Steffi Graf is one of the greatest tennis players of all time, winning 22 Grand Slam titles and is the only player in tennis history to reach the Golden Slam, winning all four Grand Slam titles and the Olympic gold medal in a single year , in 1988. .
It was ranked No. 1 in the world for 186 consecutive weeks from August 1987 to March 1991 and had an overall record 377 weeks.
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Credit: Bob Martin-Getty Images
Who is Steffi Graf?
Steffi Graf Age: 51 (June 14, 1969)
Steffi Graf is a German former professional tennis player who has won 22 Grand Slam singles titles. She is known for performing on all surfaces with her powerful forehand and footwork. She is the only tennis player in history to have won every Grand Slam title at least four times.
She retired in 1999 at the age of 30 with total prize money of $21,895,277. Steffi Graf has been married to Andre Agassi since 2001 and has two children. Steffi Graf's net worth is estimated at $30 million.
Early life
Steffi Graf was born on June 14, 1969 in Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany to Heidi Schalk and Peter Graf. She has a younger brother named Michael. She was introduced to tennis at the age of three by her father with a wooden racquet and began training on the court at the age of four.
She played her first tournament at the age of five and regularly won junior tournaments, winning the 1982 European Junior Championships.
Professional career in tennis
Steffi Graf started her first professional tennis at the age of 13 and slowly made a name for herself internationally. At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, she represented West Germany and won the unofficial tennis demonstration event.
She began fiercely competing with Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert in early 1986, although she lost to Evert six times and Navratilova three times, all in straight sets.
1987 - Rise of Steffi Graf and first Grand Slam title
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Steffi Graf First Grand Slam title at the 1987 French Open Photo credit: Chris Cole - Getty Images
Steffi Graff started the year strong with six tournament wins, highlighted by defeating Martina Navratilova in the semifinals and Chris Evert in the final at a tournament in Miami. She won her first Grand Slam title in the final of the French Open, where she defeated world No. 1 Navratilova 6-4 4-6 8-6.
But later that year she lost to Navratilova in the finals of Wimbledon and the US Open.
Graf ended the year with a win-loss record of 75-2, both losses going to Navratilova. For the first time in her career, she overtook Navratilova as world No. 1 and held the record for the next 186 consecutive weeks.
1988 – Golden Slam
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Steffi Graf after her gold medal at the 1988 Olympics Credit: Chris Cole - Getty Images
Graf started the year by winning the Australian Open, defeating Chris Evert 6-1, 7-6 in the final. She later defended her French Open final against Natasha Zvereva in a 34-minute final 6-0, 6-0 This was the shortest one-sided Grand Slam final ever.
In the Wimbledon final against Navratilova, Graf trailed 7-5, 2-0 before winning the match 5-7, 6-2, 6-1. She also won her Grand Slam doubles team with Sabatini.
Then she defeated Sabatini 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in the final of the US Open.
At the Olympic Games in Seoul, she beat Sabatini 6:3, 6:3 for the gold medal and won the "Golden Slam" with this victory. To date, no tennis player has managed this feat.
Steffi Graf was named BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year in 1988.
1989
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At Wimbledon 1989 Photo credit: Bob Martin - Getty Images
Steffi Graf continued her winning streak, winning five consecutive Grand Slam titles by defeating Helena Suková in the final.
Ted Tinling on Steffi Graf after defeating Gabriela Sabatini in the semifinals of the 1989 Australian Open
“I saw what Steffi did with Sabatini at the Australian Open this year and that was it. She is better than everyone else.
At the French Open, after suffering from food poisoning, she struggled to beat Monica Seles 6-3 3-6 6-3 in the semifinals. But she lost the last match against the 17-year-old Spaniard Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in three sets.
Graf came back strong, beating Martina Navratilova 6-2, 6-7, 6-1 in the Wimbledon final. Then again, she defeated Martina Navratilova 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 in the US Open final after trailing 3-6, 2-4, she won her third Grand Slam of the year.
1990 – 1992
In 1990 she started well by winning the Australian Open but lost in the final of the French Open, the semifinals at Wimbledon and again in the US Open final. In 1991, she won her third Wimbledon title by defeating Sabatini in the final. Also in 1992 she won her only Grand Slam title at Wimbledon by defeating Monica Seles 6-2, 6-1 in the final.
Domain revival by Steffi Graf
1993
In the Australian Open final, she lost to Seles 6-4, 3-6, 2-6 in the final.
In Hamburg, one of the most shocking moments in tennis history occurred when world No. 1 Monica Seles was stabbed between the shoulder blades by a mentally ill fan of Steffi Graf, who claimed to have attacked Seles in order for Graf to win the No. 1 could retake... the world. 🇧🇷 And it took two years before Seles could compete again.
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At the 1993 French Open Credit: Jérôme Prevost - Getty Images
In Seles' absence, Graf won his third French Open title after a five-year hiatus. A win at the French Open brought her back to number one in the world rankings for the first time in 22 months. Then in the same year she won Wimbledon and the US Open.
1994
She started the year well by winning the Australian Open but lost the form Graf lost in the French Open semifinals. At Wimbledon, she lost in the first round, her first first-round loss in a Grand Slam tournament in a decade. With back problems, she took part in the US Open and lost in the final.
1995 – 1996
In 1995, Graf was unable to compete in the Australian Open due to a calf injury, but won her fourth French Open title and sixth Wimbledon title in the final against Arantxa Sánchez Vicario.
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In 1995 after beating Monica Seles in the US Open final. Photo credit: Picture Alliance - Getty Images
After a two-year break, Monica Seles played her first Grand Slam at the US Open. With much anticipation, Graf and Seles met in the finals, with Graf defeating Seles 7-6 0-6 6-3.
In 1996 she again missed the Australian Open due to surgery. But she won the three remaining Grand Slam titles of the year
Steffi Graf retired
With multiple injuries and surgeries, Graf missed many tournaments and lost in earlier rounds. In 1997, after a 10-year hiatus, she failed to win a single Grand Slam title in a year.
In 1999, after a three-year hiatus, she reached the French Open final, defeating Martina Hingis 4-6 7-5 6-2 to win her sixth French Open title. During the process, Graf becomes the first player in the open era to defeat the top 3 in the same Grand Slam tournament. She defeated third-place finisher Monica Seles in the semifinals, runner-up Lindsay Davenport in the quarterfinals, and first-place finisher Martina Hingis in the finals. After the final, she announced that this would be her last French Open.
At Wimbledon she lost in the final to Davenport 4-6, 5-7. Then, in August 1999, at the age of 30, world No. 3 ranked Steffi Graf announced her retirement, bringing down the curtain on one of the most successful tennis shows in history.
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Lindsay Davenport and Graf after the 1999 Wimbledon Final Photo credit: Professional Sport - Getty Images
“I did everything I wanted in tennis. I feel like I can't achieve anything else. The weeks after Wimbledon weren't easy for me. I wasn't 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 used to be."
Steffi Graf singles Grand Slam title
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Steffi Graf in 2019 Credit: VCG - Getty Images
Australian Open(4) – 1988, 1989, 1990, 1994
French Open(6) – 1987, 1988, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1999
Wimbledon (7) – 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996
US Open(5)- 1988, 1989, 1993, 1995, 1996
Steffi Graf solo records
Graf win/loss record for 56 Grand Slam events.
Overall balance – 282/32 – 89%
Australian Open – 6/47
French Open – 10/87
Wimbledon – 75/7
US Open – 73/9
Overall win/loss record for individuals 900/115 (88.7%)
Grand Slam Double Record Order
Wimbledon – Partner from 1988 – Gabriela Sabatini
Total Prize Money Wins
Steffi Graf's total career earnings were $21,895,277. It was a record until Lindsay Davenport surpassed the amount in 2008.
Awards and Honors
ITF World Champion 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995 and 1996.
WTA Player of the Year 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996.
German Sportsman of the Year 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1999.
Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004
2008 Admission to the Hall of Fame of German Sports
Berlin Tennis Arena was renamed Steffi Graf Stadium
In 1999, Steffi Graf was named the greatest female tennis player of the 20th century by a panel of experts assembled by the Associated Press.
In 2012, the Tennis Channel included Steffi Graf as the greatest tennis player of all time in its list of the 100 Greatest Tennis Players of All Time.
In 2018, Graf took first place as the best female tennis player of all time in a Tennis.com poll for its readers.
Famed tennis author Steve Flink called her the greatest player of the 20th century.
Personal life
Steffi Graf married Andre Agassi on October 22, 2001 and they have two children, son Jaden Gil born in 2001 and daughter Jaz Elle born in 2003. Steffi Graf and Agassi reside in Las Vegas. Together, Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi have a net worth of $205 million, with Agassi's net worth being $175 million while Graf's is about $30 million.
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Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi Photo credit: Laurent ZABULON-Getty Images
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FAQs
How much is Steffi Graf worth now? ›
She is the greatest German tennis player of all time. She is also married to one of the greatest players of all time. Her name is Steffi Graf, and Steffi Graf's net worth is $150 million combined with her husband's assets, their assets are close to 300 million dollars.
What does Steffi Graf do for a living? ›In 1988, Graf became the first tennis player to achieve the Golden Slam by winning all four major singles titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same calendar year. Furthermore, she is the only tennis player, male or female, to have won each major tournament at least four times.
What is Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf net worth? ›Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf – US$145 million.
How much money did Andre Agassi worth? ›The famous American tennis player “Andre Agassi” has a net worth of $150 Million. According to various online resources (Wikipedia, Forbes, IMDB), the most popular American tennis player Andre Agassi estimated net worth of around $150 Million.
How old is Stefi Graf? › Who is better Serena or Steffi? ›Steffi won a total of 107 singles titles during her career vs. Serena's 75 singles titles.