Steffi Graf | Biography, Titles, & Facts (2024)

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Steffi Graf | Biography, Titles, & Facts? ›

Stefanie Maria Graf (/ɡrɑːf, ɡræf/ GRA(H)F, German: [ˈʃtɛfi ˈɡʁaːf]; born 14 June 1969) is a German former professional tennis player. She won 22 major singles titles, the second-most in women's singles won since the start of the Open Era in 1968 and the third-most of all-time.

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.

Serena won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, Steffi won 22. But Serena retired when she was a whole decade older than Steffi was when she finished playing. Serena finally quit following the unedifying and desperate spectacle of her trying and failing to break the all-time record.

Steffi Graf is the only player to have achieved the 'Golden Slam', winning the Australian, French and U.S. Opens, Wimbledon and a gold medal at the Seoul Olympics in 1988. "Well, you can win four slams and an Olympic gold," Djokovic said. "I have always the highest ambitions and goals.

Jaden Gil Agassi

Steffi Graf / Son

With 22 major singles titles and the only player to win the “Golden Grand Slam,” capturing all four majors and an Olympic Gold Medal in the same year, Steffi Graf laid claim to being anointed one of the greatest women's players in history.

She was facing Kimiko Date in the 1996 semi-final, going for her seventh title, and a spectator shouted: “Steffi, will you marry me?”

In January of '99, Graf and Williams played in Sydney, and Graf won 7-5 in the third. The legend could see that the rookie had talent, but that it was still raw. “I kind of thought, you know, she has a lot of potential,” Graf said of Williams.

But the most historically serendipitous clash of the titans took place in 1999, when a 17-year-old Serena met a 29-year-old Steffi Graf in the Indian Wells final. Williams had won the first of her 73 titles a month earlier; Graf would win the last of her 107 three months later.

Between 1975 and 2023, Stefanie Graf and Serena Williams were the professional tennis players with the most consecutive weeks at No. 1 in the WTA rankings, both holding the position for a total of 186 weeks.

What does Steffi Graf do today? ›

Graf is now a resident of Summerlin, Las Vegas, where she lives with her husband. The couple have two children, Jaden and Jaz Elle. The German's mother and her brother, along with his family, also live with them. Graf is a doting mother and is often spotted supporting her children in their endeavors.

Stefanie Maria Graf (/ɡrɑːf, ɡræf/ GRA(H)F, German: [ˈʃtɛfi ˈɡʁaːf]; born 14 June 1969) is a German former professional tennis player. She won 22 major singles titles, the second-most in women's singles won since the start of the Open Era in 1968 and the third-most of all-time.

Las Vegas

Mannheim

Jaz Elle Agassi

Andre Agassi / Daughter

Andre Agassi started his tennis career “in diapers” and ended it at age 36, having won eight Grand Slam titles. Married (to fellow champion Steffi Graf) with two kids, he now oversees a foundation and a charter school in Las Vegas where accountability is the mantra.

He is married to fellow pro player and 90s tennis darling Steffi Graf. Together, they own Agassi Graf Holdings. His brand deals have included endorsem*nts with Nike and Adidas. All of which adds up to a cool US$140 million-plus net worth.

Steffi Graf (Wimbledon Titles: Seven)

The German GOAT, who is also a huge ideologue of healthy eating prefers to start her day with vegetables and egg whites and when she seeks something sweeter will have oatmeal.

Pioneering victory. She arrived at the Seoul Games on a 35-match winning streak. In the Olympic final, she defeated Argentina's Gabriela Sabatini 6-3, 6-3 to achieve the first “Golden Slam” – all five Grand Slam titles plus the Olympic gold medal. No one in women's tennis has achieved it since.

A 19-year-old Steffi Graf won all four Grand Slams and the Olympic gold medal in the same year. She is the only tennis player to do so till date. German legend Steffi Graf is widely recognised as one of the best tennis players in history.