Steffi Graf – The “Fraulein Forehand”
Born on June 14th, 1969 in Bruhl, Germany, Steffi Graf was initiated into the world of tennis by her highly enthusiastic father who was a tennis instructor, at the tender age of just three. Graf made her debut onto the professional tennis grid in 1982 at a tournament in Stuttgart, Germany.
Steffi Graf is debatably the best female player ever to have graced the world of tennis, with the 1988 “Golden” Grand Slam, marking the apex of her glittering accomplishments. In all, the German wonder sealed a remarkable 22 Grand Slam singles trophies. These include seven prestigious Venus Rosewater Dishes, which Graf accumulated between 1988 and 1996. Although Australia’s Margaret Court has a total of 24 Grand Slam victories to her name, 11 of her triumphs were clinched at the Australian Open - a less than competitive avenue back in the 1960’s. Graf debuted at the supreme end of the women’s World Rankings in 1987, and did not relinquish the position until a decade later after prevailing for a staggering 374 weeks ranked as the best player in the world.
In 1988, Steffi Graf emulated the 1970 Grand Slam feat of Margaret Court to become the only woman in history to have triumphed at all four major tennis tournaments in the same year. But Graf’s achievement was all the more glorious in comparison to Courts’, considering she also added a prestigious gold medal at the Seoul Olympics to her ever-expanding trophy closet at the age of just 19 years. The German maestro is also the lone player in the sport’s history to have clinched each of the Grand Slam majors on four different occasions or more. Graf’s remarkably powerful forehand earned her the nickname of “Fraulein Forehand”, yet she was no slouch with the backhand volley either. Her iron will, combined with a vigorous and precise serve, humbled all her opponents and enabled Graf to define an era of excellence.
The German virtuoso also cast an indelible mark at the clay courts of Roland Garros. She won the French Open singles trophy on a stunning six occasions, inaugurating the reign of supremacy in 1987 with a victory over Martina Navratilova who was then ranked as the number one in the world. The German’s last Roland Garros triumph came in 1999 when she defeated the highest ranked Martina Hingis to take the trophy. Graf’s ascendency extended to the Australian and U.S. majors tournaments as well. She won the Australian Open singles title on four occasions; in 1988, ’89, ’90 and ’94. The German made mincemeat of the competition at the U.S. Open as well by winning the tournament on five occasions.
Yet, in spite of her ability to direct the proceedings on court with laudable dexterity, Steffi Graf could not ward off the many off-field pressures that plagued her throughout her decade of dominance. The German was operated upon four times during her professional career, and she finally quit the sport at the age of 30 after deciding her long tormented knees could no longer support her aspirations at the pinnacle of her profession. Graf’s retirement came soon after she had made it to the All England Club Championship finals in 1999 after an absence of three years from the Wimbledon finals showdown. The German’s father, Peter Graf, was an often troublesome presence. The elder Graf oversaw Steffi’s financial affairs until 1995, when he was charged by the authorities for tax evasion. It subsequently took $20 million of his daughter’s fortune to secure his release from prison. In 1993, when the German’s Hungarian rival, Monica Seles, was attacked with a knife in Hamburg, the assailant, Gunter Parche cited Graf as the reason. He remarked that his aggression had been motivated by the desire to clear the path for Graf’s dominance. Indeed it is an exemplification of Steffi Graf’s remarkable courage that she was able to pull herself through those trying times with such decorum.
In 2001, Graf married American tennis legend Andre Agassi, with whom she went on to start a family. She now busies herself with numerous social welfare programs and spends time looking after her two children- son Jaden Gil, and daughter Jaz.
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