loss0-114-77-614-424-132-020-123-220-219-230-321-214-211-016-110-20-09-1N/A284-37
Grass Win-Loss0-03-47-43-10-06-17-07-05-17-07-07-00-17-07-00-06-26-1N/A85-15
Carpet Win-Loss0-03-24-24-219-29-07-119-024-116-221-216-26-112-19-13-013-24-2N/A189-23
'Overall Win-Loss''0-1''21-15''19-14''40-13''63-6''74-2''72-3''86-2''72-5''65-8''71-7''76-6''58-6''47-2''54-4''16-3''33-9''33-9''N/A''900-115'
'Year End Ranking''124''98''22''6''3''1''1''1''1''2''2''1''1''1''1''28''9''3''N/A''N/A'

A = did not participate in the tournament.
LQ = lost in the qualifying tournament.
SR = the ratio of the number of singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played
1Tennis was a demonstration sport during the 1984 Olympic Games.
²The Toray Pan Pacific Open has been held annually since 1984 and has been classified on the WTA Tour as a Tier I tournament since 1993.
³The Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells has been held annually since 1989. It was originally a Tier II event and has been classified on the WTA Tour as a Tier I tournament since 1996.
4The Sony Ericsson Open in Miami has been held annually since 1985 and has been classified on the WTA Tour as a Tier I tournament since the WTA started the classification in 1988.
5The Family Circle Cup has been held annually since 1973 and has been classified on the WTA Tour as a Tier I tournament since 1990.
6The Qatar Telecom German Open has been held annually since 1896 and has been classified on the WTA Tour as a Tier I tournament since 1990.
7The Italian Open in Rome has been held since 1930 and has been classified on the WTA Tour as a Tier I tournament since 1990.
8The San Diego tournament has been held since 1984 and has been classified on the WTA Tour as a Tier I tournament since 2004.
9The Rogers Cup has been held annually since 1892 and has been classified on the WTA Tour as a Tier I tournament since 1990.
10The Kremlin Cup has been held annually since 1996 and has been classified on the WTA Tour as a Tier I tournament since 1997.
11The Zurich Open has been held annually since 1984 and has been classified on the WTA Tour as a Tier I tournament since 1993.

Awards



★ 1986: "Most Improved Player," by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA)

★ 1987 "Player of the Year," by the WTA

★ 1987 "World Champion," by the International Tennis Federation (ITF)

★ 1988 "Player of the Year," by the WTA

★ 1988 "World Champion," by the ITF

★ 1988 "BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year"

★ 1989 "Player of the Year," by the WTA

★ 1989 "World Champion," by the ITF

★ 1989 "Female Athlete of the Year," by the Associated Press

★ 1990 "Player of the Year," by the WTA

★ 1990 "World Champion," by the ITF

★ 1993 "Player of the Year," by the WTA

★ 1993 "World Champion," by the ITF

★ 1994 "Player of the Year," by the WTA

★ 1995 "Player of the Year," by the WTA

★ 1995 "World Champion," by the ITF

★ 1996 "Player of the Year," by the WTA

★ 1996 "World Champion," by the ITF

★ 1996 "Most Exciting Player of the Year," by the WTA

★ 1998 "Most Exciting Player of the Year," by the WTA

★ 1999 "Most Exciting Player of the Year," by the WTA

★ 1999 "Prince of Asturias Award," one of the most important awards of Spain and named after the apparent heir of Spain, Prince Felipe

★ 1999 "Germany Television Award"

★ 1999 "Athlete of the Century" for the category "Female Athlete in Ballsports" by a panel of the International Olympic Committee (IOC)

★ 1999 "Female Athlete of the Year," by the German television broadcaster ARD

★ 1999 "Female Sports Award of the Last Decade," by ESPY

★ 1999 "Olympic Medal of Honor" granted by Dr. Antonio Samaranch, president of the IOC

★ 2002 "Medal of Honor," bestowed by the prime minister of Graf's home state Baden-Württemberg, Erwin Teufel

★ 2004 Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame

Special honours


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

  • Selected for "European Heroes" in 2004 by TIME Magazine.

  • Voted "Germans greatest role model" by TV14 magazine.

  • Voted "Most admirable German woman" by Amica magazine.

  • Voted "Germany's Sportswoman of the Century" in 1999 by the German press.

  • Steffi is the only person to have won the 'Golden Slam' (1988)

  • Steffi is the first German to win the Spain's 'Prince of Asturias' award.

    Notes



    1. Before the German reunification, she played for West Germany
    2. Tennis Players of the Century.
    3. Exclusive Interview with Steve Flink about the career of Chris Evert
    4. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/1999/french_open/news/1999/06/05/hingis_graf/


    External links



    ★ The official Steffi Graf website

    ★

    ★ International Tennis Hall of Fame profile

    ★

    ★ Official Wimbledon profile

    ★ BBC profile

    ★ ESPN biography

    ★

    ★ Steffi Graf Biography

    ★ Steffi Graf' victories

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