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Graf, queen of the lawn
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Monday, June 21, 2004
The German Giant
By Bob Carter
Special to ESPN.com
Signature Match
July 2, 1988 - Halfway to a Grand Slam, Steffi Graf took special preparation
for Wimbledon and, in particular, Martina Navratilova, who had won the last
six Wimbledons and was going for a record ninth singles title at tennis'
most famous event. The German even hired a lefthanded men's player to cope
better with the lefthanded Navratilova's slice serve.
Graf wasted a 5-3 lead in the first set, losing 7-5, then fell behind 2-0 in
the second. Suddenly, she started attacking more with her blistering
forehand and her court speed took over.
Navratilova wilted, dropping 12 of the final 13 games. Not even a rain delay
could slow Graf's 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 victory. "I got blown out," Navratilova
said. "Steffi's speed - her incredible spring - is her biggest weapon."
The victory gave Graf the first of her seven Wimbledon singles titles and
kept her on course for the Slam sweep, which she would complete two months
later at the U.S. Open.
Odds and ends
Graf's first formal lessons came at age six with Boris Breskvar, a former
Yugoslavian Davis Cup team member.
Her favorite subjects in school were biology, history and geography. Her
tennis involvement limited her study time.
*In 1982, Graf won the European under-12s and under-18s championships. A
year earlier, she had won the Orange Bowl title in Florida.
Breskvar, Graf's coach as a youngster, said she had a much higher level of
concentration than Boris Becker, another German star.
Her first match victory in a Grand Slam event came as a tour rookie at
the 1983 French Open, a 6-2, 6-1 win over Carina Karlsson.
Playing her first Wimbledon the next year, she reached the fourth round
before losing to Britain's Jo Durie in three sets on Centre Court.
In Graf's 47th tournament as a pro, she gained her first title, beating
Chris Evert 6-4, 7-5 at Hilton Head in April 1986.
Her first victory over Navratilova, then ranked No. 1, came the
same year in the German Open final. The two also played a memorable
semifinal at Wimbledon in 1986, Graf letting three match points escape as
Navratilova won 6-1, 6-7, 7-6 (10-8).
Her father Peter was her first coach. As a pro, Graf had two main coaches
or hitting partners: Pavel Slozil (from 1986-90) and Heinz Guenthardt
(1990-99).
Graf won the 1987 French Open, her first Grand Slam title, by beating
Navratilova in the final, 6-4, 4-6, 8-6. Navratilova double-faulted on the
last point.
After beating Evert in the final of a Virginia Slims tournament in Los
Angeles in 1987, Graf took the top ranking from Navratilova.
In 1989 tests, Graf's lung capacity was found to be 38 percent higher
than the average woman.
Playing in 36 of 40 Grand Slam events from 1987-96, she reached 29 finals.
She won a minimum of seven tournaments a year for 11 straight years
(1986-96).
Monica Seles ended Graf's career-best 66-match win streak in May 1990,
beating her in straight sets in the German Open final.
Graf didn't like playing on grass early in her career, but came to love
Wimbledon. Her seven singles titles there are tied for third all-time.
In 1994, she set a record by winning 57 straight sets.
Graf's 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 victory over Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in the 1995
Wimbledon final was highlighted by her winning an arduous 32-point game in
the last set.
Frequently sidelined by injuries in her last three years, Graf won only
five tournaments.
She won 11 doubles titles, including Wimbledon in 1988 with Gabriela
Sabatini as her partner.
She finished her career with a 902-114 record and No. 1 in prize money
with $21,985,277 in earnings.
Graf is the founder and chairperson of Children for Tomorrow, a charitable
foundation that helps kids and their families who have suffered through the
pain of war.
She lives in Las Vegas with husband Andre Agassi and their two children and
frequently travels to his tennis events.
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