For women’s tennis, Steffi Graf will always be regarded as a legendary figure. With her record-breaking 22 major titles during the Open era, she is considered the greatest player of all time by many fans and observers who followed her career from start to finish.
For younger generations and those who discovered tennis in the twenty-first century, Graf is, at the very least, a mythical figure. She is the German superstar who won Wimbledon 2016 and matched Serena Williams with her own 22nd major.
When 18-year-old Graf defeated Martina Navratilova in the 1987 French Open final, tennis fans all over the world realized she was the real deal.
In her Tennis Magazine profile with Peter Bodo, she admitted to being bashful but having a good sense of humor. Though the young Graf wore plain white Adidas tracksuits and had frizzy hair, her futuristic style of tennis was already taking the world’s best players by storm.
Enjoying Williams’ victories brings back memories of Graf’s skill as a player, her elegant demeanor, and the contributions she made to women’s tennis during her heyday.
