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'I made a mistake'

Graf might play Wimbledon, French again

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Posted: Tuesday August 03, 1999 11:30 PM

Not ready to throw in the towel: Steffi Graf says she was a bit too rash in making retirement announcements. Nick Wilson/Allsport

CARLSBAD, California (AP) -- Steffi Graf, winner of 22 Grand Slam titles, said it was a "mistake" when she announced she had played her final matches at both Wimbledon and the French Open.

Graf, playing in the TIG Classic, said she might have been too emotional in deciding not to play again in two of tennis' four Grand Slam events.

"I made a mistake," Graf was quoted as saying in Tuesday's San Diego Union-Tribune. "That's the way I felt, and that was my immediate response."

The 30-year-old German star defeated Martina Hingis in an emotional three-set final at Paris. Moments after leaving the court, Graf told NBC Sports that she had played her last French Open match.

She then made the same pronouncement about Wimbledon after losing to Lindsay Davenport in the final.

Saying she felt pressure to make a statement at Wimbledon, Graf said, "I wish it would have turned out differently."

 

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