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Steffi GrafTennis player
Date of Birth: 14.06.1969
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Steffi Graf
Steffi Graf, a tennis star, held the title of world number one for ten years. She is the only player to have won the Golden Grand Slam on all four types of court surfaces, as well as gold, silver, and bronze medals at the Olympic Games. She became the champion of the world seven times and holds the record for the shortest final in a Grand Slam match, which lasted only 34 minutes against Natalia Zvereva in 1988. Alongside Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf is regarded as the Best Female Tennis Player of the 20th century.
Early Life
Stefanie Maria Graf, known as Steffi Graf, was born on July 14, 1969, in Brühl, a town in Germany. Her father, Peter Graf, was a used car salesman, and her mother, Heidi Graf, was a homemaker. Despite not being a professional athlete himself, Steffi's father had an interest in football and boxing and later became a certified tennis coach. He saw the birth of his daughter as an opportunity to become her coach and guide her to future stardom. Steffi, who preferred to be called Stefania, started playing tennis at the age of three. Her father's coaching method was based on rewards – she would receive cookies for every 25 successful shots and ice cream for every 50. Tennis occupied all of Stefania's free time from school. Despite being thin and wearing braces, she lived in her own secluded world, but at the age of six, she won her first competition. At twelve, she became the world champion among schoolgirls and earned the title of "wunderkind of the century".
Professional Career
At the age of fourteen, Stefania switched to distance education and started competing in adult tournaments. By the age of eighteen, she reached the top spot in the professional tennis rankings. In 1986, Graf began defeating the legendary Martina Navratilova, and in 1987, she won seven consecutive tennis tournaments and triumphed in 45 matches, becoming the youngest winner of Roland Garros. Although she lost to Navratilova in the Wimbledon final, Graf was crowned the champion of the 1987 season. She held the title of the Best Female Tennis Player until 1990 when her longtime rivals, Monica Seles and Gabriela Sabatini, joined her. However, Graf maintained the number one ranking for a record 186 weeks until 1991, and her total of 377 weeks as the top-ranked player remains a record among both men and women. Starting from 1989, intense battles between Steffi Graf and the young Monica Seles ensued, with the Yugoslavian tennis player securing several convincing victories. However, in 1993, Seles became a victim of a mentally unstable fan of Graf, Gunter Parche, and could not recover from the psychological trauma. For the next three years, Graf dominated the sport as there were no worthy opponents. In 1996, Graf was the favorite to win the Olympics in Atlanta, but an injury forced her to halt her training. Subsequently, the lingering effects of injuries prevented her from reaching the heights she previously achieved, although she managed to enter the top three players in the 1999 season, winning Roland Garros and the Wimbledon final before announcing her retirement. In 1999, Graf was awarded the Olympic Order by the IOC, and in 2004, she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Personal Life
The star status had little impact on Steffi Graf's appearance and character. She rarely used cosmetics, preferred wearing jeans and T-shirts, and kept her personal life private. Graf appeared in advertisements for sports products and deodorants but categorically refused to pose for Playboy magazine and underwear commercials. However, in 1990, Vogue published photos of Steffi in a low-cut black dress and high-heeled shoes. Steffi's father, Peter Graf, who managed her finances and media relations from a young age, built a high wall around her house and paid the neighbors substantial sums to keep journalists and photographers at bay. The scandal related to Seles' attack and Peter Graf's tax evasion, which came to light in 1997, did not tarnish Steffi's reputation. Known for her manners and grace, Graf developed a friendship with Princess Diana, giving tennis lessons to Prince William and Prince Harry. Both fans and competitors praised Steffi for her friendliness, composure, and integrity, understanding her reluctance to reveal details about her personal life. However, after Peter Graf was sentenced to nearly four years in prison for tax evasion, and Steffi herself had to pay a hefty fine, she had to continue competing with untreated injuries, which undoubtedly shortened her sports career. Steffi's appearance, perfect for sports, did not conform to the popular standards of beauty. Nonetheless, rumors circulated that her relationship with future husband Andre Agassi began as early as 1989 during the Roland Garros tournament. However, during the same period, Stefania was also rumored to be involved with tennis player Mronz. From 1992, the press started writing about Graf's meetings with race car driver Michael Bartels. The demanding training and tournament schedule prevented the couple from seeing each other more than twice a month, and Bartels' numerous affairs did not contribute to the development of their relationship, which ended in the late 90s. In 1999, Graf was spotted with famous tennis player Andre Agassi, and the mismatch between the flamboyant Andre and the down-to-earth Steffi was the subject of discussion. However, it soon became apparent that the couple was expecting a child. In the fall of 2001, they had a modest wedding in Las Vegas, and a few days later, three weeks ahead of schedule, Jaden Gil Agassi was born. His sister, Jaz Elle, was born in 2003. Agassi considers his marriage to Steffi to be extremely happy. She provided him with moral and organizational support during his final years of competition and currently assists him in managing their business and charitable projects.
