33 years ago today: Steffi Graf ascends the throne
On August 17, 1987, Steffi Graf made the first place in the world rankings for the first time. 377 weeks in this position should follow.
by SID
last edit:
Aug 17, 2020, 03:20 pm
When Stefanie Maria Graf, who had long been just Steffi everywhere, had reached the top of the tennis world, she felt as light as a feather. The mountain air was good for her, she noticed that immediately. "Now I have reached the goal of my dreams," said Graf, "and I want to stay there as long as possible."
Today we know: It has been 377 weeks - with only a few interruptions. Nobody before her and also nobody after was number one in the world rankings any longer. Few of them suspected of any records on this memorable day in the summer of 1987, when Graf took over from the great Martina Navratilova.
Night had already fallen in Graf's homeland, August 17th had begun, but almost five million people in Germany were still watching as the 18-year-old Brühlerin fulfilled the prophecies in distant Manhattan Beach. Her defeated final opponent Chris Evert already saw the future.
First Grand Slam title
"Steffi is the player of the year", said the American, once the first number one in women: "She plays great tennis, and there is still more to be gained from her." But even Evert could hardly foresee what was to come.
As early as 1987, when Graf came of age and won her first Grand Slam title at the French Open, she finished with an impressive record of 75 wins with only two (!) Defeats. The lost finals against Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon and at the US Open also spurred her on.
Number 1 for the last time almost 10 years later
A year later - this has long been part of the basic knowledge of every tennis fan - Graf left nothing behind. She created the Golden Slam with triumphs at the majors in Melbourne, Paris, Wimbledon and New York as well as the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Seoul. There was no longer any competition.
Steffi Graf was on the tennis throne until March 10, 1991, when the young Monica Seles came along and finally a real rival. Graf did not finally hand over first place to Martina Hingis until March 31, 1997 - almost ten years after she had achieved the goal of her dreams.