No matter what, I am an ardent fan of Steffi. Her elegant style of playing, her commitments to the game, her modesty...in short her personality as a whole.
Looking back at her career, her achievements are great. But she never had a real challenge in her career. In her times, the competition was negligible (probably, not at all there). There was a time, (if my memory is right, it is 1988) she won the finals in straight sets that too 6-0, 6-0. In today’s context, even first round match is more competitive. It is indeed very difficult (almost impossible) to have this margin of victory.
It was then, came a player from no where to challenge her and was even successful in overthrowing her from the coveted world No. 1 position. That was Monica Seles. For a while it looked like women’s tennis was reviving, but that unfortunate incident, stabbing of Seles, not only ruined seles’s career but also brings in a spot on Graf’s career.
Whenever I think of Graf, there is a nagging question in my mind... would she have achieved to this extent even if the ruthless cruelty had not been done to Seles or…???
Even if there was no one to provide her a stiff competition, her personal life was by itself a source of continuous trauma for her. Wasn’t it? No matter how she achieved these heights, my admiration to her never diminishes. She is still one of the best players we have ever seen, if not the best.
Oh boy, what an athlete, what a competitor, What a player!! Kudos to Graf!!