Tennis greats Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova rank among the best of all time. Over the course of their individual careers, they dominated the sport, winning 40 Grand Slam singles championships in total.
In their first meeting, which took place in the US Open semifinals in 1985, Navratilova defeated Hana Mandlikova 6-2, 6-3 to advance to the championship match. Graf, meanwhile, defeated the Czech-American for the first time in the 1986 German Open final, winning 6-2, 6-3. Six Grand Slam finals saw the two competing against each other. In 1987, Martina Navratilova triumphed at Wimbledon and the US Open, while Steffi Graf took home the remaining four titles. The German defeated the legendary player 6-2, 6-4 in the 1994 Pan Pacific Open final, marking the end of their match.
In 1987, Graf and Navratilova faced off in three major finals, one of which was Wimbledon. Fifth-time defending champion Navratilova, ranked number one, advanced to the championship match by defeating third-seeded and opponent Chris Evert 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 in the semifinals. The 18-year-old Steffi Graf, who had defeated her in the French Open final, was her next opponent. The German, ranked second, defeated Pam Shriver, ranked fifth, 6-0, 6-2, in the semifinals to secure her spot in the SW19 championship match. Graf was playing in his first Wimbledon final.
In the championship match, Martina Navratilova defeated Steffi Graf 7-5, 6-3 to capture her sixth Wimbledon title in a row and her eighth overall, tying Helen Wills Moody’s record for the most victories at the grasscourt Major. In addition, she won her seventh match out of ten against Graf, marking her 16th Major victory. Graf asked Navratilova in jest how many more Wimbledon titles she wanted after the match.
