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Steffi Graf is born in Germany in 1969 and holds a tennis racket in the living room while still a small child. Her father recognises her exceptional talent early and nurtures it consistently. At just 13 Graf turns professional and a few years later she dominates world tennis like few players before or after her. Her trademark is a powerful forehand that earns her the nickname "Fräulein Forehand", combined with lightning-fast footwork and ice-cold competitive nerve. For years she sits at the top of the world rankings: a record number of weeks as world number one in all. By the end of her career she has won 22 Grand Slam singles titles. In 1988 she achieves what no one else in tennis has done before or since: the "Golden Slam". In a single year she wins all four Grand Slam tournaments (the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open) plus the Olympic gold medal. That combination remains unique to this day. In 1999, at the age of 30 and at the height of her powers, Steffi Graf surprisingly ends her career. She later marries the American tennis star Andre Agassi; together they engage in charitable causes. As one of the greatest players in tennis history and Germany's most successful sportswoman, Steffi Graf remains a model of discipline, willpower and modesty.
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Golden Slam
No one else in singles (wheelchair tennis aside) has managed this combination before or since.
💡 Did you know? In 1988 Graf became the only singles player (wheelchair tennis aside) to win the „Golden Slam“: all four Grand Slam titles plus Olympic gold in one year.
22 Grand Slam titles
This makes her one of the most successful players in history.
💡 Did you know? With 22 Grand Slam titles, Graf is among the most successful tennis players of all time.
tennis
She is considered Germany's most successful sportswoman.
💡 Did you know? For years Graf dominated women's tennis with her feared forehand and rapid footwork.
Fräulein Forehand
For her superb forehand Graf was reverently nicknamed „Fräulein Forehand.“
💡 Did you know? She combined it with lightning-fast footwork and ice-cold competitive nerve.
record weeks as number one
For years she dominated women's tennis.
💡 Did you know? Graf spent a total of 377 weeks at world number one: still the women's record; only Novak Djokovic surpassed it, in 2021.
Germany
She was born in 1969 and turned professional at 13.
💡 Did you know? Graf, from Mannheim, together with Boris Becker sparked a genuine tennis boom in 1980s Germany.
Andre Agassi
After her career Graf married the US tennis star Andre Agassi: together they form one of the most successful couples in sport.
💡 Did you know? In 1999, at 30 and at the height of her powers, she surprisingly ended her career.
Foto: Mark Henckel / César · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Steffi Graf
Steffi Graf (b. 1969) is a German tennis legend and the only singles player outside wheelchair tennis to win the „Golden Slam.“
💡 Did you know? Graf's 377 weeks at world number one are still the women's record; only Novak Djokovic has spent longer at the top, since 2021.
1969
Born: 14 June 1969 in Mannheim
Mannheim
Born: 14 June 1969 in Mannheim
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