Steffi Graf

Stefanie Maria Graf (born June 14, 1969), known almost universally as Steffi Graf, is a former German pro tennis player, and is considered one of the greatest female players in history.

Born in Mannheim, she won 22 Grand Slam titles in her great career. In 1988 she became the third woman to win the Grand Slam, beating Chris Evert in the Australian Open, Natalia Zvereva in the French Open, Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon, and Gabriela Sabatini at the U.S. Open. Graf also won the gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea for a "golden slam." Of the 5 players who have won the Grand Slam, she is the only one to win it on 4 different surfaces (carpet, clay, grass, hardcourt).

Graf started playing at 4. As the best girl player, she would play against the worst boy player, who was usually Boris Becker. After winning the German and the European Juniors, she turned pro on October 18, 1982. The next day, she lost 4-6, 0-6 to Tracy Austin. Graf finally won her first title on April 13, 1986, defeating Evert at the Family Circle Cup. Altogether, she won 107 WTA tournaments, 3rd behind Navratilova (167) and Evert (157). Graf - nicknamed "Fraulein Forehand" for her crushing forehand - became the world's #1 on August 17, 1987, and stayed there for a record 186 weeks until March 10, 1991, She was #1 a total of 377 weeks. She is the only player - male or female - to win all four Slams twice in 2 different decades, to beat the top 3 seeds in a Slam, to win and successfully defend all 4 Slams, and to win all 4 Slams at least 4 times. Her career record is 902-115; her earnings total $20,130,835. Her father Peter spent nearly two years in jail after being convicted in 1997 of evading $7 million in taxes on her earnings.

Graf found herself at the center of a near-tragedy on April 30, 1993. Her then-arch rival, Monica Seles, was resting during a changeover at the Hamburg Open when a man named Guenter Parche made his way through the stands, and plunged a knife into her back. At first, it was thought the attack was prompted by the conflict raging in Seles's native Yugoslavia. But, it turned out Parche was a Graf fan and reasoned that, by taking Seles out, she would be able to re-assume the #1 ranking. The attack reverberated across sports. Players became more wary of fans; teams and organizers were forced to re-examine their security. It also changed the course of tennis history. Graf visited Seles in the hospital, but has never commented publicly about the incident. Seles was off the court for 27 months, and never regained her dominating form.

Graf is a WWF Ambassador. She founded Children for Tomorrow, which supports and initiates projects that provide assistance to children and families who are victims of war and persecution. She appeared in "Otto, der Außerfriesische," loves animals and is keen on fashion and has created her own designs. She retired on August 13, 1999 after a rare loss in the Wimbledon finals. By this time, she was dating American player Andre Agassi. With only their mothers as witnesses, they married on October 22, 2001 at his Las Vegas, Nevada home. On October 26, their son Jaden Gil was born 6 weeks prematurely. Their daughter Jaz Elle was born on October 3, 2003.

She is also known for her sense of humour. During a tight Wimbledon semi-final match against Kimiko Date, she was serving when a spectator yelled out "Steffi!" Everyone, including Steffi, burst out laughing. Composing herself, she got ready to serve again, when the fan shouted "Steffi! Will you marry me?" The whole stadium burst into peals of laughter and play was delayed for a couple of minutes. Steffi got ready to serve again, tossed the ball, caught it, then turned to the fan and yelled "How much money do you have?" Graf lost the set 2-6, but won the match 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 to face (and defeat) Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario for the title.

Graf will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on July 11, 2004.

Grand Slam titles

1999   Paris           Martina Hingis          4:6, 7:5, 6:2
1996 	Paris 		Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario 6:3, 6:7, 10:8
	Wimbledon	Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario	6:3, 7:5
	US Open		Monica Seles		7:5, 6:4
1995	Paris		Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario	7:5, 4:6, 6:0
	Wimbledon	Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario	4:6, 6:1, 7:5
	US Open		Monica Seles		7:6, 0:6, 6:3
1994	Melbourne	Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario	6:0, 6:2
1993	Paris		Mary Joe Fernández	4:6, 6:2, 6:4
	Wimbledon	Jana Novotna		7:6, 1:6, 6:4
	US Open		Helena Sukova		6:3, 6:3
1992	Wimbledon	Monica Seles		6:2, 6:1
1991	Wimbledon	Gabriela Sabatini	6:4, 3:6, 8:6
1990	Melbourne	Mary Joe Fernández	6:3, 6:4
1989	Melbourne	Helena Sukova		6:4, 6:4
	Wimbledon	Martina Navratilova	6:2, 6:7, 6:1
	US Open 	Martina Navratilova	3:6, 7:5, 6:1
1988	Melbourne	Chris Evert 		6:1, 7:6
	Paris 		Natalia Zvereva		6:0, 6:0
	Wimbledon	Martina Navratilova	5:7, 6:2, 6:1
	US Open		Gabriela Sabatini	6:3, 3:6, 6:1
1987	Paris		Martina Navratilova	6:4, 4:6, 8:6

In 1988 Steffi was awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality Award.