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 No match Graf ends superlative career at top of her sport
Posted: Friday August 13, 1999 06:20 PM
By Desmond M. Wallace, CNN/SI After a career that spanned 17 years and 902 victories, Steffi Graf officially announced her retirement from tennis Friday. The declaration by arguably the sport's greatest player of all time ends a career in which Graf won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, 107 tournament titles, 902 overall matches and a WTA-record $21.8 million in prize money. The 30-year-old Graf also was ranked No. 1 for a WTA-record 377 weeks, including 186 in a row. To put that in perspective, Graf had three times as many weeks as the sport's top player in her career than all other active women combined.
But Graf is perhaps best known for two achievements: her seven Wimbledon single championships and her unbelievable 1988 reign of terror during which she won all four Grand Slam singles titles, the Olympic gold medal and 96 percent of her matches. Just this past June, Graf continued to stun the sports world when she defeated Martina Hingis in three sets to win her sixth French Open crown -- just days before her 30th birthday. She called the Roland Garros victory her "best win ever." In July, Graf would follow up that feat by advancing all the way to the finals at Wimbledon.
Graf's decision to retire from tennis comes in wake of her strained left hamstring injury suffered during a second-round match against American Amy Frazier at the TIG Classic in California earlier this month. Graf, who unwittingly at the time would play the final match of her career, was forced to the sidelines after trailing 4-6, 7-5, 2-1. History may record that 1999 was the most devastating to the sports landscape.
Before Graf's goodbye, this year had also seen the retirements of Wayne Gretzky, John Elway, Barry Sanders and Michael Jordan. With Wilt Chamberlain, Willie Mays, Oscar Robertson, and Johnny Unitas all calling it quits in the same year, only 1973 would seem to even compare to the colossal losses of '99. Graf, who won 89 percent of her matches in her 17-year career, was named WTA Player of the Year eight times.
Graf's athletic dominance was to women's sports what Jordan's prowess was to men's. In fact, it could be argued that the tennis star was more dominant in her field than Jordan was in his. As great as Jordan was, his Bulls won just 66 percent of their games. Jordan even earned three fewer MVPs than Graf. In addition, Graf won more Wimbledon titles (seven) than Jordan's Bulls won NBA championships (six).
Like the NBA without Jordan, Graf's departure from tennis will create opportunities for other young stars to come along. But even if someday Graf's numerous achievements are eclipsed, the grace and competitive spirit with which Graf played will remain her true legacy.
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