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Steffi Graf | Biography, Titles, & Facts

Also known as: Stephanie Maria Graf

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Last Updated: Jun 11, 2024 • Article History

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Steffi Graf

Steffi Graf after winning the women’s singles title at Wimbledon, 1993.

Steffi Graf (born June 14, 1969, Brühl, West Germany [now in Germany]) is a German tennis player who dominated women’s tennis in the late 1980s and ’90s, winning 22 Grand Slam singles titles.

 

Byname of:

Stephanie Maria Graf

Born:

June 14, 1969, Brühl, West Germany [now in Germany]

Graf began playing tennis with the encouragement of her father, who became her coach. At age 13 she became the second youngest player ever to earn an international ranking. In 1987 she won her first Grand Slam event, defeating Czech-born American Martina Navratilova at the French Open. In 1988 she became the third woman to win all four Grand Slam tournaments (the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open) in one calendar year, and she won a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Seoul—an unprecedented feat that became known as the “Golden Slam.”

 

Usain Bolt of Jamaica reacts after breaking the world record with a time of 19.30 to win the gold medal as Churandy Martina (left) of Netherlands Antilles and Brian Dzingai of Zimbabwe come in after him in the Men’s 200m Final at the National Stadium during Day 12 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 20, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Summer Olympics, track and field, athletics)

Graf was known for her intensity, speed, and powerful forehand, and by the 1990s she had become one of the premier players in the world, winning multiple singles titles in the French Open (1987–88, 1993, 1995–96, and 1999), Australian Open (1988–90 and 1994), and U.S. Open (1988–89, 1993, and 1995–96). Her seven victories at Wimbledon (1988–89, 1991–93, and 1995–96) were second in number to only Navratilova’s nine in the open era. Soon after losing in the finals at Wimbledon in 1999, Graf, who had been plagued by injuries, retired

from the sport.