The Open Era
Germany · born Mannheim, West Germany, 1969 · seven times Wimbledon champion · Golden Slam 1988
All playersBack to the rankings
7
Wimbledon singles titles, 1988 to 1996
9
Wimbledon singles finals
74-7
Wimbledon singles match record
22
Major singles titles
377
Weeks at world No. 1, a record
Born in Mannheim, West Germany, on 14 June 1969, Graf was introduced to tennis by her father, Peter, who went on to coach and manage her, and she turned professional in October 1982 at the age of 13. She first reached world No. 1 in August 1987, held the ranking for 186 consecutive weeks and spent a record 377 weeks there in all. She won 22 major singles titles, seven of them at Wimbledon, and in 1988 won all four majors and the Olympic gold medal, the Golden Slam. She retired on 13 August 1999, ranked No. 3, saying she had done everything she wanted to do in tennis. She founded Children for Tomorrow in 1998, married Andre Agassi in 2001 and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004.
| Major singles titles | 7: Wimbledon (1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996) |
|---|---|
| Major singles finals lost | 2: Wimbledon 1987, Wimbledon 1999 |
| Major doubles titles | 1 doubles (Wimbledon 1) |
| Wimbledon finals won | 1988: beat Martina Navratilova 5-7, 6-2, 6-1. 1989: Navratilova 6-2, 6-7, 6-1. 1991: Gabriela Sabatini 6-4, 3-6, 8-6. 1992: Monica Seles 6-2, 6-1. 1993: Jana Novotná 7-6, 1-6, 6-4. 1995: Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 4-6, 6-1, 7-5. 1996: Sánchez Vicario 6-3, 7-5 |
| Wimbledon finals lost | 1987 to Navratilova 5-7, 3-6; 1999 to Lindsay Davenport 4-6, 5-7 |
| Wimbledon doubles | 1988 with Gabriela Sabatini, beating Larisa Savchenko and Natasha Zvereva 6-3, 1-6, 12-10 |
| Wimbledon mixed | 1999 with John McEnroe: reached the semi-finals, then withdrew |
| Wimbledon record | 74-7 in singles from 14 appearances; 84-14 on grass in all. Lost the 1990 semi-final to Zina Garrison and the 1994 first round to Lori McNeil |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Women's doubles | with Gabriela Sabatini |
| 1988 | Women's singles | |
| 1989 | Women's singles | |
| 1991 | Women's singles | |
| 1992 | Women's singles | |
| 1993 | Women's singles | |
| 1995 | Women's singles | |
| 1996 | Women's singles | |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. †single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
"Right now, I'm a little sad but I still feel like a winner getting out of this tournament."
The person behind the player.
Wimbledon 1988 · Final
Martina Navratilova arrived as six-time defending champion, with eight titles from the previous ten. Graf, 19, lost the first set and then took the next two 6-2, 6-1. The title was the third leg of a year in which she won all four majors and the Olympic gold medal.
Source: Sport360Wimbledon 1992 · Champions' Ball
Andre Agassi, the men's champion, admitted later that he had been "praying for Steffi to win" the final against Monica Seles, because the two champions traditionally opened the ball with a dance. She won. The dance had been dropped that year. "Then we get to the ball, looking forward to it and I don't dance at all," he said.
Source: SportskeedaWimbledon 1994 · First round
Defending champion and winner of the three previous titles, Graf opened the 1994 Championships against the unseeded American Lori McNeil and lost 5-7, 6-7, ending a run of 21 Wimbledon wins in a row. She came back to win the title in each of the next two years.
Source: Tennis365Wimbledon 1996 · Semi-final
During her semi-final against Kimiko Date on Centre Court, a spectator called out: "Steffi, will you marry me?" Graf answered: "How much money do you have?" She won the match and went on to take her seventh title. Five years later she married Andre Agassi.
Source: Hello!Wimbledon 1999
Graf reached the final and the mixed doubles semi-finals with John McEnroe, then told him she was pulling out of the mixed to protect a thigh injury. After losing the singles final to Lindsay Davenport she said: "I won't be here as a player again." She retired six weeks later.
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