Steffi Graf was born on June 14, 1969, in Mannheim, Germany, to Heidi Schalk and Peter Graf. She began playing tennis at the age of three, when her father taught her how to swing with a wooden racket. Graf then played her first tournament at the age of five before quickly having success.
After making her Grand Slam debut in 1983 at the French Open, Graf reached her first final the following year in Filderstadt, where she lost in straight sets to Catarina Lindqvist. In fact, she was the runner-up in her first six finals, with the last of this streak coming in February 1986 in Boca West against Chris Evert.
However, any talk about Graf not having the mentality to go all the way in finals proved to be spectacularly misguided. Between April 1986 and May 1987, Graf won 14 titles. These came on a combination of clay, hard, and carpet courts, showing the German's variety from a young age.
Graff became a worldwide star at the 1987 French Open. After winning her opening five matches in straight sets, she overcame Gabriela Santini to set up a final against Martina Navratilova. In one of the great women’s finals at Roland-Garros, Graf reigned supreme with a 6-4, 4-6, 8-6 victory to claim her maiden Grand Slam at the age of just 17.
She progressed to another two Grand Slam finals in 1987 at Wimbledon and the US Open. Navratilova got her revenge by beating Graf in both finals. Graf ended the year on a high by triumphing at the Year-end Championships, beating Santini in the final.
Despite her excellent 1987 season, no one in the tennis world could have predicted the extraordinary year Graf would have in 1988. She began the season by overcoming Chris Evert in straight sets at the Australian Open to secure her second Grand Slam title.
The success continued at the French Open and Wimbledon. Graf did not drop a set at Roland-Garros, including a 6-0, 6-0 final win against Natasha Zvereva, which remains the only Grand Slam final in the Open Era to be won by that score. She then made it three Grand Slam titles in a row by beating Navratilova in the final at SW19.
Graf achieved the calendar Grand Slam at the US Open. After not dropping a set to get to the final, Gabriela Santini fought bravely to stop her, but Graf was not to be denied. She triumphed 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 at Flushing Meadows to win every Grand Slam in 1988.
Incredibly, Graf also claimed an Olympic gold medal in Seoul in 1988, beating Santini in the final once again. She is the only player in tennis history to obtain four Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold medal in the same year. In addition, she is also the only player to hold four Grand Slams, an Olympic gold medal, and the Year-end Championships at the same time.
Graf had another amazing year in 1989. She secured three more Grand Slams at the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. The German almost did the calendar Grand Slam again but lost the French Open final to Arantxa Sanchez Vicario. She also overcame Navratilova to reign supreme at the Year-end Championships for a second time.
1990, 1991, and 1992 saw Graf take home three more Grand Slams. These came at the 1990 Australian Open and in 1991 and 1992 at Wimbledon. She was also the runner-up at three other Grand Slams during that time, including twice at the French Open.
Graf became very dominant once again in 1993. After losing the Australian Open final to Monica Seles, she reeled off the other three Grand Slams that year in a row. Graf also won the Year-end Championships for the first time since 1993.
After winning the 1994 Australian Open, Graf utterly dominated yet again in 1995 and 1996. She claimed the French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open titles in both those years. Remarkably, Graf did not play in the Australian Open in either season, meaning she won six Grand Slams in a row at the ones she chose to enter.
Graf’s final Grand Slam title came at the 1999 French Open before she retired from the sport on 13 August 1999. She ended with 22 Grand Slam titles. Graf is undoubtedly one of the best women’s singles players of all time, with some believing she is the greatest ever.
