In many ways, it was this match that symbolised a changing of the guard. She repelled two match points but the third one was the lucky one for Steffi, earning the crucial break after a backhand error from Serena to edge the youngster and reach the quarters, mighty relieved that she managed to stay undefeated against the upcoming star. Glen (Woody) Pope Mar 25, 2021 at 5:05 pm, A great synopsis and one that rates a Grand Slam. Cause Lists. Steffi Graf. Steffi Graf. And for what it's worth, her career credentials suggest she could be the best, that is, if 22 Slams, 107 titles and 377 weeks as the world No. Luckily, Grafs Golden Slam, albeit impressive, was just one of the many accomplishments she achieved. FIR Number. HAD SRLES NOT BEEN ATTACKED ON TBE COURT, STEFFI WOULD OF WON NO MORE THAN 18 SLAMS. Americans love Serena. As recently as 2021, her fastest serve at the Australian Open (125.5 mph) equaled Nadals fastest at the same tournament and was faster than that of 52 men in the event. In terms of skill, natural ability & technique, Steffi reigned supreme. As far-fetched as this conspiracy may be, their matches are usually one-sided and boring, making it difficult for me to respect Venus as a rival. Williams has never been in the same class as Graf when it comes to comparing the two as players. What a joke ! I spent a lot of time re-watching documentaries, full games, and full matches from the past featuring some of my favorite teams and athletes. Here's a comparison of some of their key head-to-head numbers. With the final ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) tournament of 2020 scheduled to be played this month, I thought it would be fitting to bring this up. Williams leads the all-time list of WTA hardcourt victories with 505, rank Graf ranks just outside the top 10 with 343 victories. HAD SELES NOT BEEN ATTACKED ON TBE COURT, STEFFI WOULD OF WON NO MORE THAN 18 SLAMS. Graf is one of the three greatest players of all time. Steffi Graf entered the 1988 Australian Open with a maiden Slam title already under her belt, Roland Garros 1987. John is a devoted husband and father of two. Up to that point, Serena had been the second best player in her family; when the match was over, she was officially out of her sister Venus shadow, and on her to way to stardom. (@grafgoat) on Jun 27, 2019 at 5:05am PDT. However, cumulatively Williams has had only 319 weeks at number one while Graf had 377. Venus Williams. Saying that Steffi had it difficult with all her opponents being great stalwarts I feel though stalwarts they were way past their prime and someone had to dethrone them. It is incredibly difficult to be victorious on grass, clay, and hard-court surfaces in such a short period of time. I live in NYC and Im sick of Americans thinking that Serena is the GOAT. She has won 14 Womens Doubles Grand Slam titles along with her sister Venus Williams and they have won all the 4 Doubles Grand Slam titles Twice. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. 26 proved her timeless class and the desire to . . John is a frequent speaker on divorce-related topics and is well-respected among his peers in the legal community. That would seem to give Williams an advantage, but Mark Knowles, for one, thinks the edge goes to Graf because of the low, skidding shots she can produce with her slice. Throughout her tennis career, she was one of the richest tennis players. She won five Grand Slam singles titles and was the runner-up on three other occasions. Take a look at her top 5 best doubles performances. Published on May 6, 2020 Serena Williams has played pro tennis for 20 years and is still an incredible competitor. John Jun 19, 2021 at 7:26 pm. Harriet Dart believes Indian Wells run is career turning point, Indian Wells: Billie Jean King rallies with old foe Martina Navratilova, Naomi Osaka, Aryna Sabalenka: The top 5 Indian Wells upsets so far, UFC 285: Valentina Shevchenko vs Alexa Grasso set for co-main event, Rafael Nadal's wife cries as tennis legend crashes out of Australian Open, Cesar Azpilicueta and male stars can normalise LGBTQ+ players in football, BBC sex noise prank: Ally McCoist and Laura Woods' comical reaction, F1: Jamie Chadwick to continue with Williams Driver Academy, Australian Open: Maria Sakkari fuming over opponent 'screaming in her face'. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. You would never, ever see on-court meltdowns like we've (famously) seen out of Serena. The German responded in typical fashion and fought her way back into the contest by taking the second set by the same scoreline. Grafs all-around tennis game and achievements cement her as the reigning womens tennis GOAT. Jack Kramer called her the second best female tennis player he ever saw, behind Helen Wills Moody. #steffigraf #steffi #graf #goat #tennis #tennisplayer #grandslam #goldenslam #germany #forehand #numberone #sport #fitness #wta #tennislife #athlete #tennisplayers #champion #frauleinforehand #goat?#germantennis, A post shared by Steffi Graf Fan Page ? Case for Steffi Graf: Of all the matchups this week, this might be the toughest to predict and the one that leads to the most consternation. As we have already mentioned that her net worth is around $145 million. Tom Taylor Dec 25, 2020 at 12:47 am, STEFFI GRAFS ONLY COMPETITOR WAS ESSENTIALLY MONICA SELES. Yes, they played each other once on grass (1999 Wimbledon Quarterfinals), with Graf winning the match 6-2 3-6 6-4. Party Name. And after putting to birth, shes already featured in 4 grand slam finals. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. At the start of the year in Sydney, a 29-year-old Graf beat a 17-year-old Williams; that spring, Williams reversed the result over three sets in Indian Wells. Steffi held at love with a service winner to move 5-1 up, forcing Serena to serve for staying in the set. Nadal is out, but vows to make another comeback, Slow-starting USWNT blitz New Zealand in second half as Lynn Williams scores on return, Looking ahead to the LPGA season -- Upcoming events, predictions, players to watch, more, Arizona Coyotes debut new 'Desert Night' jerseys. He explained that he had done everything he wanted to do. Harsh Chopra January 19th 2023, 1:19:24 am 723 Reads, Top 5 Best Singles Performances of Martina Navratilova. Steffi Graf. Those 107 titles, by the way, are more than twice as many as Serena has to date. Tracy Ann Austin Holt (born December 12, 1962) is an American former world No. Yes, she is one of the greatest tennis players who ever lived but there are countless tournaments where Serena was erratic, sprayed balls outside the court, and simply gave up. Graf stayed composed to fends them off and the battle was raging on, with Serena landing a backhand down the line win er in game 10 to level the score at 5-5. Harsh Chopra January 19th 2023, 1:19:24 am 577 Reads. Arguably the all-time GOAT, Serena Williams currently holds 23 grand slam titles, second only to the great Margaret Court. Starting next week at the US Open, Williams will be trying to match Graf's calendar Grand Slam . ", Ons Jabeur expresses sympathy for Naomi Osaka, Jelena Djokovic shares message on Novak Djokovic's Australian Open return, Nick Kyrgios: 'I want to be able to provide for her', Novak Djokovic has hilarious response to one question, wife Jelena also reacts, Rafael Nadal loses temper and argues with chair umpire, Rafael Nadal reveals his injury: 'It's left hip', Australian Open: Injured Rafael Nadal falls to Mackenzie McDonald, Boris Becker weighs in on Nick Kyrgios' shock Australian Open withdrawal, Maria Sakkari seething at Diana Shnaider: If she screams one more time in my face, Jack Draper explains his great gesture against Rafael Nadal, Emma Raducanu weighs in on criticism from ex-coach Dmitry Tursunov, Bianca Andreescu 'determined' to play and beat Iga Swiatek at Australian Open. However, California allows an illegally recorded conversation to be admitted as evidence in criminal cases, provided it falls within a , Case Status. It was an unparalleled display of overwhelming opponents and assimilating to different venues and surfaces without a single slipup. For the sake of this series, we're assuming both parties are playing each other at their peak. Here take a look at his top 5 best performances. They met 31 times in professional tournaments between 1998 and 2020, with Serena leading their head-to-head 19-12. Both sisters have been ranked world No. "It was a great season for me. Her only doubles Grand Slam title came in 1988 at Wimbledon. Brad Gilbert verdict: The thing that jumps out at me is that there have never been two greater athletes to play this game -- maybe in any sport. She won three Grand Slam titles: the women's singles titles at the 1979 and 1981 US Opens, and the mixed doubles title at the 1980 Wimbledon Championships.Additionally, she won the WTA Tour Championships in 1980 and the year-ending Toyota Championships in 1981, both in singles. Every morning I would get up and find another piece of my identity on the pillow, in the wash basin, down the plughole, he wrote in his highly acclaimed autobiography Open. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. But few, if any, have gone toe to toe with Serena Williams for long and lived to tell about it. Steffi Grafs Golden Slam of 1988: The Perfect Season, Stefan Collins, Staff WriterDecember 2, 2020. THAT CASTS A DARK CLOUD ON HER RECORD, Tom Taylor Dec 25, 2020 at 12:42 am, STEFFI GRAFS ONLY COMPETITOR WAS ESSENTIALLY MONICA SELES. It's just for fun, so enjoy and let us know who you think would win. This strongly supports the claim that Steffi Graf is the greatest of all time. Is a business community property in California divorce? Court Orders. . ? Graf was emotionless on the court, often aloof off it. I won a first big tournament -- well, my first big tournament came earlier in that year, and I just kind of built on that. Party Name. With Graf ready to leap around and take a cut at a forehand return whenever possible, Williams will need to rely on both of her serves coming down the stretch in a third set. Martina Navratilova said it best in 1996. Serena in her prime had prime Venus, Henin, Mauresmo, Clijsters, Dementieva etc all of who are multiple grand slam winners and/or gold medalists so she overcame elite competition to win majority of her slams by 2010. Backhand: Serena wins this one easily. Her singles win record is incredible with 900 wins and a win % of 88.7. In 2020, despite there not being an obvious favorite, other than herself, Williams couldnt capitalize. In the end it was a 17-year-old Williams who emerged the victor in three thrilling sets sparking a remarkable run of form that would see her win the US Open that same year. That doesn't mean she won't lose, but you might not want to wager your house or any other valuable treasures on it. 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