In 1984, Steffi Graf, just 15 years old, won the Olympic tennis demonstration tournament despite being its youngest entrant. By 1987 she was ranked number one in the world. In 1988, Graf won the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and, less than a week before the Seoul Olympic Games, the US Open. This made her only the fifth player in history to win tennis’ Grand Slam.
Pioneering victory
She arrived at the Seoul Games on a 35-match winning streak. In the Olympic final, she defeated Argentina’s Gabriela Sabatini 6-3, 6-3 to achieve the first “Golden Slam” – all five Grand Slam titles plus the Olympic gold medal. No one in women’s tennis has achieved it since.
Retiring at the top
Graf retired in 1999 while still number three in the world, having dominated the sport for over a decade. In the same year she was awarded the Olympic Order.
A winning partnership
Widely regarded as one of the best players in the game’s history, Steffi Graf now lives in Las Vegas, USA, with her husband, American tennis great Andre Agassi.
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