steffi graf opponents steffi graf opponents

The US Open was Monica Seles's first Grand Slam event since the 1993 attack, with much anticipation again around a potential Seles-Graf final. 1 Ranking", "Graf wastes no time reaching another final", "Roland-Garros - the 2021 Roland-Garros Tournament official site", "The 1988 French Open: how Agassi arrived, Graf ruled and Wilander won", "TENNIS; Graf Shuts Out Zvereva to Gain French Open Title", "Wimbledon; An Era Ends as Graf Beats Navratilova", "Forget Calendar Slam, "Surface Slam" Almost as Rare", "THE SEOUL GAMES: Women's Tennis: Graf Turns Her Slam Into a Golden One", "SURPRISE! played a game called "Can you last an hour on court with Graf" because throughout her career she used to beat her opponents 6-0 6-1. Graf was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004. After breaking Sabatini's serve to even the third set at 66, Graf defeated Sabatini by winning the next two games to take the match 64, 36, 86. Seles was behind 26 in the first-set tiebreaker, but then came back to win six points in a row and take the set. [154] Her unprecedented Golden Slam saw her receive the 1988 BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year. Graf did not lose a set the whole tournament. 2 (21-06-10) Titles. Chicago was notable, however, for being the first tournament Graf played with her new coach, former Swiss player Heinz Gnthardt. After victories in Montreal and San Diego, Graf reached the US Open final, where she lost in straight sets to Sabatini. Steffi Graf - 22; The former German tennis star is third on the list with 22 grand slam titles victories. It is true that Graf had one of the best forehands of her era, but that doesn't mean that it is mechanically perfect. It actually had several major flaws, especially based on today's understanding of stroke. At Wimbledon, Graf lost in the semifinals to Zina Garrison, who with this victory broke Graf's string of 13 consecutive major finals. [133], In 1997, she left the Catholic Church, citing personal reasons. All right, yes, there is the winning and, with it, the money, but they come too easily and bring only temporary relief. Graf warmed up for the US Open with easy tournament victories in San Diego and Mahwah. Steffi Graf was already world number one, and just shy of 19 years old, when she began the 1988 season. 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. [80][81] 667 (25-02-23) Best Rank. Her father was arrested in August and was sentenced to 45 months in jail. The weeks following Wimbledon [in 1999] weren't easy for me. ), At the start of her first full professional year in 1983, Graf was 13 years old and ranked world No. Seles and Graf met in the final, with Graf winning in three sets, saving a set point in the first set. Stefanie Maria Steffi" Graf 1969614 GOAT [152] She was voted the WTA Player of the Year in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996. Performance timelines. Feb 24, 2023. She played Jelena Dokic in Christchurch, New Zealand, Amanda Coetzer in Durban, South Africa, and her former rival Arantxa Snchez Vicario in Zaragoza, Spain. [147] In November 2018, Tennis.com polled its readers to choose the greatest women's tennis player of all time and Graf came in first. Graf served for the match at 53 in the third set but lost the game and won only three more points in the match. . 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. In 1988, Graf became the third women's star to win the Golden Slam. At the US Open, Graf was upset in the quarterfinals by Snchez Vicario 76, 63. Focus only on getting better. Extremely sound advice! 6 in 1985. All Rights Reserved. In 1985 and early 1986, Graf emerged as the top challenger to the dominance of Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. LEAVE A . That year Graf lost in the fourth round of the Australian Open in straight sets to Amanda Coetzer. In 1984, she first gained international attention when she almost upset the tenth seed, Jo Durie of the United Kingdom, in a fourth round Centre Court match at Wimbledon. Her career prize-money earnings totalled US$21,895,277 (a record until Lindsay Davenport surpassed this amount in January 2008). Notable features of Graf's game were her versatility across all playing surfaces, footwork and powerful forehand drive. Before Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi became the power tennis couple off court, the two were connected by a remarkable weekend 20 years ago at Roland Garros. On 13 August 1999, shortly after retiring with a strained hamstring from a second round match against Amy Frazier in San Diego, Graf announced her retirement from the women's tour at age 30. [73] Graf came back to the tour in March, winning back to back titles in Indian Wells and Miami, followed by a record ninth title at the German Open in May and a quarterfinal defeat in Rome against Martina Hingis. #3. [69] 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. This was not a first-round sacrifice, an opponent drawn at random. AP Photo/Bruno Mosconi. Her name was Martina Hingis. After missing almost half of the tour in 1998, Graf lost in the third round at Wimbledon and in the fourth round at the US Open. 1 for 186 consecutive weeks from 17 August 1987: incredible footwork, a devastating forehand, an effective backhand and a powerful, reliable serve an all-round game that proved successful on every surface. "[38], Graf followed this with easy victories in her next four tournaments at Washington, D.C., San Antonio, Texas, Boca Raton, Florida, and Hilton Head. [143] Graf's mother and her brother also live there. Serena Williams, who will face Kerber in the final, beat Steffi Graf for the title at Indian Wells, Calif., in 1999. 1 men's tennis player Andre Agassi in October 2001. [16] When asked in an interview to name the greatest players of all time, Serena Williams stated Graf and Roger Federer. 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). 1 . Graf beat opponents with spectacular precision, and Williams had a power game, unlike any woman in professional tennis. [36] Graf also won her only Grand Slam doubles title that yearat Wimbledon partnering Sabatiniand picked up a women's doubles Olympic bronze medal. Graf was trailing Martina Navratilova in the final 75, 20 before winning the match 57, 62, 61. Her singles winloss record was 900115 (88.7 percent). 1999 Prince of Asturias Award, one of the most important awards of Spain and named after the heir apparent of Spain. Since then, four players managed a 271 winloss record, meaning all of them failed to win the Grand Slam: Graf in 1989 and 1993, Martina Hingis in 1997, Roger Federer in 2006 and Novak Djokovic in both 2015 and 2021. 1 was in peerless form on the clay courts of Roland Garros. In an unusual arrangement, she paired with her coaches Pavel Sloil at Wimbledon in 1988 and Heinz Gnthardt in 1992 and 1996, also at Wimbledon. [94] At the 1999 Wimbledon Championships, Graf formed a much-publicized partnership with John McEnroe, with whom she reached the semifinals before withdrawing due to concerns that her uncertain hamstring, coupled with a bout of bronchitis, would affect her in the singles final. [63][64], A strained right calf muscle forced Graf to withdraw from the Australian Open. Steffi Graf vs Serena Williams vs Martina Navratilova - Who is the Greatest Female tennis player of all time? Steffi Graf was already world number one, and just shy of 19 years old, when she began the 1988 season. 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. [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. Unbeatable. Sport - Tennis: Novak Djokovic equals Steffi Graf's record for most weeks as world number one: Novak Djokovic equals Steffi Graf's record for most weeks as world. They have two children. He claimed that he committed the attack to help Graf reclaim the world No. [8] Furthermore, she is the only tennis player, male or female, to have won each major tournament at least four times. [62] Although Graf ended the year ranked No. She also won her fifth and final WTA Tour Championships title with a five set win over Martina Hingis, with Hingis cramping up in the fifth set. If Steffi Graf could shut out the world the way she shuts down opponents on the court then, for her, life would be perfect. Less than three weeks after beating her in New York, Graf inflicted yet another defeat on the Argentinean, giving her no chance with an imposing 6-3, 6-3 victory. At Tokyo 2020, current world no. (not considered in winloss records). 1 female player and won 22 Grand Slam singles titles. Margaret Court, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams. A bout of rubella forced Graf to miss the first major event of 1992, the Australian Open. In July 2005, Graf competed in one tie of World Team Tennis (WTT) on the Houston Wranglers team. And on 5 June 1988, the match for the championship against the Soviet Unions Natasha Zvereva lasted a mere 34 minutes, with Zverera mustering only a few points in a 6-0, 6-0 whitewash. Graf later stated it was the best tennis she had ever played in a Grand Slam final. But Vicario took the first set and Graf took the second. 1988 BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year, 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. First Grand Slam victory of the year for Graf: 6-1, 7-6. And each time the opponent threw a problem her way, she . A mixture of injury problems, personal difficulties, and loss of form made 1991 a tough year for Graf. She won no titles during the next three years, but her ranking climbed steadily to world No. She lost the world No. Even discounting that result, no other player had played and won 27 Grand Slam matches in a single year before. In the fall, Graf won the Volkswagen Card Cup in Leipzig a day before her foot operation, losing only two games to Jana Novotn in the final. 2 Hingis and world No. Even though she lost the opening set, Graf went on to prevail in three sets. No. [37] He went on to add, "I saw what Steffi did to Sabatini at the Australian Open this year, and that was it. [11][12][13][14] She won six French Open singles titles (second to Evert), seven Wimbledon singles titles, four Australian Open titles, and five US Open singles titles. 1 ranking for the first time in 22 months. Graf then reached her ninth Wimbledon singles final, losing to third-seeded Davenport in straight sets. She would either destroy opponents, clinically and . Tennis H2H Venus Williams vs Steffi Graf. who often frustrated opponents with variety and consistency. Four consecutive indoor tournament victories in the autumn helped improve her season, but for the third consecutive year, she failed to win the Virginia Slims Championships, where she lost in the first round to Lori McNeil. She was unstoppable. Stefanie Maria Graf (/rf, rf/ GRA(H)F, German: [tfi af] (listen);[4][5] born 14 June 1969) is a German former professional tennis player. The match was poised for a final set to decide the . The Washington, D.C. tournament was notable because Graf won the first twenty points of the final against Zina Garrison. [101] She was beaten in two out of three matches, with each match being one set. . Only three other players have won the four majors plus the Olympic Games title, and never in the same calendar year. 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. [68] [28][29][30][31] 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. At the 1999 French Open, Graf and Agassi . [144], In 1991, the Steffi Graf Youth Tennis Center in Leipzig was dedicated to her. Graf had a winloss record of 752 for a 97.4 winning percentage in 1987, both losses coming to Navratilova as they split the four matches they played during the year. Next up were the grass courts of Wimbledon, where Graf was never in any danger until the final, when she came up against six-time defending champion Navratilova, unbeaten since 1981. Kerber's opponent will be the defending champion, . 1, Reached the final of every tournament played in a calendar year, Two streaks of 5 years with winning percentage of 90%+, 8 WTA Tier 1/Premier-5/Premier Mandatory clay titles, 89.63% win rate (147-17) in WTA Tier 1/Premier-5/Premier Mandatory events, This page was last edited on 20 February 2023, at 18:23. 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. Their bond was unbreakable, and as Steffi became a force in tennis, Peter was right beside hercontrolling her life and business off the court while she controlled the rhythms on it. Began playing Tennis: 1973 Turned Professional: 18.10.1982. Martina Navratilova included Graf at the top of her list of the greatest players ever. Serena uses her hard and powerful groundstrokes to bully her opponents and uses her serve, like Federer, to set up the point before finishing it off . First Grand Slam victory of the year for Graf: 6-1, 7-6. David Douillet writes judo history in Sydney in 2000. [55] In the Hamburg final, she lost for the first time in 1994 after 36 consecutive match victories, losing to Snchez Vicario in three sets. She won 7 Wimbledon, 6 French Open, 5 US Open and 4 Australian Open . 22 in 1984, and No. She survived an intense three-set battle with Helena Sukova in the semis, breaking in the tenth and final game to win the third set 64. Graf had complained of an issue with her left knee but showed little trouble outplaying her opponent. 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. Graf, however, won the tournament in San Antonio, Texas, and retained her title in Miami, where she once again defeated Evert in the final. Date biografice. 1999 Athlete of the Century for the category Female Athlete in Ballsports by a panel of the, 1999 The Greatest Female Tennis Player of the 20th century, by a panel of tennis experts assembled by the Associated Press, 1999 Female Athlete of the Year, by the German television broadcaster ARD, 1999 Female Sports Award of the Last Decade, by, 1999 Olympic Order granted by Dr. Antonio Samaranch, president of the IOC, 2002 Medal of Honor, bestowed by the prime minister of Graf's home state, 2008 Cross of the Order of Merit awarded to her by German Federal President Horst Khler. (Twelve years later, Graf defeated Austin 60, 60 during a second round match at the Evert Cup in Indian Wells, California, which was their second and last match against each other. . She was successful, however, in the mixed doubles match. It is undeniable that Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi had a successful professional relationship. The Serbian tennis player this week surpassed Steffi Graf in the record of weeks at the top of the world ranking (both men's and women's) and there is curiosity to understand where Nole can arrive . Highly emotional and sensitive, with a temperament more suited to a poet than to a professional athlete, Steffi had a poignant sadness about . 1 ranking while she was sidelined. At Wimbledon, Graf defeated Jana Novotn to win her third consecutive, and fifth overall, ladies' title. At Wimbledon, however, Graf captured her third women's crown, this time at Sabatini's expense. [145] She is the founder and chairperson of "Children for Tomorrow", a non-profit foundation established in 1998 for implementing and developing projects to support children who have been traumatized by war or other crises. 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. Graf then lost a closely contested final to Monica Seles, 26, 63, 810. A commemorative plaque outside the venue in Seoul bears testament to the event: Historic Place for Golden Slam. . In the French Open final, Graf defeated Navratilova, who was the world No. Stefanie Maria "Steffi" Graf (German pronunciation: [tf gaf]; born 14 Juin 1969) is a umwhile Warld No. 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. [a] Widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, she was ranked world No. steffi graf opponents. 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. 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. " ( . She basically became a backhand slice guru ,,, This became only single taint in Graf's tennis career. However, in the Federation Cup final in Vancouver, Canada, three weeks later, she defeated Evert easily 62, 61. Graf then won all five of her Fed Cup matches, helping Germany defeat Spain in the final by defeating Arantxa Snchez Vicario, 64, 62. She teamed with Ansley Cargill in women's doubles against Anna Kournikova and Likhovtseva but lost 52. Official match time was 34 minutes, which charitably included two minutes of rain delay. This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 20:01. Most sliced shots float these days; Graf's seemed to reach her opponent's side in a straight line, skimming low over the net. Steffi Graf on how social media impacts the mental health of children. 1 Martina Navratilova, and reached two finals, at Wimbledon and the US Open, losing out to Navratilova in both. Decision", "TENNIS - For Seles, the Wound Still Hurts", "Troubled WTA Tour limps through '94 season", "Tennis: Graf footloose and pain-free: Germany's world No 1 in intimidating form at the Australian Open", "Pierce Applies The Pressure To Upset Graf", "This Date in French Open History: June 2", "McNeil Ousts Graf in an Upset for the Ages", "Graf Set for Her Comeback, Pained Mainly by Questions", "U.S.OPEN '94 - Sanchez Smiles As Graf Winces", "Pierce tops Graf; Navratilova loses last", "Calf injury forces Graf out of Australian Open", "In a Classic, Graf Captures Wimbledon On Sheer Will", "Graf's Year Is Difficult One Till the End, but Successful", "Steffi Graf Investigated for Tax Evasion", "Tennis;Graf finds real world full of ups and downs", "Peter Graf Is Sentenced To Prison in Tax Case", "OLYMPICS;Injuries Force Sampras and Graf to Skip Games", "Amanda Coetzer - Tennis Player from South Africa - Tennis-Heroes.net", "Surgery on Graf's Knee Requires a Long Layoff", "Wimbledon '99: The Steffi Graf Interview: Time for a golden goodbye? Jaz Elle Agassi is best known as being a daughter of former tennis couple Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi.. Parents Wedding. [115], Early in her career, Graf wore Dunlop apparel, before signing an endorsement contract with Adidas in 1985. In an interview with Stern magazine in July 1990, Graf stated, "I could not fight as usual."[46]. TMF. Martina Navratilova then defeated Graf 76, 67, 64 in a US Open semifinal, the first time she had beaten Graf in four years. Voted Germans greatest role model by TV14 magazine, 2004. Graf ended 1989 with an 862 match record and the loss of only 12 sets. 124. Just over 30 years old, Graf retired . 49 . She retired from tennis in 1999. . She was one of the most fierce Tennis stars of her generation and tasted great success on every court. She has a brother named Michael. 49 . Voted Most admirable German woman by Amica magazine, 2005. Eighteen-time Grand Slam champion and former rival Chris Evert opined, "Steffi Graf is the best all-around player. In addition to being great as players, they were also great as husband and wife. Since Graf skipped the Italian Open, she did not take part in the vote. Sela said: Is it possible to have another 1988 Golden Grand Slam Steffi Graf: yeah sure, anything's possible, like having all eight planets aligned in the solar system. That doesn't mean it will happen. Victories at Hamburg and Berlin (beating Snchez Vicario in the finals of both) prepared her for the French Open, where she defeated Snchez Vicario in the semifinals after losing the first set 60. The pair was moderately successful, winning the 1988 Wimbledon Championships together and reaching the finals of the French Open in 1986, 1987 and 1989. [107] Graf played in the celebrity doubles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles before straining her left calf muscle and being replaced by Anna Kournikova. 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). Graf's Grand Slam tournament breakthrough came in 1987. Nominated and voted the title Mother of the nation in her country, Germany, 2010. . She always said: I never look back, I look forward, but she also said: You can't measure success if you have never failed. [156], Graf was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004 and the German Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.[157][158]. Stefanie Maria "Steffi" Graf; 14. 1969, , ) . She is the only singles player (male or female) to have achieved a Grand Slam across three surfaces (grass, clay, and hard courts). Going back in time, one can recall the right-handed player who fearlessly outplayed her opponents. ", "Graf edges Hingis, captures sixth and 'last' French title", "Do Not Disturb: If Steffi Graf could shut out the world the way she shuts down opponents on the court then, for her, life would be perfect", "Tennis | Martinez wins controversial clash", "Results Archive - Steffi Graf - Australian Open Tennis Championships", "Tennis: Wimbledon 99 - Magic mixture of McEnroe and Graf", "TENNIS; Without Dad Around To Disturb Her, Lucic Upsets Fourth-Seeded Seles at Wimbledon", "Graf overcomes layoff to beat Coetzer in farewell exhibition", "* NZine * Tennis - The Biggest Participant Sport In New Zealand - Tennis, Steffi Graf, Indoor Tennis Centre, Davis Cup, Anthony Wilding, Wilding Park, Maurice Agar, Scenic Circles Indoor Tennis Centre, New Zealand Tennis", "Steffi Graf delights crowd at Westside Tennis Club - Houston Chronicle", "Steffi Graf: The Queen Returns to Centre Court", "Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova and Elton John headline an evening of tennis for charity in Washington", "ASAP Sports Transcripts - Tennis - 1995 - WTA TOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS - November 18 - Steffi Graf", "Today in Performance Sneaker History: Steffi Graf Becomes First Female with 500 Wins in Signature adidas Model", "Take a look at this Dunlop Steffi Graf ad from 1989! She and Margaret Court are the only players, female or male, to win three majors in a calendar year five times (1988, 1989, 1993, 1995 and 1996). It was Graf's final Grand Slam singles title as she retired later that year. 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. [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. "[15] 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. My motivation wasn't what it was in the past. The last few years of Graf's career were beset by injuries, particularly to her knees and back. Early life. This is a list of the main career statistics of professional tennis player Steffi Graf. Graf then won three consecutive indoor titles at Tokyo, Zurich, and Brighton, before once again contending with Navratilova at the season-ending Virginia Slims Championships in New York. Graf developed a bone spur at the base of her spine due to a congenital condition of the sacroiliac joint. SAN DIEGO The shock was not that top-ranked Steffi Graf won another match, 6-0, 6-0. Graf remains one of the greatest champions in the history of her sport. After losing a fifth straight time to Sabatini in Amelia Island, Florida, Graf again defeated Seles in the Hamburg final. She did not win a tournament but consistently reached tournament finals, semifinals and quarterfinals, with the highlight being her semifinal loss to Navratilova at the US Open. At the US Open, Graf beat Sabatini in a three-set final to win the Grand Slam by 63, 36, 61, a feat previously performed by only two other women, Maureen Connolly Brinker in 1953 and Margaret Court in 1970. 98 in 1983, No. [116][13] Graf stated that grass was her favorite surface to play on, while clay was her least favorite. Furthermore, Graf's backhand was, in a subtle way, an extremely aggressive shot. 3. Speculation was rife at the beginning of 1989 about the possibility of Graf winning another Grand Slam. My father taught me that if you really do want to reach your goals, you can't spend any time worrying about whether you're going to win or lose. Martina revolutionized women's tennis with her hardcore workout regimen to become more fit and stronger than her opponents. Novak Djokovic has arrived in Japan for the Tokyo Olympics 2020, and he is looking as confident as ever. [142] The Graf-Agassi family resides in Summerlin, a community in the Las Vegas Valley. As true as that forehand was, the mask was no less a lie. The world of tennis is still waiting for another player capable of such a feat in the same calendar year! Then on 11 September in New York, Graf became the first woman to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in the same year since Australias Margaret Smith-Court in 1970. I feel I have nothing left to accomplish. ", "An Evolutionary History of Tennis Racquets", "Marketing to the female target audience", "OFFBEAT: Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf team up for new tennis racquet", "Viewing Gallery: Happy Birthday! On 1 October 1988, in winning the final at the Olympic Games in Seoul, German tennis player Steffi Graf achieved what no one else had done before or has done since. [24] In 1985, for instance, she played only ten events leading up to the US Open, whereas another up-and-coming star, Gabriela Sabatini of Argentina, who was a year younger than Graf, played 21. Peter Graf also kept a tight rein on Graf's personal life. to overwhelm her opponents. Steffi is the GOAT in women's tennis because she's the most dominant player to ever play this game. At the end of the year, the municipality of Brhl, her hometown, gave her the title of honorary citizen. During a quarterfinal match between Seles and Magdalena Maleeva in Hamburg, Seles was stabbed between the shoulder blades by a mentally ill German fan of Graf, Gnter Parche. Her 0.977 winning percentage is the second-highest in the open era behind Navratilova.[44]. Associations of International Sport Federations, Organising Committees for the Olympic Games. Graf is the first German to win the Spain's 'Prince of Asturias' award. Graf won a majority of her slams using her sharp slice backhand and her incredible forehand. [16], 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. Graf who dated Michael Bartels is the daughter-in-law of Emmanuel Agassi. Shortly after the stabbing, during a players meeting at the Italian Open in Rome, 17 of the world's top 25 WTA members voted against preserving Seles' world No. In the 1980s and '90s Graf was ranked the top woman player by the Women's Tennis Association . Steffi Graf was born as Stefanie Maria Graf to Peter and Heidi Graf in Mannheim, Germany. [109], Note: However, seeing the current situation, Graff also feels frightened. Graf had already won 5 Wimbledon titles by then and was hunting for her 6th trophy. "[89] 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 the German Open.