Retired German tennis player Steffi Graf is one of the best to ever play the game.
Though she retired from the game at the relatively young age of 30, she accomplished so much.
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A couple more highlights from the archive on Steffi Graf’s birthday today…#USOpen pic.twitter.com/4bKGhkmOHB
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) June 14, 2018
Here are four facts about Steffi Graf who turns 54 on June 14, 2023.
1. She First Swung A Tennis Racquet At The Age Of 3
Steffi was a child prodigy when it came to tennis.
As a toddler, Steffi’s father, Peter, put a wooden tennis racquet in her hand and showed her how to swing it in the family’s living room.
At four, she was playing on a tennis court, and at five years of age, she started playing in tournaments.
2. Her First Professional Loss Was To Tracy Austin
Steffi turned pro in 1982 as a 13-year-old.
Early days still for a ‘wiry-teen-soon-to-be-world-tennis-legend’ sometime in the 80s.
DYK that Stefanie Maria ‘Steffi’ Graf played her first professional tournament in ’82 @ Filderstadt, FRG where she lost her 1stR match 6–4 6–0 to American Tracy Austin, a former world #1? pic.twitter.com/lJC95mikF8
— SportRadioAS 🇮🇳 (@SportRadioAS1) April 7, 2022
Her first professional match was in Germany in October 1982 at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix against Tracy Austin.
She lost the match 6-4, 6-0.
3. 1988 Was Her Career-Best Year
Most tennis fans know that Graf won the Golden Slam in 1988.
That means she won the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open, and the Olympic gold medal.
She is the only player to accomplish this.
What some may not realize is that in that same year, she partnered with Gabriela Sabatini and also won the Wimbledon ladies’ doubles title.
4. Her Tennis Did The Talking
Steffi was never one for grand displays of emotion on the court.
She also guarded her privacy with the media off the court as much as possible.
In retirement, she continues to be a private person despite being married to fellow tennis legend Andre Agassi.
Graf played in the era before social media and is likely very grateful that she did because she preferred her wicked forehand and slice backhand to do the talking for her.
Serena Williams overtook Graf in the Grand Slam count and is considered the greatest female tennis player of all time.
Williams retired with 23 at the age of 40, and Steffi had 22 at the age of 30.
If she stuck around for three or four more years, Steffi’s Grand Slam wins likely would have been greater, and she could have potentially broken Margaret Court’s record of 24.
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