Steffi Graf

Steffi Graf

Country (sports)	Germany
Residence	Las Vegas, Nevada
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Turned pro	1982
Retired	1999
Plays	Right; One-handed backhand
Prize money	US$21,895,277 (2nd in all-time rankings)
Singles
Career record	902-115
Career titles	107 (3rd in all-time rankings)
Highest ranking	No. 1 (August 17, 1987)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	W (1988, '89, '90, '94)
French Open	W (1987, '88, '93, '95, '96, '99)
Wimbledon	W (1988, '89, '91, '92, '93, '95, '96)
US Open	W (1988, '89, '93, '95, '96)
Doubles
Career record	173-72
Career titles	11
Highest ranking	No. 5 (November 21, 1988)
Last updated on: N/A.

For the Austrian runner, see Stephanie 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 won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, second among male and female players only to Margaret 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. 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.

In 1988, Graf won the Olympic gold medal in singles and all four Grand Slam singles titles that year, becoming the first and only player to win the "Golden Slam."

She was ranked the Women's Tennis Association's No. 1 player for a record 377 total 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.

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, at No. 3 in the world. She is married to the former World No. 1 men's tennis player Andre Agassi.

Playing style

The main weapon in Graf's game was her powerful inside-out forehand drive, which earned her the monicker "Fräulein Forehand". She often positioned herself in her backhand corner, and although this left her forehand wing open and vulnerable to attack, her court speed meant that only the most accurate shots wide to her forehand caused any trouble.

Her trademark forehand is legendary for its sheer beauty. She often hit it with both feet off the ground, as if in a "flying" motion, and she would land on her toes without losing balance. Elegant aesthetics also characterized Graf's court movement. The news media constantly likened her to a "gazelle" or "springbok" while Martina Navratilova considered her speed comparable to that of an Olympic long-distance runner.

Graf also had a powerful backhand drive but over the course of her career tended to use this less frequently, opting more often for her very effective backhand slice. In baseline rallies, she used the slice almost exclusively. Her accuracy with the slice, both crosscourt 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 putaways. Her topspin backhand was retained only for passing-shots, but as the number of net-rushers declined, her need for the shot lessened.

She built her powerful and accurate serve up to 180 km/h (110 mph), making it one of the fastest serves in women's tennis, and was a capable volleyer, but was often criticized for not using her volley more often. She was also very agile and athletic, chasing down balls that seemed unplayable. Her footwork was unique and instantly recognizable. Her powerful strokes are considered by many to have started the current trend of power baseline tennis that is common among professional 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 climbed steadily to 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 #10 seed, Jo Durie of the United Kingdom, in a fourth round Centre Court match at Wimbledon. In August, she represented West Germany in the tennis demonstration event at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles and won the event.

Graf's schedule was closely controlled by her father, Peter Graf, who limited her play so that she would not burn out. 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 also kept a tight rein on Graf's personal life. Social invitations on the tour were often declined as Graf's focus was kept on practising 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.

1985 and early 1986 saw her emerge as the top challenger to the dominance of Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. 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 and semifinals, with the highlight being her semifinal loss to Navratilova at the U.S Open.

On April 13, 1986, Graf won her first WTA tournament and beat Evert for the first time in the final of the Family Circle Cup in Hilton Head, South Carolina. She never lost to Evert again, beating her a further seven times over the next three and a half years. She then won her next three tournaments at Amelia Island, Charleston, and Berlin, culminating in a 6–2, 6–3 defeat of Navratilova in the final of the latter. At the French Open, Graf was the third seed but was seen by many as the tournament favorite. However, she caught a virus and lost to Hana Mandlikova in the quarterfinals 2–6, 7–6, 6–1. The illness caused her to miss Wimbledon, and an accident where she broke a toe several weeks later also curtailed her momentum. She returned to win a small tournament at Mahwah just before the U.S. Open where, in one of the most anticipated matches of the year, she encountered Navratilova in a semifinal. The match was played over two days with Navratilova finally winning after saving three match points 6–1, 6–7, 7–6. 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 City. This time, Navratilova beat Graf easily 7–6, 6–3, 6–2.

Breakthrough year

Graf's Grand Slam breakthrough came in 1987. She started the year strongly, with six tournament victories heading into the French Open, the highlight being at the tournament in Key Biscayne, Florida, where she defeated Martina Navratilova in a semifinal and Chris Evert in the final and conceded 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 Gabriela 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 the Federation Cup final in Vancouver, Canada, three weeks later, she defeated Evert easily 6–2, 6–1. The U.S. Open ended anti-climactically as Navratilova defeated Graf in the final 7–6, 6–1.

Because Graf had lost to Navratilova in two of three Grand Slam finals in 1987 but had a superior record elsewhere (ten titles to Navratilova's four), the Virginia Slam Championships in November was expected to decide the World No. 1 for the year. Navratilova, however, was upset by Sabatini in the quarterfinals, and when Graf defeated Sabatini in the final, she clinched the top ranking in the eyes of most observers, finishing the year with a 74-2 match record.

Olympic medal record
Women's Tennis
Representing West Germany
	1988 Seoul	Singles
	1988 Seoul	Doubles
Representing Germany
	1992 Barcelona	Singles

"Golden Slam"

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 Gabriela Sabatini during the spring, once on hardcourts in Boca Raton, Florida and once on clay at Amelia Island, Florida. Graf, however, won the tournament in San Antonio, Texas and retained her title in Key Biscayne, Florida, where she once again defeated Evert in the final. Graf then won the tournament in Berlin, losing only twelve games in five matches.

At the French Open, Graf successfully defended her title by routing Natalia Zvereva 6–0, 6–0 in a 32-minute final. That was only the second-ever double bagel in a Grand Slam final, the other being in 1911. Zvereva, who had eliminated Martina Navratilova in the fourth round, won only thirteen points in the match. Graf lost a mere twenty games in the tournament, setting a record for the French Open in the open era.

Next came Wimbledon, where Navratilova had won six straight titles. Graf was trailing Navratilova in the final 7–5, 2–0 before winning the match 5–7, 6–2, 6–1. She then won tournaments in Hamburg and Mahwah (where she lost only eight games all tournament).

At the U.S. Open, Graf defeated Sabatini in a three-set final to win the Calendar Year Grand Slam, a feat previously performed by only two other women, Maureen Connolly Brinker in 1953 and Margaret Court in 1970.

Graf then defeated Sabatini 6–3, 6–3 in the gold medal match at the Olympic Games in Seoul and achieved 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.

At the year-ending Virginia Slims Championships, Graf was upset by Pam Shriver, only her third loss of the year. She was named the 1988 BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year.

New challengers and personal challenges

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 winning streak to five events at the Australian Open, defeating Helena Sukova in the final. Her 6–3, 6–0 defeat of Gabriela Sabatini in a semifinal was described by veteran observer Ted Tinling as "probably the best tennis I've seen".

Graf followed this with easy victories in her next four tournaments at Washington, D.C., San Antonio, Texas, Boca Raton, Florida, and Hilton Head, South Carolina. The Washington final was notable because Graf won the first twenty points of the match against Zina Garrison. In the Boca Raton final, Graf lost the only set she conceded to Chris Evert in their final eight matches.

In the subsequent Amelia Island final on clay, Graf lost her first match of the year to Sabatini but returned to European clay with easy victories at Hamburg and Berlin.

Graf's Grand Slam winning streak ended at the 1989 French Open, where 17-year-old Spaniard Arantxa Sánchez Vicario beat Graf in three sets. Graf served for the match at 5–3 in the third set but lost the game at love and won only three more points in the match. She had struggled to beat Monica Seles in their semifinal 6–3, 3–6, 6–3 after being affected by food-poisoning the day before that match.

Graf, however, recovered to defeat Martina Navratilova 6–2, 6–7, 6–1 in the Wimbledon final after defeating Seles 6–0, 6–1 in a fourth round match, Sanchez Vicario in a quarterfinal, and Chris Evert in a semifinal.

Graf warmed up for the U.S. Open with easy tournament victories in San Diego and Mahwah. In her semifinal match at the U.S. Open, Graf defeated Sabatini 3–6, 6–4, 6–2. 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 and Brighton preceded the Virginia Slims Championships, where Graf cemented her top-ranked status by beating Navratilova in the final 6–4, 7–5, 2–6, 6–2. Graf ended 1989 with an 86-2 match record and the loss of only twelve sets.

In 1990, Graf defeated Mary Joe Fernández in the final of the Australian Open, which was her eighth Grand Slam singles title in the last nine she contested. Her winning streak (unbeaten since the 1989 French Open loss to Sanchez Vicario) continued with victories at Tokyo, Amelia Island, and Hamburg. At Berlin, she extended her unbeaten streak to 66 matches (second in WTA history to Navratilova's 74) before losing the final to Seles.

While the Berlin tournament was being played, the largest-circulation German tabloid, Bild, ran a story about Graf's father allegedly having an affair with a former Playboy model. The subsequent paternity suit brought by the model, Nicole Meissner, was covered extensively in the tabloids for the next two months. 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. The blackmail scheme eventually failed when DNA tests proved Peter was not the baby's father. Whether this scandal affected Graf's form is open to debate. In an interview with Stern magazine in July 1990, Graf stated, "I could not fight as usual."

Graf again lost to Seles in the final of the French Open 7–6, 6–4, with Seles saving four consecutive set points in the first set tiebreaker. At Wimbledon, Graf was beaten unexpectedly in the semifinals by Garrison. After victories at Montreal and San Diego, Graf reached the U.S. Open final, where she lost in straight sets to Sabatini. Graf won four indoor tournaments after the U.S. Open, but lost again to Sabatini in a Virginia Slims Championships semifinal. Even though Graf won only one Grand Slam singles title in 1990, she 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 U.S. Open and, in March, ending Graf's record 186 consecutive-weeks hold on the World No. 1 ranking. Graf briefly regained the top ranking after winning at Wimbledon but lost it again after her loss to Jennifer Capriati in August.

Graf lost a 1991 Australian Open quarterfinal to Jana Novotna, the first time she could 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. Hardcourts in San Antonio, beating Seles in the final. After losing a fifth straight time to Sabatini at Amelia Island, Graf once again defeated Seles in the Hamburg final. Following her tournament victory in Berlin, Graf suffered one of the worst defeats of her career in a French Open semifinal where she won only two games against Sanchez Vicario and lost her first 6–0 set since 1984. Graf did, however, win her third Wimbledon title, defeating Sabatini in the final. Navratilova then defeated Graf 7–6, 6–7, 6–4 in a U.S. Open semifinal, the first time she had beaten Graf in four years. Graf then won Leipzig, with her 500th career victory coming in a quarterfinal defeat of Judith Wiesner. After winning two more indoor tournaments at Zurich and Brighton, she failed once again in the Virginia Slims Championships, losing her semifinal to Novotna. Soon after, she split with her long-time coach, Pavel Slozil, stating that she wanted to work on her own.

A bout with German measles forced Graf to miss the first major event of 1992, the Australian Open. Her year continued indifferently with losses in three of her first four tournaments, although she did win unconvincingly at Boca Raton. Victories at Hamburg and Berlin (beating Sanchez Vicario in the finals of both) prepared her for the French Open, where she defeated Sanchez Vicario in the semifinals after losing the first set 6–0. She then renewed her rivalry with Seles in the final, which Seles won 10-8 in the third set. At Wimbledon, after struggling through early-round three-setters against lowly-ranked Marianne de Swardt and Patty Fendick, she easily defeated Natalia Zvereva in a quarterfinal, Sabatini in a 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 her grunting. Graf then 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 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. Four consecutive indoor tournament victories in the autumn improved her year, but for the third consecutive year, she failed to win the Virginia Slims Championships, where she lost in the first round to Lori McNeil.

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. More than 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. From the start of 1991 until the April 1993 Seles stabbing (i.e., the period of Seles's dominance), Graf lost nineteen matches but only two of these were to Seles (while defeating her three times). Graf retired with a 10-5 lifetime record over Seles, including a 6–4 winning record versus Seles in Grand Slam singles tournaments and a 3–2 winning record versus Seles while Seles was ranked #1 in 1991-1993.

Second period of dominance

In the absence of Monica Seles, Graf won three of four Grand Slam events in 1993 to re-establish herself as the dominant player in women's tennis. It took some time, however, for Graf to separate herself from her challengers, with four losses in her first six tournaments of the year– two to Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and one each to Seles and the 36 year-old Martina Navratilova. She struggled through Berlin where she lost a 6–0 set to the unheralded Sabine Hack before defeating Mary Jo Fernandez and Gabriela Sabatini in arduous three-setters to claim her seventh title there in eight years. Nor was she at her best at the French Open but still managed to win her first title there since 1988 with a three-set victory over Fernandez in the final. The win elevated Graf to the #1 ranking for the first time in 22 months.

Her fifth Wimbledon title was aided by a celebrated meltdown in the final from Jana Novotna, who had a point on serve to go up 5–1 in the deciding set before losing the next five games. Graf had an injured right foot during that tournament (and for the next few months), finally resulting in surgery on October 4.

In the meantime, she lost surprisingly to Nicole Provis of Australia in a Fed Cup match on clay before winning San Diego and Montreal in preparation for the U.S. Open. She won there, beating Helena Sukova comfortably in the final after eliminating Sabatini in a three-set quarterfinal. She won Leipzig yet again the day before her foot operation, losing only two games to Novotna in the final. Graf lost to Conchita Martinez in her return tournament a month later in Philadelphia. However, she finished her year with a highlight, winning her first Virginia Slims Championships since 1989 by beating Sanchez Vicario in the final despite needing painkillers for a back injury.

Seemingly free of injury for the first time in years, Graf began 1994 by winning the Australian Open, where she defeated Sanchez Vicario in the final with the loss of only two games. She then won her next four tournaments easily. In the Key Biscayne, Florida final, she lost her first set of the year– to Natalia Zvereva– after winning 54 consecutive sets. In the Hamburg final, she lost for the first time in 1994 after 36 consecutive match victories, losing to Sanchez Vicario in three sets. She then won her eighth German Open, but there were signs that her form was worsening as she almost lost to Julie Halard in a quarterfinal. Graf then lost to Pierce in a French Open semifinal and followed with a first-round loss at Wimbledon to Lori McNeil, her first loss in a first round Grand Slam tournament in ten years. Graf still managed to win San Diego the following month but aggravated a long-time back injury in beating Sanchez Vicario in the final. She then began to wear a back brace and was unsure about playing the U.S. 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 there against Sanchez Vicario. Her back injury, however, flared up and she lost the next two sets. She took the following nine weeks off, returning only for the Virginia Slims Championships where she lost to Pierce in a quarterfinal.

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. She was unable to participate in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta because of an injured left knee.

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 of the tour in 1998, Graf defeated World No. 1 Hingis en route to the Philadelphia title and 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, fueling speculation about her retirement.

Graf then reached her ninth Wimbledon singles final, losing to Davenport 6–4, 7–5. In mixed doubles at Wimbledon, Graf briefly partnered with John McEnroe.

In August 1999, Graf announced her sudden retirement from the women's tour. She was ranked third in the world at that time. Graf 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."

Summary of 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. 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 U.S. Open, and 47-6 at the Australian Open). Her career prize-money earnings totalled US$21,895,277 (a record until Lindsay Davenport surpassed this amount in January 2008). Her singles win-loss record was 902-115 (88.7 percent). She was ranked World No. 1 for a total of 377 weeks during her career, the record in both men's and women's tennis. She was ranked World No. 1 for 186 consecutive weeks (from August 1987 to March 1991), which is still the 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". Billie Jean King said in 1999 that she considered Graf to be the greatest female tennis player ever. Navratilova said in 1996, "Steffi is the best all-around player of all time, regardless of the surface."

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 on October 3 2003.

At the 1992 Wimbledon champions banquet, Graf 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.

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(3)
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(1), 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(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(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 finals

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 (16)
Tier II (29)
Tier III (9)
Tier IV (8)
VS (17)
Grand Slam Title (22)
WTA Tour Championship (5)
Olympic Gold (1)

#	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Opponent in final	Score
1.	April 13, 1986	Hilton Head, U.S.	VS	Clay	Chris Evert	6–4, 7–5
2.	April 20, 1986	WITA Championship, Florida, U.S.	VS	Clay	Claudia Kohde-Kilsch	6–4, 5–7, 7–6(3)
3.	May 3, 1986	US Clay Courts, U.S.	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, U.S.	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, U.S.	VS	Hard	Helena Suková	6–2, 6–3
10.	March 8, 1987	Miami, U.S.	VS	Hard	Chris Evert	6–1, 6–2
11.	April 12, 1987	Hilton Head, U.S.	VS	Clay	Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere	6–2, 4–6, 6–3
12.	April 19, 1987	WITA Championship, Florida, U.S.	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, U.S.	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, U.S.	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, U.S.	IV	Hard	Katerina Maleeva	6–4, 6–1
22.	March 27, 1988	Miami, U.S.	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, U.S.	IV	Hard	Nathalie Tauziat	6–0, 6–1
28.	September 11, 1988	U.S. Open, U.S.	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, U.S.	II	Carpet (I)	Zina Garrison Jackson	6–1, 7–5
33.	March 5, 1989	US Hardcourts, U.S.	IV	Hard	Ann Henricksson	6–1, 6–4
34.	March 19, 1989	VS OF Florida, U.S.	II	Hard	Chris Evert	4–6, 6–2, 6–3
35.	April 9, 1989	Hilton Head, U.S.	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, U.S.	IV	Hard	Zina Garrison Jackson	6–4, 7–5
40.	August 20, 1989	United Jersey, New Jersey, U.S.	IV	Hard	Andrea Temesvari	7–5, 6–2
41.	September 10, 1989	U.S. Open, U.S.	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, U.S.	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, U.S.	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, U.S.	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, U.S.	II	Carpet (I)	Gabriela Sabatini	7–6(5) 6–3
55.	March 31, 1991	US Hardcourts, U.S.	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	Boca Raton, U.S.	I	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, U.S.	II	Carpet (I)	Arantxa Sánchez Vicario	6–3, 3–6, 6–1
70.	March 7, 1993	VS OF Florida, U.S.	II	Hard	Arantxa Sánchez Vicario	6–4,F 6–3
71.	April 4, 1993	Hilton Head, U.S.	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, U.S.	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, U.S.	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, U.S.	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, U.S.	II	Hard	Amanda Coetzer	6–0, 6–4
83.	March 6, 1994	Delray, U.S.	II	Hard	Arantxa Sánchez Vicario	6–3, 7–5
84.	March 20, 1994	Miami, U.S.	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, U.S.	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, U.S.	II	Hard	Conchita Martínez	6–2, 6–4
89.	March 26, 1995	Miami, U.S.	I	Hard	Kimiko Date	6–1, 6–4
90.	April 16, 1995	Houston, U.S.	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, U.S.	GS	Hard	Monica Seles	7–6(6), 0–6, 6–3
94.	November 12, 1995	Philadelphia, U.S.	I	Carpet (I)	Lori McNeil	6–1, 4–6, 6–3
95.	November 19, 1995	VS Championships, New York, U.S.	CH	Carpet (I)	Anke Huber	6–1, 2–6, 6–1, 4–6, 6–3
96.	March 17, 1996	Indian Wells, U.S.	I	Hard	Conchita Martínez	7–6(5), 7–6(5)
97.	March 31, 1996	Miami, U.S.	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, U.S.	GS	Hard	Monica Seles	7–5, 6–4
102.	November 17, 1996	VS Championships, New York, U.S.	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, U.S.	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, U.S.	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)

#	Date	Tournament	Tier	Surface	Opponent in final	Score
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	6–4, 7–5
3.	August 18, 1985	UNITED JERSEY, New Jersey, U.S.	VS	Hard	Kathy Rinaldi Stunkel	6–4, 3–6, 6–4
4.	October 6, 1985	Maybelline, Florida, U.S.	VS	Hard	Martina Navrátilová	6–3, 6–1
5.	February 3, 1986	VS OF Florida, U.S.	VS	Hard	Chris Evert	6–3, 6–1
6.	February 23, 1986	Miami, U.S.	VS	Hard	Chris Evert	6–4, 6–2
7.	November 23, 1986	VS Championships, New York, U.S.	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, U.S.	GS	Hard	Martina Navrátilová	7–6(4), 6–1
10.	March 13, 1988	VS OF Florida, U.S.	II	Hard	Gabriela Sabatini	2–6, 6–3, 6–1
11.	April 16, 1989	Amelia Island, U.S.	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, U.S.	GS	Hard	Gabriela Sabatini	6–2, 7–6(4)
16.	March 10, 1991	VS OF Florida, U.S.	II	Hard	Gabriela Sabatini	6–4, 7–6(6)
17.	April 14, 1991	Amelia Island, U.S.	II	Clay	Gabriela Sabatini	7–5, 7–6(3)
18.	April 12, 1992	Amelia Island, U.S.	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, U.S.	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, U.S.	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 Vicario	7–5, 1–6, 7–6(4)
27.	September 11, 1994	U.S. Open, U.S.	GS	Hard	Arantxa Sánchez Vicario	1–6, 7–6(3), 6–4
28.	November 17, 1996	Philadelphia, U.S.	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, U.S.	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 (18)

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.	September 14, 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, U.S.	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)

Legend (Singles)
Tier I (0)
Tier II (0)
Tier III (0)
Tier IV (0)
VS (4)
Grand Slam runner-ups (3)
WTA Tour Championship (0)

No.	Date	Tournament	Tier	Partnering	Opponents in the final	Score
1.	May 20, 1985	German Open, Berlin	VS	Catherine Tanvier	Claudia Kohde-Kilsch Helena Sukova	6–4, 6–1
2.	April 13, 1986	Family Circle Cup, Hilton Head, South Carolina	VS	Catherine Tanvier	Chris Evert Anne White	6–3, 6–3
3.	June 9, 1986	French Open, Paris	GS	Gabriela Sabatini	Martina Navratilova Andrea Temesvari	6–1, 6–2
4.	August 24, 1986	Mahwah, New Jersey	VS	Helena Sukova	Betsy Nagelsen Elizabeth Smylie	7–6(4), 6–3
5.	November 16, 1986	Chicago, Illinois	VS	Gabriela Sabatini	Claudia Kohde-Kilsch Helena Sukova	6–7(5), 7–6(5), 6–3
6.	June 6, 1987	French Open, Paris	GS	Gabriela Sabatini	Martina Navratilova Pam Shriver	6–2, 6–1
7.	June 11, 1989	French Open, Paris	GS	Gabriela Sabatini	Larisa Neiland Natasha Zvereva	6–4, 6–4

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
Grand Slam Tournaments
Australian Open	A	1R	3R	A	NH	A	W	W	W	QF	A	F	W	A	A	4R	A	QF	4 / 10	47-6
French Open	A	2R	3R	4R	QF	W	W	F	F	SF	F	W	SF	W	W	QF	A	W	6 / 16	87-10
Wimbledon	A	LQ	4R	4R	A	F	W	W	SF	W	W	W	1R	W	W	A	3R	F	7 / 15	75-8
U.S. Open	A	LQ	1R	SF	SF	F	W	W	F	SF	QF	W	F	W	W	A	4R	A	5 / 15	73-10
Grand Slam SR	0 / 0	0 / 4	0 / 4	0 / 3	0 / 2	1 / 3	4 / 4	3 / 4	1 / 4	1 / 4	1 / 3	3 / 4	1 / 4	3 / 3	3 / 3	0 / 2	0 / 2	1 / 3	22 / 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
Year-End Championship
WTA Tour Championships	A	A	A	A	F	W	SF	W	SF	QF	4R	W	QF	W	W	A	SF	A	5 / 12	31-7
Olympic Games
Summer Olympics	NH	NH	W1	NH	NH	NH	W	NH	NH	NH	F	NH	NH	NH	A	NH	NH	NH	2 / 3	15-1
WTA Tier I Tournaments2
Berlin3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	F	W	W	W	W	A	W	QF	A	QF	5 / 8	33-3
Miami4	-	-	-	-	-	-	W	A	A	SF	SF	F	W	W	W	A	A	SF	4 / 8	41-4
Montreal/Toronto5	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	W	A	A	W	F	2R	A	A	3R	A	2 / 5	15-3
Hilton Head / Charleston6	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	A	A	A	W	A	A	A	A	A	A	1 / 1	5–0
Boca Raton7	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	F	W	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1 / 2	8–1
Philadelphia8	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	F	A	W	-	-	-	-	1 / 2	8–1
Indian Wells9	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	W	A	SF	F	1 / 3	12-2
Tokyo10	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	SF	W	A	A	F	A	QF	1 / 4	13-211
Rome12	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	A	A	A	A	A	A	QF	A	A	A	0 / 1	2–1
Moscow13	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	A	A	A	0 / 0	0–0
Zurich14	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	0 / 0	0–0
Chicago15	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	A	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	0 / 0	0–0
Career Statistics
Tournaments played	1	15	14	13	14	13	14	16	15	15	15	15	13	11	11	5	13	10	N/A	223
Finals reached	0	0	1	3	11	13	12	16	13	9	11	14	10	9	8	2	3	3	N/A	138
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-Loss	0–0	1–2	1–2	19-6	20-3	27-1	38-1	37-0	23-1	23-4	13-2	32-2	38-2	17-1	22-2	3–1	14-5	14-5	N/A	342-40
Clay Win-Loss	0–1	14-7	7–6	14-4	24-1	32-0	20-1	23-2	20-2	19-2	30-3	21-2	14-2	11-0	16-1	10-2	0–0	9–1	N/A	284-37
Grass Win-Loss	0–0	3–4	7–4	3–1	0–0	6–1	7–0	7–0	5–1	7–0	7–0	7–0	0–1	7–0	7–0	0–0	6–2	6–1	N/A	85-15
Carpet Win-Loss	0–0	3–2	4–2	4–2	19-2	9–0	7–1	19-0	24-1	16-2	21-2	16-2	6–1	12-1	9–1	3–0	13-2	4–2	N/A	189-23
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.

- = tournament either was not held or was not a Tier I event on the WTA Tour when it was held.

¹Tennis was a demonstration sport during the 1984 Olympic Games.

²This table includes only those tournaments that were classified on the WTA Tour as Tier I at the time they were played.

³The Qatar Telecom German Open was first held in 1896 but has been classified on the WTA Tour as a Tier I tournament only since 1990.

⁴The Sony Ericsson Open in Miami has been held annually since 1985 but has been classified on the WTA Tour as a Tier I tournament only since 1988.

⁵The Rogers Cup has been held annually since 1892 but has been classified on the WTA Tour as a Tier I tournament only since 1990.

⁶The Family Circle Cup has been held annually since 1973 but has been classified on the WTA Tour as a Tier I tournament only since 1990.

⁷The Virginia Slims of Florida was classified on the WTA Tour as a Tier I tournament only in 1991 and 1992.

⁸The Advanta Championships was classified on the WTA Tour as a Tier I tournament only from 1993 through 1995.

⁹The Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells has been held annually since 1989 but has been classified on the WTA Tour as a Tier I tournament only since 1996.

¹⁰The Toray Pan Pacific Open has been held annually since 1984 but has been classified on the WTA Tour as a Tier I tournament only since 1993.

¹¹Graf defaulted before the 1997 final of this tournament, which is classified as a walkover and, therefore, does not count as a loss on her official record.

¹²The Italian Open in Rome was first held in 1930 but has been classified on the WTA Tour as a Tier I tournament only since 1990.

¹³The Kremlin Cup has been held annually since 1996 but has been classified on the WTA Tour as a Tier I tournament only since 1997.

¹⁴The Zurich Open has been held annually since 1984 but has been classified on the WTA Tour as a Tier I tournament only since 1993.

¹⁵The Virginia Slims of Chicago was classified on the WTA Tour as a Tier I tournament only in 1990.

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 heir apparent 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 and references

External links

• The official Steffi Graf website
• Steffi Graf at the Women's Tennis Association
• International Tennis Hall of Fame profile
• Steffi Graf at the Billie Jean King Cup
• Official Wimbledon profile
• BBC profile
• ESPN biography
• Steffi Graf Biography
• Steffi Graf' victories

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