Steffie Face

Steffie Face

A Tribute To Steffi Maria Graf (Part Two)

 

By the start of 1988, I had become a devoted Steffi Graf fan and would not miss a single match of hers naturally when ever time permitted me the pleasure and when it did not I would video tape them. As for the tennis year, it started with the Australian open and Graf was in wonderful form through out the tournament. As she reached the final without losing as much as a single set. It being in the final where she met Christ Evert who had beaten Navratilova in the semis to set up an encounter with Graf. Graf, for her part got off to a great start by winning the first set by a score of 6-1 and just as she was about to close out the second set along with match to win her first Australian Open something happened to make us see that there was a reason why Evert had won 18 grand slams through out her career. Evert in fact coming back in the second set after trailing 5-1 to take it in to a tie breaker which Graf would win yet Evert for her part showed some of the talent and shots which at one point had made her the world's undisputed number one player. Graf however came out on top and celebrated her first grand slam of 1988 as well as the second of her career in what had been a brilliant performance; made more so given the way she defeated one of the all time great players.

 

Thinking back on that day, I remember the joy I felt when Graf won this tournament as there was something pleasant about seeing her win and it was not only her tennis but her; as a person that I wanted to see. I even recall how when accepting her winner's trophy she jokingly said that this was the first time she had been to Australia which was the reason why the only Australian she spoke was "good day, mate". This comment showing her sense of humor as well as her warm personality which in many ways contrasted the competitive person she was on the court.

 

The French Open came back and Steffi Graff was the odds on favorite to recapture her title which she did in a most impressive fashion as she went on to crush all her opponents on her way to the final. It being there where she met the Soviet Union's Natalia Zvereva, whom she defeated by an unheard of score of 6-0 6-0 to capture her second grand slam of the year and the fourth in her still very young career.

 

As a foot note, it was in the 1988 French Open that an 18 year old American by the name of Andre Agassi made a strong impact by reaching the semifinals and in fact going 5 rounds before loosing to Mats Wilander, who went to win the tournament. As for, Andre Agassi he went on to marry Steffi Graf in 2001 with whom he has two children but that was much later and another story.

 

Steffi Graf had won the first two grand slams of the year in relatively easy fashion and some were begging to talk about her taking the grand slam but just around the bend was Wimbledon and a most likely rematch with Martina Navratilova. Navratilova having not only defeated Steffi Graf the previous year in this very tournament but also having won it six years in a row apart from having won it eight times during the last ten years. It was going to be a hard fought final as this was the place where Navratilova was at her very best yet despite it all something told me that this was Graf's year to win Wimbledon. It was during those two weeks that I watched every one of Graf's matches with great enthusiasm and in a way feeling privileged to be allowed to experience what was sure to make tennis history. Steffi truly lived up to her name of "Wunder Kind" as she not only made it to the final at Wimbledon for the second year in a row but she did so without as much as loosing a single set and only dropping a mere 17 games to her opponents whom she was clearly out classing.

 

The final however was going to be another thing all together as she was going to be playing Martina Navratilova who had made it to her 7th consecutive final. This in spite of having struggled against South Africa's Fairbank in a three set match in the quarterfinals, after which she went on to face her long time rival Chris Evert. It being in this particular match in which she won the first set with relative ease by a score of 6-1 yet it was in the second that Evert showed that she was not just ready to be counted out of any tournament as she won the set by a score of 6-4 to even matters at 1 a piece. The third and final set was won by Martina Navratilova yet it was not without controversy as on match point Chris Evert's shot from the back court was clearly in yet was ruled to have gone out by the referee. This giving Navratilova the win over Evert, who justifiable protested to the referee who missed the call. Navratilova, for her part had seen that Evert's ball had been in yet said nothing to the referee. This not in the way Mats Wilander did when he played Guillermo Vilas in the 82 French Open Finals. Wilander going as far as to ask the referee to give the point to Vilas. Wilander claiming later that he did not wish anybody to say that he had won a match because of a mistake by the referee yet Navratilova apparently did not have the same feelings for her friend Evert on the court as she did off it. Navratilova and Evert in fact having become the best of friends (which they remain till present day) by then despite their many years of biter rivalry.

 

The day was one which I will never forget, it was a hot summer day in the first week of July and as is usually the case; the ladies final came on a Saturday. It was on that particular occasion that I woke up early to not only catch the match between Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova which promised to be one of the best finals ever but to see who Stefan Edberg would be playing in the men's final the following day. This being a case that Ivan Lendl and Boris Becker had not been able to conclude their semifinal match up of the previous day given the rain which Wimbledon is so well known for. Boris Becker went on the defeat Ivan Lendl on that occasion to enter in to the men's final in which he would be facing Stefan Edberg, who in his semifinal encounter had had to come from two sets to love down to beat Czechoslovakia's Miloslav Mecir.

 

It was after the conclusion of the second men's semifinal that both Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova made their way on to center court and the moment was tense to say the least. Center court was flooded with light as both players made their way out in the traditional Wimbledon whites yet Graf in her long blonde hair and youthful looks gave the appearance of a lovely woman painted in the mold of one of the goddesses from German mythology. In my eyes and imagination, Graf was the vision of Freia, mythical goddess of youth who thanks to her apples was able to maintain the rest of the gods from the old age which takes its toll on those who be mere mortals. Graf radiated that confidence in her eyes and the glow of her body and in her golden mane of youthful vigor and beauty which seemed to be sending out a message that today there was no way defeat would be hers.

 

The match started with both players pulling out all their repertoire of shots and physical abilities with Graf clearly playing from the baseline while Navratilova went with her trademark serve and volley game. This was definitely a contrast of styles in almost every way which did not limit themselves to just a baseliner vs. a serve and volleyer, as on Graf's side there was the youth and vitality of her generation which in a way was mine. I, at the time was 22 while she was 19. This being the generation of those who grew up in the 80s with all the prosperity of the time that even led to the fall of not only the Berlin wall but the repressive Soviet regime. Navratilova for her part, having been born in 56 was a veteran of many campaigns on that center court who definitely had the advantage when it came court savvy and above all experience and like I once heard in a James Bond film; this is the one thing which there is no substitute for.

 

The match was intense and for myself, I must confess that I was supporting Graf all the way. This in the same fashion I did and still do when Italy or AC Milan play. It seeming as if every point were vital to winning or loosing. Steffi Graf however broke serve first to take the lead yet once she got to 5-4 on her serve Navratilova showed just why she had won this tournament as many times as she had. Navratilova breaking Graf's serve to even up matters at 5 a piece to make this even more dramatic. Navratilova then holding on to her serve to take a 6-5 led with Graf to serve to stay in the set. I, remember living the moment almost as intensely as I could see Graf's mother was doing.  It being Graf's mother who seemed almost identical to her daughter, Steffi; as her daughter was to her mother.

 

Navratilova at that point given her experience sensed that Graf was going through a weak moment in her game and pressed Steffi on her serve which did make Graf perhaps not crumble but buckle a little as Navratilova was able to break her; to take the set at 7-5. This creating a situation similar to the previous year in which Navratilova, after a hard struggle was able to take the first set yet I sensed that this year was going to be different and there was never a doubt in my mind that the lose of the first set had been but a temporary set back or a way of adding to the drama that was to come but regardless of it all. Graf was in a titanic struggle much in the way the mythical Brunnhilde often found herself in. This was certain as Navratilova was not simply going to give up the title she had so deservingly earned without as she put it "a hell of a fight".

 

The second set started with Navratilova holding on to her own serve to take a 1-0 lead. In what might have been the final set as had been the previous year and perhaps such it might have been again. Steffi at this point in the match was struggling slightly while Martina had taken strength in the believe that perhaps her run of Wimbledon championships might be extended to 7 in a row. Martina's faith increased even further when she broke Steffi's serve for the third time not only in the match but in a row to take what at the time definitely was a commanding lead. As not only had she won the first set but was ahead in the second by 2-0.

 

This making Martina even more dangerous as she definitely was a player capable of closing out a match, specially once having broken her opponent. This due to her left handed serve which the receiver needed to literally get off the court in order to reply which usually set up an easy volley for her or sometimes there was no need even for so much as the ball would not even be returned. Steffi was definitely in a struggle yet like the greats, who have had to come back. I felt this was still going to be Steffi's day though I must confess, I did start to worry ever slightly yet like the goddess Freia; she too would emerge victories at the end. Freia incidentally being the goddess whose name was taken for the 5th day of the week in German; which is "Freitag". This word eventually being passed on to English in the form of "Friday".

 

The battle was raging at center court as the past generation was having its way with the newer one yet just as Navratilova was clearly on top. The clouds above intervened, perhaps on Steffi's behalf or perhaps simply because they had reached the level that required them to release themselves. Regardless of reason however the rains fell and interrupted the match as they had in the previous day's semifinal (between Becker and Lendl) and as they would in the following day's final between Edberg and Becker which in fact needed to be finished on a Monday.

 

The rain delay lasted for sometime though nowhere near being long enough that the game might require another day to finish. This as had been the case the previous day. I, for what concerned me, was feeling the anxiety during the break in the action which I used to prepare myself a sandwich along with a cup of coffee while I listened to the fourth movement of Beethoven's 9th symphony. The music seeming as if it could inspire as I waited for the match to restart. It in all truth did not take long for the match to restart and when it did, Graf was as if back to her form of greatness which she had not really lost at any particular point but perhaps had been slightly thrown of her stride by Martina's play.

 

The match continued with Martina serving yet Graf seemed like she had been rejuvenated and all that which had held her back was but a memory as Graf seemed like Brunnhilde in "Ride Of The Walkyries" from Wagner's cycle of operas; "The Ring Of Nibelungen". Graf playing like an irresistible force which was over powering the immovable object which had been Navratilova. It being Navratilova's game which simply collapsed as Graff went on to not only break her to get back on serve in the second set but went on to win 6 games in a row to even up the match at one set a piece.

 

The tide of war had turned. This was clear as point after point, Graf was always one jump ahead of Martina; who seemed to have run out of the strength which was holding up her title. This much to my sheer delight as this was the moment I had been waiting for, to see a new champion. Graf even made me think of Wagner's operas and its female characters of strength who conquered with her long golden mane and delicate beauty. The third and final set started with Graf gaining in the force of her game while Martina could only prevent or at least try to delay the inevitable yet in all there is a reason why she would go on to win 9 Wimbledons; as she did break Graf's serve in the third set yet it was to little effect. This being the case since Graf went on just the same to crush Navratilova 6-1 in the final set to claim her first Wimbledon title of the 7 she would go on to win. It had been a magnificent display of tennis made more so by the fact that Martina Navratilova had not under any stretch of the imagination played a bad game. As she in fact had shown several of the shots which made her number yet on this day Graf simply out did her.

 

Graf was Wimbledon Champion and in her sheer delight along with those of her fans (me being one of them) tossed up her Dunlop racquet in to the stands which one truly fortunate fan got to take home as a very dear souvenir. Graf had won yet there was more to it than this. As not only had she just been crowned Wimbledon champion but in a way her triumph represented a changing of the guard. Navratilova and Evert were clearly on their way out and though they would play on for more years. As they still had the physical strength to be competitive but gone were the days when they dominated while the rest of the players just hoped to pick up what was left over. Of course Navratilova and Evert still had it in them to win a title or two but that would be more the exception than the rule.

 

Steffi was exuberant in triumph as was her mother, who gleamed in the pride of a parent in seeing her child's ambitions take the form of solid reality. Navratilova, for her part and to her credit was gracious in defeat as she passed on her congratulations to Steffi Graf without the slightest resentment. It being apparent that one loss would not tarnish the great champion Navratilova had been and would still be as 2 years later she would come back to claim her ninth title yet that was for another day. As that day belonged to Steffi Graf, who had made all her fans proud as she had been able to not only come back after trailing 0-2 in the second set to win by a final score of 5-7 6-2 6-1 but had won 12 out of the last 13 games. Steffi Graf's eyes seemed to sparkle as she held up her trophy in triumph in the hot sun of the day which reflected off her golden mane to make it seem as if it had captured the energy of the sun much in the way her brilliant performance had in that particular Wimbledon final.

 

Steffi Graf at this point in her career was the undisputed number one as not only had she won the first three grand slams of the year but now was being taken as a very serious candidate to capture the grand slam. This meaning the winning of all four grand slam tournaments in one calendar year. Navratilova in fact had won 6 grand slams in a row but this achievement though great did not count as a grand slam, as she did not manage to win all four (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open) in a singular calendar year. Graf after her Wimbledon title was asked what she thought of the Australian player, Margaret Court; who in fact was the last woman to win the grand slam. It being this question which prompted Graf to reply with a question of her own in the form of asking who Margaret Court was.

 

For my part, I had never waited for the US open with such enthusiasm as I even went out and bought tickets to see Graf play in the hope that I might be able to take some photographs of her. This being the year in which I started studying photography at New York's "Fashion Institute Of Technology". In the mean time however between Wimbledon and the US Open, I got to see Steffi Graf play other matches and tournaments which she would win. All in a year in which she would only loose one more match to end with only three losses for the entire year.

 

During the rest of the summer most of the talk in tennis was about Steffi Graf being on her way to winning the grand slam and had Mats Wilander won Wimbledon than there is no doubt in my mind that talk would have been about a double grand slam in tennis for the year of 1988 yet it did not come about. It being the case that Mats Wilander was eliminated in the quarterfinals and therefore lost any hope of winning a grand slam of his own or at least for the year of 1988. 1988 was also special in being the year of the Olympic Games yet unlike most years they would not be held in the summer but in the fall. This given the tremendous heat in South Korea which made it more advisable for the Olympic Games to take place late September.

 

The US Open started and much to my delight, I saw all of Graf's first round matches up and till the quarterfinals with eyes glued to my set yet it was for her match in the quarterfinals that I made my second trip to Flushing Meadows (my first being to watch Stefan Edberg) in Queens; to watch her play live. Graf's opponent would be Bulgaria's Katerina Maleeva who though a good player had little if any realistic chance of beating Graf, specially in the form Graf was playing in. I will never forget the experience of watching Graf play live. She seemed to have a power about her and a grace on the court which not only won points and matches but amazed just in being able to see her doing what she did best. It being as if not merely a display of tennis but a exhibit of another one of the performing arts. Maleeva for her part, did not play badly and in fact was competitive in the first set till Steffi Graf broke her serve before going on to win the set 6-3. The second set however saw an end to any chance the match might have had of being close as Graf won by 6-0. It simply being a case of Katerina Maleeva's (sister to Manuela Maleeva) game not being able to contain Graf's game for more than a few games and though she did not play badly; she was just plainly outclassed.

 

During the 1988 US Open, I also got to see some of the other ladies in action in what were perhaps more interesting matches as they held more drama. One of these being what would turn out to be Chris Evert's last victory in a quarterfinals match at the US Open when she came back from the brink of defeat in the second set to go on to win the match by a final score of 3-6 6-4 6-2. In my opinion however the most exciting match of those particular quarterfinals was the one between Zina Garrison and Martina Navratilova. It being one which Garrison should have won in the second set yet let slip away yet found it in herself to win in a third set in a match which ended 6-4 6-7 7-5 in her favor. For Garrison this game must have been most satisfying as she had played Navratilova something like 21 times and the past and in fact had lost on every occasion until that very day. In the remaining quarterfinal match, I got to see Argentina's Gabriela Sabatini defeat Savchenko by a score of 4-6 6-4 6-1 to earn her place in the semifinals.

 

Steffi Graf then along with Gabriela Sabatini, much to my disappointment were eliminated from the women's doubles though I did get to take very good photos of the two of them and even had a chance to talk to one of the players who had defeated them though I do not recall her name or much about her; apart from her being very nice to talk to. Before that US Open, I had never seen a tennis match live which made it all a greater joy for me to see so many in one week. I also got to see one of my favorite players in the men's game, who at the time was Stefan Edberg beat another Swedish player by the name of Carlsson by a score of 6-0 7-5 6-2 and though nothing specially happened in this particular match; I do recall somebody yelling "somebody throw in the towel" during the first set.

 

For my part, I will never forget that particular US open. As I got to see every quarterfinal match live in both men's and lady's yet the moment that stood out in my mind the most from all these quarterfinal matches was during the Jimmy Connors VS Andre Agassi match. This match in fact being won by Andre Agassi with relative ease though Connors did take him in to a tie breaker in the second set yet the moment came when Connors was serving in the third and was about to be broken to end the match that a fan yelled out from high above at the top of his lungs "Jimmy you're a legend, he's a pop". This comment causing a laugh from several of the fans as Jimmy Connors himself took the two balls he was about to serve and simply hit them in that fans direction though in all truth he did not come even close to where this fan was yet this was hardly the point but to show his appreciation for his words of encouragement.

 

Friday came and Graf much to my disappointment did not have to play Chris Evert in the semifinal. It being a case of Evert withdrawing from the tournament, claiming an injury which would not allow her to play at her best. This being sad, as I would have wanted to see another encounter between Graf and Evert yet it was not to be yet it was thanks to this walkover that Graf made it to the finals against Gabriela Sabatini, who had defeated Zina Garrison by 6-4 7-5 in her semifinals match.

 

It was supper Saturday and most assumed it would be not only an automatic victory but an easy one as well not only because of the way Graf was playing but the fact that she was gunning for the much coveted grand slam. Sabatini however had not struggled to get that far simply to give up without a fight and though Graf was her friend at the time, (I don't know if they are still friends at present) this did not mean she was going to let herself get beat just so Graf could win the grand slam. This factor if anything might have motivated her all the more to go down as the one who prevented Graf from getting the grand slam.

 

The match started and the first set went to Graf (6-3) with not much in the way of difficulty yet it also can not be said that she won it easily. The second set however proved to be another issue all together as Sabatini changed tactics and started going after Graf's back hand and stopped trying to out hit her. This change of plan worked well for Sabatini, as she managed to win the set by 6-3 to pull level with Graf at one set a piece. The third set however saw Graf get back to her game plan and win convincingly by 6-1 to claim not only the US Open but the grand slam in a singular calendar year. This being a tremendous moment for Graf and all her fans. As they celebrated her triumph and though she went on to further victories that included a grand total of 22 grand slam triumphs, never again would she win all four majors in one year. This in spite of winning three grand slams in a single calendar year on more than one occasion in the years to come yet four in one year was a feat which she did not manage to repeat yet this scarcely takes anything away from the greatness of her career.

 

That year was also a special one for Graf with regards to it being one in which the Olympic games where held. This being important to Graf because tennis had just been reinstated as an Olympic sport after a long absence and because professionals were being allowed to participate for the first time in the Olympic games. Graf, for her part represented her native Germany (which had still not united with the East) and won the gold medal by once again beating Gabriela Sabatini in the final though on that occasion she did so by a score of 6-3, 6-3.

 

Graf had an outstanding year in 1988. This there is no doubt about yet she would go on to have an equally brilliant career till her retirement from the sport of tennis in 1999 yet it was not before she had won 22 grand slams. This number putting her above all other female tennis players with the exception of Margaret Court. Graf however would also have her fair share of problems such as measles which kept her out of the Australian Open in 1992 as well as her father's legal problems which even landed him in prison for tax evasion in Germany yet through it all she managed to pull through.

 

Of course like all greats in sports, she also had her years of struggle such as 91 and 92 in which she only won two grand slams due to injuries and strong opponents. As was the case with Monica Seles (Yugoslavia) who even took away her number one spot yet this did make matches more intense. As the two of them held great contests such as the 92 French Open final which Seles won by 6-2 3-6 10-8 or the 92 Wimbledon final which Graf won by 6-2 61. The Graf-Seles rivalry unfortunately however was interrupted in April of 93 when a Steffi Graf fan in Hamburg by the name of Gunter Parche stabbed Monica Seles between the shoulder blades with a boning knife. The cut in fact being 1.5 centimeters which did not take long to heal yet it did keep Monica Seles out of action just long enough for Steffi Graf to regain her number one ranking. As for Monica Seles, despite the cut not being all that deep or her attacker not having any real intensions of seriously injuring her, much less killing her; was not able to return to tennis until 1995. She in fact winning the Australian open the following year which would be her last grand slam victory. It really being a case of the damage which was done to Monica Seles having been much more psychological than physical.

 

Graf and Seles would go on to meet each other for what would be the last time in the semifinal of the 1999 French Open which like most of their previous encounters was one to remember. On that occasion Graf coming out on top by a score of 6-7 6-3 6-4 to make it to the finals where she met and defeated Martina Hingis by a score of 4-6 7-5 6-2. As a footnote, Martina Hingis in fact was named after Martina Navratilova in the hope that she too might become a tennis player. Graf for her part retired from tennis after loosing the final at Wimbledon to American, Lindsay Davenport by a score of 4- 5-7 yet perhaps of much greater importance to her was the fact that during that very tournament; she started dating the man who just happened to loose the men's singles final. This man being Andre Agassi, whom she is currently married to and living in Las Vegas with.

 

As a footnote or perhaps just a curiosity, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf both won Wimbledon in 92 yet it was when they came out losers in the 1999 finals that they started dating though perhaps in deeper sense they also came out as winners from that tournament as well.

 

As an added note, I would like to say that it was in the late 80s that I also took up the game of tennis and it was due to my rather limited height of 170 cm that I preferred watching women's tennis in order to get ideas on how to serve the ball and play the game. It being this factor which made me observe Graf's forehand for ideas on how I might use my own when ever I played with my friends which in fact did not work out so badly. I, also finding myself running around my backhand in order to set up my forehand which just goes to show that perhaps men of limited height and physical power are best trying to imitate women when they play tennis then professionals like Sampras, Becker, Lendl and Edberg. All of which are well over 180 cm in height and most powerfully built.

About the Author

My name is Gianni Truvianni, I am an author who writes with the simple aim of sharing his ideas, thoughts and so much more of what I am with those who are interested in perhaps reading something new. I also am the author of the book entitled "New York's Opera Society" which is now available on Amazon.

Steffi Graf Forehand (Closing the racquet face)