This kept getting blocked until this version finally passed the test which was incredibly frustrating. But I uploaded the version that got blocked here to Dailymotion here. *Venus Williams vs Steffi Graf 1999 Wimbledon QF Highlights* www.dailymotion.com/video/x7tz149
Loved this match from both sides. Steffi could have easily been an Olympic sprinter. Her footwork and sprint speed off the ground is tremendous. I remember when she won this and her extended reaction. It was clear she knew she was playing against the future and her achievement here seemed like a personal test for herself - and she ace'd that test!
She was actually very well geared for the kind of tennis which was emerging at that time, too. She would've been a tremendous contender in the "golden WTA era" which was about to come.
@@pierdomenicosommati443 The "Golden Age" was from the mid-80s to the late 90s. But yes, Steffi could have won a lot more had she continued to play in the 21st century: "If she would have been playing now, not retired quite yet, this would be her time." (Jennifer Capriati on Steffi Graf, Paris, May 2002) “She was the greatest champion I ever played against. …. What if she had kept playing? She would have won a lot more slams titles in my opinion.“ (Lindsay Davenport, Tennis Channel, March 2020)
@@carrerau7138 I could add what Seles said more than once "Graf's slice backhand is the more underrated shot in the history. To play hours against that thing was a true nightmare." This, is for those who thought that Seles showed that Graf's baclhand was "outdated". The only things that Seles showed, was that she was a true champion, and that she managed to put together two amazing performances against Steffi at 1992 RG and 1993 Australian Open finals (with the lopsided 1992 Wimbledon final in the middle). But Steffi was overall the superior player, and she would've ended up winning more anyway, even without the crazy horrible stabbing of Monica.
@@doriangray2020 Graf certainly not had to retire because of anyone: In 1999 she just came back from an almost 2 years injury and surgery break... she had dissappeared even from the ranking. and she wasnt even back at her best when she became the only player to defeat number 1,2,3 (hingis, seles, davenport) in one tournament which she won (french open). earlier she played young serena 1:1). In Wimbledon she reached the final and lost to davenport with knee problems. she didnt have to fear any of those upcoming players - and certainly she would have won at least 1 or 2 more majors if she gad competed longer. regarding the rivalery with serena: she would have let her run from one corner to the other. serena always was a bit heavy - and she didnt play well when she had to hit while running. Graf at her best could compete easily with the nowadays players. she is a legend.
This was definitely one of the greatest women's tennis matches ever. I truly wish Steffi Graf had waited a year or 2 before retiring. Steffi vs either Venus or Serena would have given tennis fans some more incredible high level athletic tennis matches. Sadly, a very young inexperienced Venus Williams, who was still learning how to win Big matches, should have won this match vs Steffi Graf. I remember this match so well. Venus lost this match with over 20 Break Point opportunities which she won/converted only a handful & there were at least 2 or 3 rain delays during this match. Steffi Graf came back from every rain delay talking excellent strategy with her coach & everytime with a better strategy. Which was to Attack Venus' weaker forehand. Venus started this match & during the 2nd set successfully attacking Steffi at the net but for whatever reason she didn't continue attacking the net throughout the later part of their match. Oh well. Venus Williams still wasn't ready to win the big matches just yet.The rookie Williams sisters always competed very well against the veteran Steffi Graf. They both beat Steffi & Steffi beat them in very close matches. Venus Williams was the only sister to beat Steffi Graf in str8 sets at the semifinals of the 1999 Miami Open. Both of Serena's matches vs Steffi went 3 sets with each lady winning a match. Monica Seles' sad horrible stabbing left women's tennis without a true rival vs Steffi Graf for almost 3 years & then Steffi unfortunately had leg injuries toward the last few years of her career. Thankfully, Steffi Graf was able to come back to the tour healthy & strong enough to win her last Slam major & make her last appearance in a Wimbledon Final. What a great champion & incredible athlete Steffi Graf was. Only the best champions & top athletes could compete vs Steffi Graf. Venus & Serena Williams were exactly that...great champion athletes just like Steffi Graf.
Venus could have won but she did not because Steffi was at her best on big points and suffocating motivated opponents. I remember before this match some were saying, or Venus herself that Venus was ready to beat the best tennis player in history on her best surface, but she just could not, and in my opinion, Venus played about the same level or better in this match than in any match she played the next years to win the title
Two of the best pure grass court movers here. Think if Venus was younger and got to play Steffi more. They could have had a really good series between them! And to think, after this year, Serena and Venus would win 12 of the next 20 Wimbledons between them! One legend was leaving the game to be followed by two more.
Think Navratilova can move better on grass. Anyway, I agree. People who watched it have no idea how important this match it. Its like the greatest grass court player of the 90s passing the torch to the greatest grass court player of the 00s
I loved watching Steffi play and was sad she retired, but I still smile at the joy radiating from her during that 99 French and Wimbledon. She went through a lot with injuries, her father’s scandals, and unkind comments about Seles’ stabbing. She got to stop on a very high note.
To anyone who says Graf's backhand wasn't a weapon. Graf had lost her last two to Venus and in the second loss at Miami in particular, she looked out matched. She clearly went into this match knowing her usual cross court combinations weren't going to be enough as Venus was too powerful and had so much not only speed, but reach to hit Steffi's best angled forehands for winners. You can see she got more spin on her slice, and hit it really deep to the centre of the baseline, or often deep into that forehand corner. That is what won her this match. At times she still got caught out by Venus catching her angled forehands and returning with interest into her own forehand corner. At times Venus hit unreturnable serves, or crowded her backhand and then hit some decent volleys. So the match was still close. That sliced backhand won the day as it caused Venus to er on her forehand and lose a bit of confidence in it, as well as took some of the sting out of her tremendous power. It also gave Steffi a bit of breathing space to try to manoeuvre her. Steffi wasn't usually a tactician but this is one example of when she and her coach really had a game plan.
Very much so. It was often said before that one of the best tactics against both Venus was to centre the ball. Doing just that with a lot of underspin which brutally stayed low to the court was going to be even more effective not only because of the surface (the fast and low bouncing grass) but also because Venus really struggled with her forehand whenever she had to carefully measure the shot. Graf's slice backhand was key to not only her victory here in this match but her career in general (except in the early 90s when her backhand became a bit of a liability). Her backhand was not only more consistent than her forehand but it set up her winners as it skidded off of the court and put opponents completely off balance. As Monica Seles once said herself, Graf's backhand never got the credit that it deserved in terms of how tough it was.
@@zuichiang5088 Middle or even DTL. She used the DTL slice a lot in this match, even hitting them back to back (where she usually alternated cross court and DTL or favoured cross court). On the old grass, it would skid off the bounce. I don't know exactly when/if Venus switched to poly but at this point she was still using nat gut, so getting underneath such slices with the forehand would be very difficult. You can see Venus hit forehands off these slices into the net on a couple of points just off these H/Ls.
@@gk891I like your point about Venus struggling to measure her forehand. Pre 2000, that shot looked overly complicated, with a long, hitchy motion. Post 2000, the forehand was more simplified, although still a work in progress. I wonder if that would have helped her out here.
Of course, her extremely heavy forehand always caused big problems to get opponents, but her backhand was,. In Seles' words, "one of the most underrated shots ever", very painful and tiring to cope with for the opponent,
One of the best matches ever played on SW19. Though I agree that Steffi would have benefited from using the top spin backhand more on other surfaces, on the grass her slice backhand was deadly. It bought her so much time in the point and set up so many forehand winnera
@@beavertown2006 No, she is also an amazing athlete . Sharapova is even taller, Davenport even taller than Sharapova. You don't see them do what Venus does.
@ Harry Rinaldi. But Navratilova in her prime from 1983-1987 could have easily retrieved Venus Williams' best tennis shots on the tennis court back then!
I probably can’t say much more than anyone has already said. I started studying steffis matches and have seen that she was fire on the court. This was an exemplary match indeed. Venus, while she may have only been cutting her teeth, was already agile and instinctive but steffii had that forehand and even her backhand was proving as lethal as ever. The fact that Venus could go deep into the backcourt and steffi just handled it. The speed of play is astonishing between the two. I am glad I get to enjoy these matches 20 years after the fact. The William a sisters we’re incredible but steffi is my favorite: so tough, so tenacious , I love her spirit
There are so many good comments on this match ranging from one of the best matches ever to Steffi’s forehand, backhand slice, and coaching. This was such a high quality and competitive match between two great grass court players in Steffi Graf and Venus Williams. Steffi is in the top 3 at Wimbledon (Martina N. #1 and Steffi tied with Serena) with Venus at #4. I’m sure both players and their respective camps discussed tactics/strategies prior to this match. Instinctually, both Steffi and Venus knew what it took to win but what stood out the most from both players was their execution of shots in such a high pressure moment. There were no questionable gameplay, no silly choice of shots... just pure brilliance! The key difference is Venus never played Steffi on grass. Even though Venus expected it, Steffi’s all-court power game truly excels on grass and you can tell Venus was fully realizing it as they played. 4:45 is what happens if you give Steffi the opportunity to hit consecutive forehands. Great win for Steffi during her 1999 remarkable comeback and retirement year by winning the French Open a month ago and making it to the Wimbledon final. Memorable way to finish her illustrious career 🎉 👏!!!
@Ilya Kuryakin When you add other stats like winning percentage rate, Steffi’s tennis records become even more astounding compared to other greats. FYI there’s a cool video of Steffi vs Serena side-by-side comparison of their stats. Steffi has a definite edge when it comes to singles wins/stats but Serena has more doubles wins thanks to Venus. Check it out!
@@ytangel7263 It’s worth noting that if Steffi had continued to play on, her winning percentage likely would have dropped a fair amount with age. For me, what’s special about Serena is that she continued to dominate well into her 30’s, an age where Graf had long since retired.
@@RaphaelBas1995 I agree Steffi’s winning percentages would get lower over time but if she did extend her career, Steffi winning more grand slams would be very possible especially those years with one slam winners. Against Serena, it would be a battle especially during her peak years I think in 2002-2003, though it would depend on court surface. If Steffi did play for another 4 years and she kept her 1999 comeback form, at least during the slams the way Serena focuses mainly on those tournaments, she could have won at least 1 grand slam every year or total of 26 slams (22 + 4 more) which would have been amazing!!! However, the physical toll which she would’ve had to endure and potential negative impact to a future family (Andre & kids) was not worth it in her mind. Her career was amazing, her comeback awe-inspiring and her retirement was handled with such grace and humility. IMHO, she is the greatest amongst tennis greats!!!
@ YT Angel. Serena Williams is definitely not tied with Martina Navratilova as the best grass court player in the history of Wimbledon! Serena has an exceedingly poor volley. At least Venus Williams can volley, but there is no way to know how good or not good Venus Williams' volley is because the only truly accurate way of assessing a player's volleying ability is to have a player play with a 70 square-inch head size wood or metal racket. The midsize and oversize graphite rackets have , without question , cheapened the game of tennis by, for example, making it too easy for players to hit solid, good volleys! And even though she plays with an oversize, graphite racket, Serena Williams still volleys very poorly!
@@michaelbarlow6610 I agree with your comment. Martina N. is definitely the #1 grass court player with Steffi as #2 and tied with Serena if we just count Wimbledon titles, though I believe Steffi is a better volleyer and grass court player than Serena. Regarding racquet/string innovation, it’s a bit harsh to say it cheapened the game. Yes I understand that average players today take advantage of those innovations but that applies to all tennis pros. The racquets/strings elevate a tennis players strokes but those with true talent rise above those mediocre players. Also, if you’re referring to the game evolving to ball bashers with less variety (i.e., touch, serve & volleyer, etc.), then yes I also agree but that’s part of any sport’s evolution to a more athletic and stronger game. To me, Roger Federer, is like Steffi but in the modern game meaning the only true all-court power player in a sea of power hitter clones. Once Roger retires, then I might feel the way you feel about tennis. Well at least in the men’s game because women’s tour don’t have a Roger or Steffi tennis athlete equivalent. One last thing, it’s interesting that you believe larger head size racquets makes it easier to hit volleys but I personally feel uncomfortable with any size larger than 97 inches. I lose control and lack the feel of the ball. I have to apply extra focus/effort with my strokes and definitely on volleys. Large head racquets just feels so disconnected if that makes sense.
No contest. Nobody ever managed to be so effective and dominant, throughout literally three different generations of different tennis with different pace, compressed in just 13 years.
Were you too young to have seen Martina Navratilova play tennis? Martina wasn't too bad either. Especially since Martina was/is 12 or 13 yrs older than Graf yet still their head to head record vs one another is tied at 9-9. Btw, there isn't any GOAT of any sport. IMO. Maybe the greatest of their respective eras but definitely not the greatest ever. I don't believe in that anymore.
But somehow Steffi's winning percentage is vastly superior to Serena, who has played 10 years longer than Steffi and has a whopping 1 more GS despite playing that much longer
@@kenarthur6253 I will tell you how, since you don't know. Serena played a tougher field that Graf, whose main rival was sidelined by stabbing after which Steffi doubled her slam number. Williams also had a different, less intense scheduling than the German, which helped her to have a longer career and finally more slams.
@@LuLu-nw6bi you don't know what you are talking about. Serena has played much weaker players. Her older sister let her win several times. Graf won the Grand Slam. Serena ever do that? No. Graf won at least 4 times at all 4 slams, a complete player. Serena do that? No. Go back to school and learn. Graf retired after a great career. Serena still trying to catch Margaret Court by playing all these extra years, and she keeps failing miserably. So by your delusional facts, Margaret Court is the GOAT
@@kenarthur6253 You don't know what you are talking about. Graf played much weaker players, of course. Serena won the same, it's just not called "the Grand Slam", but it's the same thing - 4 slams in a row. And Serena won at least 3 times at all 4 slams and has 23 slams. Steffi did that? No. Graf has more slams only at Rolland Garros(thanks to Monica's stabber...). Go back to school and learn. My facts are not delusional. yours are.
Steffi was about to retire but damn, what a powerhouse. I think she had the most graceful serve and the best forehand of her time. And her backhand was unpredictable and savage too. Never get tired of watching her play. The footwork alone! She could move like no-one else.
I always thought her backhand was pretty "awkward" looking. Obviously it worked extremely well, and it won a lot of points for her, but she always seemed to be putting a tremendous amount of effort and concentration into it.
@@bramlintrent1145 Marion Bartoli is a way better Tennis player than Steffi Graf. Marion bartoli had belief in herself that Steffi Graff as a great tennis player doesn't have even being world no.1 to win Wimbledon. Wimbledon is a grass court tournament and therefore amongst the medium surfaces. which means medium rallies dictated by serve and therefore less exertion of energy during a point and shorter matches in general. you get value for your shot! fat and short or tall and thin! when you play 3 sets against 5 sets for men, it is always an advantage. Marion Bartoli played a more strategic than a grind type of tennis in tournaments. good volleying skills as compared to Steffi Graff even in execution. Marion Bartoli had the belief that she could win and in contrast to Steffi Graff who believed that Bartoli would wear herself down and just lose(not that they don't have to play, just that they had to hang in there long enough for her to break down). Most of them slightly underestimated what she was doing in tournaments. She was an inexperienced player by that point who had proven herself as a former top 10 player. Her winning was really a surprise i.e out of the blue with already having made the finals twice but her consistency was questionable. She had unique two handed forehands and backhands. That was easy to replicate and master but once mastered it was going to be lethal. That was what spectators saw in tournaments of Marion Bartoli to a great extent. at Wimbledon 2013 she had some luck from the draw as 15th seed. she never played a top 10 player en route to her victory. the finalist she played: Venus Williams had already beaten Agnieszka Radwańska en route to the final. Venus Williams was playing her best but was probably worn out a lot by her battles with Agnieszka Radwańska and others. Venus Williams was in the form of her life but Bartoli had the luck of the draw. Regardless of whether your fat or not, if you make your shots even Steffi Graff may not be able to return it at Wimbledon. so if you are playing near perfection and having consistency with your shots then you are playing on a level field. then speaking of fat, technically Marion Bartoli may be classified as fat, yet she was the most successful female tennis player. Bartoli wasn’t really playing a specific style and really had weakness in tournaments and most of her shots had some vigor in it that Steffi Graf generally doesn't necessarily have. Here return games were spot on and had more errors and more importantly she can get Steffi Graff to errors first. all in all, this was a victory that was easily replicable or Bartoli after this mediocre run. She had belief and luck along with inexperience that allowed her to win her only Grand Slam. Marion Bartoli was dubbed as unfit and fat. She still made it to Grand Slam finals. Even in her Wembdon win 2013 she wasn’t fit. Marion Bartoli is an inspiration. It was really a fluke because Bartoli won by dropping sets and beat a few top 20 players along the way. Winning by dropping a set means you played really close to perfection along with dropping the level enough that allowed anyone to comeback and take a set from you. being fat may seem a hindrance, but is a limitation if you want it to be one. Honestly calling her fat in tournaments is really justifiable because she wasn’t thin but fat is really appropriate. And yes, tall and lanky players like Steffi Graf don’t always win , especially in the topsy turvy women’s tour. slightly fatter players can generate more power than extremely thin and tall players like Steffi Graff.
@@thisp666 she was still playing well and was rated #3, but she strained a hamstring and decided the injury was too bad and would prevent her from competing and winning. no regrets though I guess. she had achieved a great deal 🎾
True she was a shadow of herself in the final. With her massive advantage in mobility she should have been all over Davenport but she had a wretched match
People always criticized Graf's slice backhand, but here on grass, it's deceptively effective against the 6'1" Venus, who has to bend low. The Graf backhand was equally responsible for this tough win.
yes , on TV this backhand looks so harmless, but I saw it live once indoor on carpet, and wow, so fast and so low bouncing. I guess on grass it was even lower bouncing than on carpet. Very difficult to return with a western grip.
Everyone rightly thought this was the final - steffi and venue were the two form players of the tournament and then played this incredibly high quality match. Lindsay wasn’t actually playing all that impressively in the tournament at the time. But graf was flat in the final and Lindsay played really solidly (though still not even as well as she can play).
The fact the WS very early in their careers showed they could beat Steffi. Remember Venus spanked Graf in Miami earlier in 99. I think Steffi would've had her hands full to be kind with either sister if she stayed around longer. Her best shots would consistently come back something she was never use to outside of Seles
After all the injury problems the level at which Graf is playing is remarkable. If you watch some womens final matches in 1980 and you compare to this, the difference in speed is incredible. Then when you compare this 1999 match to last year, I see zero difference in tempo. Both Steffi and Venus also play at a very high skill level. What has happened in the last 20 years in womens tennis evolution?
@ Peter Hammer. In 1980, the women pro tennis players (just like their male counterparts on the men's pro tennis tour) were still playing with 70 square -inch head size wood and metal rackets which was real tennis! So you can't compare the speed of play from that era to the speed of play in the 1999 Wimbledon Quarterfinal match between Venus Williams and Steffi Graf, a match contested with graphite rackets! It is like trying to compare apples with oranges. Not a fair comparison at all!
@@michaelbarlow6610 you are correct of course. But there is also evolution from the players. I just pointed out the big difference, no meaning to downplay players from 20 years earlier. The main point is that the tempo in this match matches the tempo of today.
@ Peter Hammer. I would say this--the speed of the men's and women's game in pro tennis was actually faster prior to 2001 --the year the AELT&CC changed the composition of the grass courts at Wimbledon from the traditional composition of 70% rye grass/30% Red Creeping Fescue (which resulted in a lightening fast, skidding, low-rebounding and sometimes erratic bounce of the tennis ball) to the 100% rye grass courts (which result in a truer, higher rebounding, hardcourt-like bounce of the tennis ball and a slightly slower speed of the ball) because 100% rye grass is more durable and more impact resistant than 70% rye grass/30% Red Creeping Fescue composition grass courts. In addition, the men's pro tour no longer plays tournaments contested on the lightening fast indoor Supreme court carpet surface and the men's pro tour has unfortunately adopted the Type3 tennis ball in some tournaments which is larger in circumference than a regular-size tennis ball and is reminiscent of the Wilson Rally ball which was introduced to the tennis market in either 1983 or 1986 and thankfully was wisely never adopted by either he men's or women's pro tennis tours back then which would have (and in the case of the Type3 tennis ball has) cheapened the game of tennis by making it too easy to avoid making unforced errors and would have artificially inflated first and second serve percentages and would have made it too easy to avoid serving a fault or double fault.
@@michaelbarlow6610 its a big shame they changed the grass, made the balls bigger etc... Indoor matches between f.ex. Becker and McEnroe used to be such a joy. And Wimbledon played as a serve-volley game is for me the only correct way to play there. But this is of course not what I meant with speed.
@ Peter Hammer. I agree that grass court tennis should be played stylistically with an emphasis on serve-and-volley. I also agree that McEnroe versus Becker was a joy to watch (e.g., their 3-set 1986 Stratton Mountain match when McEnroe returned to the men's pro tour after his sabbatical from the game and their 3-set 1989 Paris Open indoor match. Their most famous match in the 1987 Davis Cup tie in Hartford, Connecticut although very well-played by both players, was unfortunately essentially a serving clinic by both players. The points in that match on the lightening fast indoor Supreme court carpet were too short. The sad reality is that the game never, as Bud Collins correctly pointed out numerous times, should have abandoned wood for the graphite technology. The graphite rackets, the larger Type3 tennis ball utilized in some tournaments , the copolyester-lubricated strings which allow players to flail on the ball and still keep the ball in the court, the slowing down of the court surfaces (especially at Wimbledon), the abandonment of the indoor Supreme court surface, and the disappearance of serve-and-volley and chip-and-charge-to-the-net play and the decrease in the number of all-time great players on both tours compared to earlier eras have all contributed to a cheapening and erosion of the game that has resulted in the tediously boring spectacle that is seen in today's tennis. Those factors/changes have also resulted in the grossly inflated achievements of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic on the men's pro tour and Serena Williams on the women's pro tour making them appear to be greater than they actually are.
One of the last times we got to see Steffi’s howitzer of a forehand. Venus certainly wasn’t afraid to hit to it, but it was too strong, even for her. Wonderful match. Miss her.
In her match against davenport its very evident that steffi is not enjoying playing competitive tennis anymore.... Shortly after,,, she retires..... Steffis the greatest ever!!!
One thing i can say about both Graf and Williams...they rarely complained. When both Venus & Serena came on the scene, they put all the top players on notice.
@@23Echeohow serena was GOAT when she was thrashed in slams final by 17 years old Sharapova, Stosur, Osaka, Andreescu, Kerber & then Halep kicked her ass in 55 minutes in Wimbledon. 😂😂
This is such BRILLIANT MATCH-UP. I just wish Steffi would have taken off the 2000 season to rest and come back in 2001 to play against Venus and Serena. But she was so done at that time. Steffi was such a great foil to the Williams sisters, especially Venus and they would have been such and incredible rivalry.
Together with Serena and Martian the two best female athletes, at least in their prime time. These two here have the fastest legs and hit it really hard .
Keep in mind it's a 30 yr-old (Graf) vs. a 19 yr-old (Venus). Both their movements about the court are remarkable, but Graf's smooth strides and fleet of foot are even better than Venus's. Everybody thought Graf would win another Wimbledon title before her sudden retirement later that summer. Well, nobody told that to Davenport, who played a remarkable final.
They behave as if people think of them as second citizens. Their games speaketh their chatacter and personality. They intimidate their opponent with their masculinity and power
I dont understand why women's players never truly utilize slice as a defensive shot. If handled with the correct technique like Graf did, slice can be such a weapon. Female players tends to go for broke during defensive shots which creates lots of unforced errors. I dont think they realize the importance of slice. I also like to bring up that from what little slice shots I have seen from Venus (She rarely used it). It looks really good to me. Its a shame she never utilizes it.
It doesn't matter what anyone says.. but under NO circumstances, has Venus or Serena EVER played anyone any where near as good as Graf, Seles or Navratilova in the prime at their absolute dominant best. I'd say the closest thing to it would've been Justine Henin at the French Open. All this talk about power strokes and biggest serves... Blah blag Blah.... even with all their power and big serves and power inducing equipment, they still lose to far lesser players, and neither has ever enjoyed any dominant period as Navratilova and Graf.
People also have to consider the length of time the players you mentioned stayed at No. 1, the number of Tier 1 events they won and the fact that they achieved their records in a far shorter time frame than either of the Williams sisters.
For totally rounded player...Serena, as she has zero weaknesses. Steffi, great player but less dimensional than Serena. As other tennis greats have commented...You knew when playing Graf to try to stay away from her forehand. Serena on the otherhand, it matters not where you place that ball, it is coming back while you are still in serve motion. Serena is just a better rounded player.
@@theire483 Steffi won 50 % of the tournaments she played. Serena 30 %. Steffi won 107 tournaments. Serena 73. Steffi had 107 career losses. Serena 156. Steffi had zero weaknesses. Serena several.
The real reason behind steffis retirement is her lacking of interest in competition. Playing the Wimbledon final was dry and without 🔥 fire..just contented to get the ball back. She cant wait to finish the game without a care!!!!!
Although I strongly believe (as well as lots of tennis experts and commentators) that Monica Seles would have won most slams had her career not been derailed by the stabbing in 1993 due to a crazy Steffi Graf fan, I believe that on grass, Graf would be difficult to beat as she has great foot speed and athleticism and Seles's two handed shots on both sides and lack of reach is not effective on grass, especially when the ball is low and skids away from those two handed shots.
Just like every teenage great player, they have a couple of years where "real" life distracts them, especially Americans. Seles was no different than Graf, Venus, Serena Hingus,....They all had slumps when they got around 20. Seles was a great young player, but Navratolova, Graf, Serena were able to get that drive back. The "stabbing" was just a convenient cover for Monica's actual personal and life problems at the time. Do you think Graf. Navratolova, and Williams won that many slams just on their talent alone? Do you think a little slice to their back would have stopped them for 10 years or ended their dominance? Graf simply had a superior mind and athleticism that Seles was never going to get to. Seles was dominant for a couple years because, like I said, Graf was taking a couple years off.
Seles would have won ten French opens alone if she hadn’t gotten stabbed. Toss in the other slams and she probably finished around 18 or so. Graf probably would have finished with around 18 as well. Truly one of the saddest what-might-have-been stories in all of professional sports.
Nothing indicated that Seles would have won significantly more slams. She even struggled against a slumping Steffi in the early 90s. How the hell would she have been able to cope with peak Steffiofbthe mid-90s, with peak Hingis in the late 90s, with peak Venus, peak Serena, peak Henin in the 00s?
We must recall Stefi quit only after she was beaten twice by the William sisters ... as she explained it.they have no weaknesses who's going to beat them. ?
Steffi should have used back hand topspin winners, but she never used it. She only relies on back hand slices. Like Federer, she possibly should have given a thought for the down the line back hand winners. She could have closed so many points much earlier. In many matches, just relying on backhand slices she eventually has lost the court coverage and opponents have won the points. In the initial years of her career, her strong forehand winners were effective, however later on especially against Monica Seles she used to get out played and couldn't match the pace. I am a big fan of Steffi, however have mentioned my thoughts. Also she could have tried to shorten points by attempting to come to the net and volley just as Sampras used to do so.
@@ragsvd5382 thanks, felt happy that U R thoughts are also the same. In fact I am a great fan of John McEnroe, I feel he was one of the rare most gifted player till now. His volleys, drop shots were awesome. He mixed the backhand & forehand topspins, slice shots while approaching the net and lobs very effectively, unlike the current players, who R too much dependent on power game, long rallies and ground strokes. It makes today's tennis quite laborious many a times. The charisma & aura of tennis during the days of McEnroe, Sampras,Becker, Edberg, Navratilova no more exists now .....
Steffi's slice backhand was very key to her career as it set up her forehand but skidding off of the court and putting opponents off balance. At the 1995 U.S Open final against Seles, I remember Graf hit some backhand drives in the first set but that plan didn't always work. As a commentator, I remember Navratilova said that Graf needed to be careful with the topspin backhand because it wasn't the right shot to use against Seles as it bounced much higher (and thus allowed Seles to tee-off on it with ease). Navratilova also said that Graf should stick to her slice as it stayed much lower through the court. Seles also once said that Graf's backhand never got the credit it deserved in terms of how tough it was. However, I do recall there was a time where Graf's backhand did become a bit of a liability. In early 1990, Graf took some time off because she broke her thumb in a skiing accident. When she came back from that injury, many had noted that Graf hitting her backhand much closer to her body than before and she wasn't opening the face of her racket as well as she did before. It went from a hard and vicious slice backhand with a ton of block on it into a short and choppy one. Plus she was hitting it crosscourt almost all of the time as her down the line slice backhand almost disappeared during the early 90s. It wasn't until 1995 that Graf amended the extension issue with her backhand and she brought her down the line slice backhand back into her arsenal. Graf's slice backhand was also super key in this match as she had a lot of low slices down the cenre of the court or down the line to Venus' forehand. One of the best strategies against Venus was to centre the ball as she was much more dangerous while on the move. Venus' forehand could also become very suspect if she had to carefully measure the shot. That slice backhand was very key to her winning this match.
No. In her two best years on tour, Venus lost 6-1 6-2 to Jelena Dokic, was bageled and lost to Sanchez Vicario whom Steffi dominated, Shaughnessy, Schett in the first round of the French Open and got humiliated 6-1 6-1 by Hingis. She also lost 5 Grand Slam finals in a row in a span of 13 months to Serena also at her peak. So how on Earth would Venus beat peak Graf if she couldn't even beat Serena who is an inferior player to Steffi?
@@Jcoke2201 Peak Steffi was in 1987-1990 and 1993-1996. Steffi was coming back from her second knee surgery in 1999 and she only had three worse years on tour, so please stop saying nonsense. That's like saying Gauff beat a peak Venus twice, lol. Steffi still had a winning h2h against Venus even though Venus was in her prime (1999 was one of the only four years which Venus finished in the top 3) and beat Venus on grass in 99 Wimbledon, Steffi's LAST ever major, while she was injured and fatigued. Don't ever compare Steffi to Venus, Steffi is in another league.
Wasn‘t 2009-15 the era when some old grandma from the Steffi era beat slam winners of the 2010s right and left? And this Serena who in 2009-15 lost to giants like Kunetsova, Stosur (twice), Bartoli, Makarova, Razzano, Stephens, Lisicki, Ivanovic, Muguruza, Cornet, Vinci in slams? 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 You idyot.
@@carrerau7138 I see some of those names causing some losses but the Vinci loss was especially embarrassing not even a credible singles player and given what she had on the line
Graf would kicked Safina ass 100 out of 100 times but she becomes #1 during Serena's era. That's showed how mediocre Serena was at that time outside of slams😂😂.
@@rajusaha855 tbh Serena didn’t seem to care for non slam tournaments that much. She used them as warmups for slams winning was secondary as she got older.
Marion Bartoli is a way better Tennis player than Steffi Graf. Marion bartoli had belief in herself that Steffi Graff as a great tennis player doesn't have even being world no.1 to win Wimbledon. Wimbledon is a grass court tournament and therefore amongst the medium surfaces. which means medium rallies dictated by serve and therefore less exertion of energy during a point and shorter matches in general. you get value for your shot! fat and short or tall and thin! when you play 3 sets against 5 sets for men, it is always an advantage. Marion Bartoli played a more strategic than a grind type of tennis in tournaments. good volleying skills as compared to Steffi Graff even in execution. Marion Bartoli had the belief that she could win and in contrast to Steffi Graff who believed that Bartoli would wear herself down and just lose(not that they don't have to play, just that they had to hang in there long enough for her to break down). Most of them slightly underestimated what she was doing in tournaments. She was an inexperienced player by that point who had proven herself as a former top 10 player. Her winning was really a surprise i.e out of the blue with already having made the finals twice but her consistency was questionable. She had unique two handed forehands and backhands. That was easy to replicate and master but once mastered it was going to be lethal. That was what spectators saw in tournaments of Marion Bartoli to a great extent. at Wimbledon 2013 she had some luck from the draw as 15th seed. she never played a top 10 player en route to her victory. the finalist she played: Venus Williams had already beaten Agnieszka Radwańska en route to the final. Venus Williams was playing her best but was probably worn out a lot by her battles with Agnieszka Radwańska and others. Venus Williams was in the form of her life but Bartoli had the luck of the draw. Regardless of whether your fat or not, if you make your shots even Steffi Graff may not be able to return it at Wimbledon. so if you are playing near perfection and having consistency with your shots then you are playing on a level field. then speaking of fat, technically Marion Bartoli may be classified as fat, yet she was the most successful female tennis player. Bartoli wasn’t really playing a specific style and really had weakness in tournaments and most of her shots had some vigor in it that Steffi Graf generally doesn't necessarily have. Here return games were spot on and had more errors and more importantly she can get Steffi Graff to errors first. all in all, this was a victory that was easily replicable or Bartoli after this mediocre run. She had belief and luck along with inexperience that allowed her to win her only Grand Slam. Marion Bartoli was dubbed as unfit and fat. She still made it to Grand Slam finals. Even in her Wembdon win 2013 she wasn’t fit. Marion Bartoli is an inspiration. It was really a fluke because Bartoli won by dropping sets and beat a few top 20 players along the way. Winning by dropping a set means you played really close to perfection along with dropping the level enough that allowed anyone to comeback and take a set from you. being fat may seem a hindrance, but is a limitation if you want it to be one. Honestly calling her fat in tournaments is really justifiable because she wasn’t thin but fat is really appropriate. And yes, tall and lanky players like Steffi Graf don’t always win , especially in the topsy turvy women’s tour. slightly fatter players can generate more power than extremely thin and tall players like Steffi Graff.
@@carrerau7138 Shooting down a plane full of people would have gotten her at least 3 months in a German prison. I hear their justice system takes these things mildly serious.
This kept getting blocked until this version finally passed the test which was incredibly frustrating. But I uploaded the version that got blocked here to Dailymotion here.
*Venus Williams vs Steffi Graf 1999 Wimbledon QF Highlights* www.dailymotion.com/video/x7tz149
Thanks! much clearer on dailymotion...damn youtube!
Great...hope you could put in more and clearer versions of great matches from Graf, Seles, Novotna...keep it coming. Thank you!
Thank you!, can you upload the whole 1999 exhibition match of Serena vs Steffi in Hong Kong if you have it? thanks again
Full match can be found and best quality on RUclips
, bbc Wimbledon matched
Why can’t we see the score?
Steffi Graf just amazing and beautiful. She was so wonderful and gorgeous to watch. The forehand and that movement were breathtaking
@Ilya Kuryakin Well said! There is no denying it. Great!
I think after this match Graff told reporters that Venus will definitely hold up the Wimbledon trophy one day... one year later Venus did.
Loved this match from both sides. Steffi could have easily been an Olympic sprinter. Her footwork and sprint speed off the ground is tremendous. I remember when she won this and her extended reaction. It was clear she knew she was playing against the future and her achievement here seemed like a personal test for herself - and she ace'd that test!
She was actually very well geared for the kind of tennis which was emerging at that time, too. She would've been a tremendous contender in the "golden WTA era" which was about to come.
@@pierdomenicosommati443 The "Golden Age" was from the mid-80s to the late 90s.
But yes, Steffi could have won a lot more had she continued to play in the 21st century:
"If she would have been playing now, not retired quite yet, this would be her time."
(Jennifer Capriati on Steffi Graf, Paris, May 2002)
“She was the greatest champion I ever played against. …. What if she had kept playing? She would have won a lot more slams titles in my opinion.“
(Lindsay Davenport, Tennis Channel, March 2020)
@@carrerau7138 I could add what Seles said more than once "Graf's slice backhand is the more underrated shot in the history. To play hours against that thing was a true nightmare."
This, is for those who thought that Seles showed that Graf's baclhand was "outdated".
The only things that Seles showed, was that she was a true champion, and that she managed to put together two amazing performances against Steffi at 1992 RG and 1993 Australian Open finals (with the lopsided 1992 Wimbledon final in the middle). But Steffi was overall the superior player, and she would've ended up winning more anyway, even without the crazy horrible stabbing of Monica.
Steffi played tennis like she was dancing. Her footwork was amazing and she was fast. Was also a heavy hitter. Retired too early in my opinion.
She had to retire…with the arrival of the Williams sisters she knew her time had come.
@@doriangray2020 Just look at hingis... It was a game of power after 2000
@Nepoleon Khwairakpam lol yeah right…take another sip from that cup of delusion.
Keep the dream alive!!!
@@doriangray2020 Graf certainly not had to retire because of anyone: In 1999 she just came back from an almost 2 years injury and surgery break... she had dissappeared even from the ranking. and she wasnt even back at her best when she became the only player to defeat number 1,2,3 (hingis, seles, davenport) in one tournament which she won (french open). earlier she played young serena 1:1). In Wimbledon she reached the final and lost to davenport with knee problems. she didnt have to fear any of those upcoming players - and certainly she would have won at least 1 or 2 more majors if she gad competed longer. regarding the rivalery with serena: she would have let her run from one corner to the other. serena always was a bit heavy - and she didnt play well when she had to hit while running. Graf at her best could compete easily with the nowadays players. she is a legend.
@@doriangray2020 yeah. she didn't deserve cry after to lose. She is not Steroina Williams after to lose with The New Queen Naomi Osaka hahaha.
This was definitely one of the greatest women's tennis matches ever. I truly wish Steffi Graf had waited a year or 2 before retiring. Steffi vs either Venus or Serena would have given tennis fans some more incredible high level athletic tennis matches. Sadly, a very young inexperienced Venus Williams, who was still learning how to win Big matches, should have won this match vs Steffi Graf. I remember this match so well. Venus lost this match with over 20 Break Point opportunities which she won/converted only a handful & there were at least 2 or 3 rain delays during this match. Steffi Graf came back from every rain delay talking excellent strategy with her coach & everytime with a better strategy. Which was to Attack Venus' weaker forehand. Venus started this match & during the 2nd set successfully attacking Steffi at the net but for whatever reason she didn't continue attacking the net throughout the later part of their match. Oh well. Venus Williams still wasn't ready to win the big matches just yet.The rookie Williams sisters always competed very well against the veteran Steffi Graf. They both beat Steffi & Steffi beat them in very close matches. Venus Williams was the only sister to beat Steffi Graf in str8 sets at the semifinals of the 1999 Miami Open. Both of Serena's matches vs Steffi went 3 sets with each lady winning a match. Monica Seles' sad horrible stabbing left women's tennis without a true rival vs Steffi Graf for almost 3 years & then Steffi unfortunately had leg injuries toward the last few years of her career. Thankfully, Steffi Graf was able to come back to the tour healthy & strong enough to win her last Slam major & make her last appearance in a Wimbledon Final. What a great champion & incredible athlete Steffi Graf was. Only the best champions & top athletes could compete vs Steffi Graf. Venus & Serena Williams were exactly that...great champion athletes just like Steffi Graf.
Venus could have won but she did not because Steffi was at her best on big points and suffocating motivated opponents. I remember before this match some were saying, or Venus herself that Venus was ready to beat the best tennis player in history on her best surface, but she just could not, and in my opinion, Venus played about the same level or better in this match than in any match she played the next years to win the title
Stop banging on.
No queríamos saber tanto... | Esteban.
@@estebanmartin4087 Thanks for sharing. I'll try to remember that next time I post a comment. lol.
In addition to the WIlliams, Capriati, Henin, and Klisters were on the way up when Steffi retired. IMO, this was the best era in women's tennis.
Two of the best pure grass court movers here. Think if Venus was younger and got to play Steffi more. They could have had a really good series between them! And to think, after this year, Serena and Venus would win 12 of the next 20 Wimbledons between them! One legend was leaving the game to be followed by two more.
Think Navratilova can move better on grass. Anyway, I agree. People who watched it have no idea how important this match it. Its like the greatest grass court player of the 90s passing the torch to the greatest grass court player of the 00s
@@secrets.295 head to head Graf Navratilova 2-1 in Grass
I loved watching Steffi play and was sad she retired, but I still smile at the joy radiating from her during that 99 French and Wimbledon. She went through a lot with injuries, her father’s scandals, and unkind comments about Seles’ stabbing. She got to stop on a very high note.
Her smile brings such a joy to me..NONE BEFORE HER AND NONE AFTER HER..
@Max E hmm...thats really great to know...i am soo much happy that she has a good and a fruitful life with andre agassi post tennis carrier..
To anyone who says Graf's backhand wasn't a weapon.
Graf had lost her last two to Venus and in the second loss at Miami in particular, she looked out matched.
She clearly went into this match knowing her usual cross court combinations weren't going to be enough as Venus was too powerful and had so much not only speed, but reach to hit Steffi's best angled forehands for winners.
You can see she got more spin on her slice, and hit it really deep to the centre of the baseline, or often deep into that forehand corner.
That is what won her this match. At times she still got caught out by Venus catching her angled forehands and returning with interest into her own forehand corner. At times Venus hit unreturnable serves, or crowded her backhand and then hit some decent volleys. So the match was still close. That sliced backhand won the day as it caused Venus to er on her forehand and lose a bit of confidence in it, as well as took some of the sting out of her tremendous power. It also gave Steffi a bit of breathing space to try to manoeuvre her.
Steffi wasn't usually a tactician but this is one example of when she and her coach really had a game plan.
Good observation! I did think about why Steffi kept hitting many backhand slices deep, to the middle. There must be a reason!
Very much so. It was often said before that one of the best tactics against both Venus was to centre the ball. Doing just that with a lot of underspin which brutally stayed low to the court was going to be even more effective not only because of the surface (the fast and low bouncing grass) but also because Venus really struggled with her forehand whenever she had to carefully measure the shot.
Graf's slice backhand was key to not only her victory here in this match but her career in general (except in the early 90s when her backhand became a bit of a liability). Her backhand was not only more consistent than her forehand but it set up her winners as it skidded off of the court and put opponents completely off balance. As Monica Seles once said herself, Graf's backhand never got the credit that it deserved in terms of how tough it was.
@@zuichiang5088 Middle or even DTL. She used the DTL slice a lot in this match, even hitting them back to back (where she usually alternated cross court and DTL or favoured cross court). On the old grass, it would skid off the bounce. I don't know exactly when/if Venus switched to poly but at this point she was still using nat gut, so getting underneath such slices with the forehand would be very difficult. You can see Venus hit forehands off these slices into the net on a couple of points just off these H/Ls.
@@MadanRajaRock Another great observation! After what you told me, I did observe Steffi did hit quite a few back back slice backhand down the line. :)
@@gk891I like your point about Venus struggling to measure her forehand. Pre 2000, that shot looked overly complicated, with a long, hitchy motion. Post 2000, the forehand was more simplified, although still a work in progress. I wonder if that would have helped her out here.
That match was an example of how Steffi's sliced backhand could cause more problems to her opponent than her forehand.
Of course, her extremely heavy forehand always caused big problems to get opponents, but her backhand was,. In Seles' words, "one of the most underrated shots ever", very painful and tiring to cope with for the opponent,
One side draws errors the other side hits winners.
yes, especially the new generation played all this ugly extrem western forhand.
Yeah, it was like pick your poison; hit to her dangerous offensive weapon, or hit to the side where you won't get a single thing to work with.
Two of the best athletes to play the game.
I’d say THE two best. Serena, Martina, Hanna and Evonne are the next step down, also incredible, but Steffi and Venus were both next level.
One of the best matches ever played on SW19. Though I agree that Steffi would have benefited from using the top spin backhand more on other surfaces, on the grass her slice backhand was deadly. It bought her so much time in the point and set up so many forehand winnera
I can't think of a player who covers both the baseline and the net better than Venus Williams. Just amazing.
She is just tall.
@@beavertown2006 No, she is also an amazing athlete . Sharapova is even taller, Davenport even taller than Sharapova. You don't see them do what Venus does.
Navrattilova also said during this match, the only person who can retrive Steffi's shots is Venus williams
beavertown2006 you’re a hater
@ Harry Rinaldi. But Navratilova in her prime from 1983-1987 could have easily retrieved Venus Williams' best tennis shots on the tennis court back then!
I probably can’t say much more than anyone has already said. I started studying steffis matches and have seen that she was fire on the court. This was an exemplary match indeed. Venus, while she may have only been cutting her teeth, was already agile and instinctive but steffii had that forehand and even her backhand was proving as lethal as ever. The fact that Venus could go deep into the backcourt and steffi just handled it. The speed of play is astonishing between the two. I am glad I get to enjoy these matches 20 years after the fact. The William a sisters we’re incredible but steffi is my favorite: so tough, so tenacious , I love her spirit
Thank you Jamie Owen for all the Steffi Graf matches!!! Hope you can continue to restore all
Watching the generations collide is always fascinating. You could feel the sands beginning to shift here, but Steffi wasn't quite ready to leave....
There are so many good comments on this match ranging from one of the best matches ever to Steffi’s forehand, backhand slice, and coaching. This was such a high quality and competitive match between two great grass court players in Steffi Graf and Venus Williams. Steffi is in the top 3 at Wimbledon (Martina N. #1 and Steffi tied with Serena) with Venus at #4.
I’m sure both players and their respective camps discussed tactics/strategies prior to this match. Instinctually, both Steffi and Venus knew what it took to win but what stood out the most from both players was their execution of shots in such a high pressure moment. There were no questionable gameplay, no silly choice of shots... just pure brilliance!
The key difference is Venus never played Steffi on grass. Even though Venus expected it, Steffi’s all-court power game truly excels on grass and you can tell Venus was fully realizing it as they played.
4:45 is what happens if you give Steffi the opportunity to hit consecutive forehands.
Great win for Steffi during her 1999 remarkable comeback and retirement year by winning the French Open a month ago and making it to the Wimbledon final. Memorable way to finish her illustrious career 🎉 👏!!!
@Ilya Kuryakin When you add other stats like winning percentage rate, Steffi’s tennis records become even more astounding compared to other greats.
FYI there’s a cool video of Steffi vs Serena side-by-side comparison of their stats. Steffi has a definite edge when it comes to singles wins/stats but Serena has more doubles wins thanks to Venus. Check it out!
@@ytangel7263 It’s worth noting that if Steffi had continued to play on, her winning percentage likely would have dropped a fair amount with age. For me, what’s special about Serena is that she continued to dominate well into her 30’s, an age where Graf had long since retired.
@@RaphaelBas1995 I agree Steffi’s winning percentages would get lower over time but if she did extend her career, Steffi winning more grand slams would be very possible especially those years with one slam winners. Against Serena, it would be a battle especially during her peak years I think in 2002-2003, though it would depend on court surface.
If Steffi did play for another 4 years and she kept her 1999 comeback form, at least during the slams the way Serena focuses mainly on those tournaments, she could have won at least 1 grand slam every year or total of 26 slams (22 + 4 more) which would have been amazing!!!
However, the physical toll which she would’ve had to endure and potential negative impact to a future family (Andre & kids) was not worth it in her mind. Her career was amazing, her comeback awe-inspiring and her retirement was handled with such grace and humility. IMHO, she is the greatest amongst tennis greats!!!
@ YT Angel. Serena Williams is definitely not tied with Martina Navratilova as the best grass court player in the history of Wimbledon! Serena has an exceedingly poor volley. At least Venus Williams can volley, but there is no way to know how good or not good Venus Williams' volley is because the only truly accurate way of assessing a player's volleying ability is to have a player play with a 70 square-inch head size wood or metal racket. The midsize and oversize graphite rackets have , without question , cheapened the game of tennis by, for example, making it too easy for players to hit solid, good volleys! And even though she plays with an oversize, graphite racket, Serena Williams still volleys very poorly!
@@michaelbarlow6610 I agree with your comment. Martina N. is definitely the #1 grass court player with Steffi as #2 and tied with Serena if we just count Wimbledon titles, though I believe Steffi is a better volleyer and grass court player than Serena.
Regarding racquet/string innovation, it’s a bit harsh to say it cheapened the game. Yes I understand that average players today take advantage of those innovations but that applies to all tennis pros. The racquets/strings elevate a tennis players strokes but those with true talent rise above those mediocre players. Also, if you’re referring to the game evolving to ball bashers with less variety (i.e., touch, serve & volleyer, etc.), then yes I also agree but that’s part of any sport’s evolution to a more athletic and stronger game.
To me, Roger Federer, is like Steffi but in the modern game meaning the only true all-court power player in a sea of power hitter clones. Once Roger retires, then I might feel the way you feel about tennis. Well at least in the men’s game because women’s tour don’t have a Roger or Steffi tennis athlete equivalent.
One last thing, it’s interesting that you believe larger head size racquets makes it easier to hit volleys but I personally feel uncomfortable with any size larger than 97 inches. I lose control and lack the feel of the ball. I have to apply extra focus/effort with my strokes and definitely on volleys. Large head racquets just feels so disconnected if that makes sense.
I don't think we will ever see such a tennis player playing one-handed with such esthetics and without screaming on a tennis court again.
Nobody wanted Graf to retire. I see why. She could have gone for a few more years. But think she had babies in mind.
Steffi was great at tennis. She was tremendous and magnificent. The greatest player ever.
Sharp & intelligent
Yes. Steffi is the GOAT
No contest. Nobody ever managed to be so effective and dominant, throughout literally three different generations of different tennis with different pace, compressed in just 13 years.
Were you too young to have seen Martina Navratilova play tennis? Martina wasn't too bad either. Especially since Martina was/is 12 or 13 yrs older than Graf yet still their head to head record vs one another is tied at 9-9. Btw, there isn't any GOAT of any sport. IMO. Maybe the greatest of their respective eras but definitely not the greatest ever. I don't believe in that anymore.
@@pierdomenicosommati443Not true at all.
Graf is the GOAT.
But somehow Serena has more slams than her.
But somehow Steffi's winning percentage is vastly superior to Serena, who has played 10 years longer than Steffi and has a whopping 1 more GS despite playing that much longer
@@kenarthur6253 I will tell you how, since you don't know. Serena played a tougher field that Graf, whose main rival was sidelined by stabbing after which Steffi doubled her slam number. Williams also had a different, less intense scheduling than the German, which helped her to have a longer career and finally more slams.
@@LuLu-nw6bi you don't know what you are talking about. Serena has played much weaker players. Her older sister let her win several times. Graf won the Grand Slam. Serena ever do that? No. Graf won at least 4 times at all 4 slams, a complete player. Serena do that? No. Go back to school and learn. Graf retired after a great career. Serena still trying to catch Margaret Court by playing all these extra years, and she keeps failing miserably. So by your delusional facts, Margaret Court is the GOAT
@@kenarthur6253 You don't know what you are talking about. Graf played much weaker players, of course. Serena won the same, it's just not called "the Grand Slam", but it's the same thing - 4 slams in a row. And Serena won at least 3 times at all 4 slams and has 23 slams. Steffi did that? No. Graf has more slams only at Rolland Garros(thanks to Monica's stabber...). Go back to school and learn. My facts are not delusional. yours are.
One thing I will say about Steffi Graf, that sliced back hand was just wicked.
Que ganas de este partido resumido y con esa calidad!! Mil gracias por subirlo!!
Steffi was about to retire but damn, what a powerhouse. I think she had the most graceful serve and the best forehand of her time. And her backhand was unpredictable and savage too. Never get tired of watching her play. The footwork alone! She could move like no-one else.
Steffi grafs the greatest of all!! But in 1999 she just lost all her zest for competing!! Can't be bothered with it already!! Time to retire!
I always thought her backhand was pretty "awkward" looking. Obviously it worked extremely well, and it won a lot of points for her, but she always seemed to be putting a tremendous amount of effort and concentration into it.
@@bramlintrent1145 Marion Bartoli is a way better Tennis player than Steffi Graf.
Marion bartoli had belief in herself that Steffi Graff as a great tennis player doesn't have even being world no.1 to win Wimbledon.
Wimbledon is a grass court tournament and therefore amongst the medium surfaces. which means medium rallies dictated by serve and therefore less exertion of energy during a point and shorter matches in general. you get value for your shot! fat and short or tall and thin!
when you play 3 sets against 5 sets for men, it is always an advantage.
Marion Bartoli played a more strategic than a grind type of tennis in tournaments. good volleying skills as compared to Steffi Graff even in execution.
Marion Bartoli had the belief that she could win and in contrast to Steffi Graff who believed that Bartoli would wear herself down and just lose(not that they don't have to play, just that they had to hang in there long enough for her to break down). Most of them slightly underestimated what she was doing in tournaments. She was an inexperienced player by that point who had proven herself as a former top 10 player.
Her winning was really a surprise i.e out of the blue with already having made the finals twice but her consistency was questionable.
She had unique two handed forehands and backhands. That was easy to replicate and master but once mastered it was going to be lethal. That was what spectators saw in tournaments of Marion Bartoli to a great extent.
at Wimbledon 2013 she had some luck from the draw as 15th seed. she never played a top 10 player en route to her victory. the finalist she played: Venus Williams had already beaten Agnieszka Radwańska en route to the final.
Venus Williams was playing her best but was probably worn out a lot by her battles with Agnieszka Radwańska and others. Venus Williams was in the form of her life but Bartoli had the luck of the draw.
Regardless of whether your fat or not, if you make your shots even Steffi Graff may not be able to return it at Wimbledon. so if you are playing near perfection and having consistency with your shots then you are playing on a level field.
then speaking of fat, technically Marion Bartoli may be classified as fat, yet she was the most successful female tennis player.
Bartoli wasn’t really playing a specific style and really had weakness in tournaments and most of her shots had some vigor in it that Steffi Graf generally doesn't necessarily have. Here return games were spot on and had more errors and more importantly she can get Steffi Graff to errors first.
all in all, this was a victory that was easily replicable or Bartoli after this mediocre run. She had belief and luck along with inexperience that allowed her to win her only Grand Slam. Marion Bartoli was dubbed as unfit and fat. She still made it to Grand Slam finals. Even in her Wembdon win 2013 she wasn’t fit. Marion Bartoli is an inspiration.
It was really a fluke because Bartoli won by dropping sets and beat a few top 20 players along the way.
Winning by dropping a set means you played really close to perfection along with dropping the level enough that allowed anyone to comeback and take a set from you.
being fat may seem a hindrance, but is a limitation if you want it to be one.
Honestly calling her fat in tournaments is really justifiable because she wasn’t thin but fat is really appropriate.
And yes, tall and lanky players like Steffi Graf don’t always win , especially in the topsy turvy women’s tour. slightly fatter players can generate more power than extremely thin and tall players like Steffi Graff.
She retire because the new generation start to beat her a lot
@@thisp666 she was still playing well and was rated #3, but she strained a hamstring and decided the injury was too bad and would prevent her from competing and winning. no regrets though I guess. she had achieved a great deal 🎾
Graf played so well here, but semis and final no where near that standard, best movement I ever saw from male or female,
True she was a shadow of herself in the final. With her massive advantage in mobility she should have been all over Davenport but she had a wretched match
God I wish Steffi and Venus/Serena had intersected a little bit more in their respective careers. Those would've been some BLAZING matches.
I love Steffi, for me the best tennis player 🥰
People always criticized Graf's slice backhand, but here on grass, it's deceptively effective against the 6'1" Venus, who has to bend low. The Graf backhand was equally responsible for this tough win.
Venus does have a great vertical mobility, despite her height.
But which people were that who criticized Steffi‘s backhand?
Right, the usual couch potatoes.
yes , on TV this backhand looks so harmless, but I saw it live once indoor on carpet, and wow, so fast and so low bouncing. I guess on grass it was even lower bouncing than on carpet. Very difficult to return with a western grip.
10:45 Best point imo.
Great match from Graf!
A total of 12 Wimbledon titles in this match. Two greats.
So incredible!!
Everyone rightly thought this was the final - steffi and venue were the two form players of the tournament and then played this incredibly high quality match. Lindsay wasn’t actually playing all that impressively in the tournament at the time. But graf was flat in the final and Lindsay played really solidly (though still not even as well as she can play).
Steffi - the divine on tennis court. ❤️
0:42 - classic topspin backhand by Graf
She would have been unstoppable if she developed and used that topspin backhand more.
@@networth00 Steffi had a powerful backhand drive but limited the topspin backhand to certain points because the slice was more effective.
@@networth00 she used it more when she was younger
@@paigehere5176 The slice is not more effective.
@@networth00 Yes, yes it was. Chris, Martina, Seles etc said it themselves
Me encanto la rapidez de Graf! Favorita forever
Amazing how Steffi won this she is greatest player
Steffi game is superior ..best forehand and movement. You can see her slice would continue to greatly trouble both WS. On grass especially
The fact the WS very early in their careers showed they could beat Steffi. Remember Venus spanked Graf in Miami earlier in 99. I think Steffi would've had her hands full to be kind with either sister if she stayed around longer. Her best shots would consistently come back something she was never use to outside of Seles
After all the injury problems the level at which Graf is playing is remarkable.
If you watch some womens final matches in 1980 and you compare to this, the difference in speed is incredible. Then when you compare this 1999 match to last year, I see zero difference in tempo. Both Steffi and Venus also play at a very high skill level. What has happened in the last 20 years in womens tennis evolution?
@ Peter Hammer. In 1980, the women pro tennis players (just like their male counterparts on the men's pro tennis tour) were still playing with 70 square -inch head size wood and metal rackets which was real tennis! So you can't compare the speed of play from that era to the speed of play in the 1999 Wimbledon Quarterfinal match between Venus Williams and Steffi Graf, a match contested with graphite rackets! It is like trying to compare apples with oranges. Not a fair comparison at all!
@@michaelbarlow6610 you are correct of course. But there is also evolution from the players. I just pointed out the big difference, no meaning to downplay players from 20 years earlier. The main point is that the tempo in this match matches the tempo of today.
@ Peter Hammer. I would say this--the speed of the men's and women's game in pro tennis was actually faster prior to 2001 --the year the AELT&CC changed the composition of the grass courts at Wimbledon from the traditional composition of 70% rye grass/30% Red Creeping Fescue (which resulted in a lightening fast, skidding, low-rebounding and sometimes erratic bounce of the tennis ball) to the 100% rye grass courts (which result in a truer, higher rebounding, hardcourt-like bounce of the tennis ball and a slightly slower speed of the ball) because 100% rye grass is more durable and more impact resistant than 70% rye grass/30% Red Creeping Fescue composition grass courts. In addition, the men's pro tour no longer plays tournaments contested on the lightening fast indoor Supreme court carpet surface and the men's pro tour has unfortunately adopted the Type3 tennis ball in some tournaments which is larger in circumference than a regular-size tennis ball and is reminiscent of the Wilson Rally ball which was introduced to the tennis market in either 1983 or 1986 and thankfully was wisely never adopted by either he men's or women's pro tennis tours back then which would have (and in the case of the Type3 tennis ball has) cheapened the game of tennis by making it too easy to avoid making unforced errors and would have artificially inflated first and second serve percentages and would have made it too easy to avoid serving a fault or double fault.
@@michaelbarlow6610 its a big shame they changed the grass, made the balls bigger etc... Indoor matches between f.ex. Becker and McEnroe used to be such a joy. And Wimbledon played as a serve-volley game is for me the only correct way to play there. But this is of course not what I meant with speed.
@ Peter Hammer. I agree that grass court tennis should be played stylistically with an emphasis on serve-and-volley. I also agree that McEnroe versus Becker was a joy to watch (e.g., their 3-set 1986 Stratton Mountain match when McEnroe returned to the men's pro tour after his sabbatical from the game and their 3-set 1989 Paris Open indoor match. Their most famous match in the 1987 Davis Cup tie in Hartford, Connecticut although very well-played by both players, was unfortunately essentially a serving clinic by both players. The points in that match on the lightening fast indoor Supreme court carpet were too short. The sad reality is that the game never, as Bud Collins correctly pointed out numerous times, should have abandoned wood for the graphite technology. The graphite rackets, the larger Type3 tennis ball utilized in some tournaments , the copolyester-lubricated strings which allow players to flail on the ball and still keep the ball in the court, the slowing down of the court surfaces (especially at Wimbledon), the abandonment of the indoor Supreme court surface, and the disappearance of serve-and-volley and chip-and-charge-to-the-net play and the decrease in the number of all-time great players on both tours compared to earlier eras have all contributed to a cheapening and erosion of the game that has resulted in the tediously boring spectacle that is seen in today's tennis. Those factors/changes have also resulted in the grossly inflated achievements of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic on the men's pro tour and Serena Williams on the women's pro tour making them appear to be greater than they actually are.
Women’s tennis now is so awful compared to this
One of the last times we got to see Steffi’s howitzer of a forehand. Venus certainly wasn’t afraid to hit to it, but it was too strong, even for her. Wonderful match. Miss her.
Steffi, is my favorite player.
Wundervoll was beide Frauen hier leisten💗
This Venus here would easily beat a current Coco
What a great match. Grafs late career gem.
If I ever got good at tennis, I'd want to play like this.
In her match against davenport its very evident that steffi is not enjoying playing competitive tennis anymore.... Shortly after,,, she retires..... Steffis the greatest ever!!!
Steffi wanted to beat the youngsters Hingis and Venus in slams one more time.
With this win against Venus her work was done and the fire was gone.
Steffi is absolutely amazing. If they exchanged their bodies, she would have won 6-0 6-0.
No, Steffi had the perfect tennis body.
One thing i can say about both Graf and Williams...they rarely complained.
When both Venus & Serena came on the scene, they put all the top players on notice.
Graf is the GOAT!
How was the GOAT when she lost in the finals against Lindsay? 😂😂😂
@@23Echeohow serena was GOAT when she was thrashed in slams final by 17 years old Sharapova, Stosur, Osaka, Andreescu, Kerber & then Halep kicked her ass in 55 minutes in Wimbledon. 😂😂
@@rajusaha855 uh huh! That's why she still has more slams and gold medals than Graf! 😂😂😂 get it together over there!
Y'all still mad she lost to Lindsay? 😂😂😂
She still has more slams and gold medals than Graf and played part time in the wta tour! 😂😂😂
Amazing Steffi
Graf isn't afraid of the williams
The only difference between Gauff and Williams Sisters, the latter are so arrogant in winning as well as in losing
Steffis movement here is incredible. People often say Venus was faster on the court than Steffi. Here you can see her movement is so much quicker
Great tennis.
Interesting, Venus Williams rarely uses touch any more.
Pity.
If Steffi could have served even harder and used her flat backhand down the line more often, very few players would have beaten her.
This is such BRILLIANT MATCH-UP. I just wish Steffi would have taken off the 2000 season to rest and come back in 2001 to play against Venus and Serena. But she was so done at that time.
Steffi was such a great foil to the Williams sisters, especially Venus and they would have been such and incredible rivalry.
Maybe on fast surfaces.
If Venus has won this, she'd have been the only significant player with a winning H2H against Graf.
Together with Serena and Martian the two best female athletes, at least in their prime time. These two here have the fastest legs and hit it really hard
.
Steffi in her prime was way better than the Williams sisters.
Keep in mind it's a 30 yr-old (Graf) vs. a 19 yr-old (Venus). Both their movements about the court are remarkable, but Graf's smooth strides and fleet of foot are even better than Venus's.
Everybody thought Graf would win another Wimbledon title before her sudden retirement later that summer.
Well, nobody told that to Davenport, who played a remarkable final.
They behave as if people think of them as second citizens. Their games speaketh their chatacter and personality. They intimidate their opponent with their masculinity and power
Even towards the end of her career Graf was amazing
Steffi Graf is the Borg of women tennis. No other WTA player moves her feet that quickly, including the Williams sisters.
Miss this... the women's field is total trash right now. just garbage.
Graf abused the shit out of that slice backhand
I dont understand why women's players never truly utilize slice as a defensive shot. If handled with the correct technique like Graf did, slice can be such a weapon. Female players tends to go for broke during defensive shots which creates lots of unforced errors. I dont think they realize the importance of slice. I also like to bring up that from what little slice shots I have seen from Venus (She rarely used it). It looks really good to me. Its a shame she never utilizes it.
Steffi moves more gracefully on grass than any player I've seen.
It doesn't matter what anyone says.. but under NO circumstances, has Venus or Serena EVER played anyone any where near as good as Graf, Seles or Navratilova in the prime at their absolute dominant best. I'd say the closest thing to it would've been Justine Henin at the French Open. All this talk about power strokes and biggest serves... Blah blag Blah.... even with all their power and big serves and power inducing equipment, they still lose to far lesser players, and neither has ever enjoyed any dominant period as Navratilova and Graf.
People also have to consider the length of time the players you mentioned stayed at No. 1, the number of Tier 1 events they won and the fact that they achieved their records in a far shorter time frame than either of the Williams sisters.
Yeah because prime Graf, Seles, or Navratilova would get murdered by Henin, Venus, or Serena. No contest.
@@Infelsinave did you even warch this video-clip? A past her prime Steffi is beating a near prime Venus.
ill never be convinced the williams were better than graf...
Only physically.
For totally rounded player...Serena, as she has zero weaknesses. Steffi, great player but less dimensional than Serena.
As other tennis greats have commented...You knew when playing Graf to try to stay away from her forehand. Serena on the otherhand, it matters not where you place that ball, it is coming back while you are still in serve motion.
Serena is just a better rounded player.
@@theire483 Steffi won 50 % of the tournaments she played.
Serena 30 %.
Steffi won 107 tournaments.
Serena 73.
Steffi had 107 career losses.
Serena 156.
Steffi had zero weaknesses.
Serena several.
@carrerau7138 ...and she's still not a better all around player.
BTW Navratilova won even more🙄
@@theire483 Navratilova won only 41 % of her tournaments, has a staggering 227 losses.
Le dernier grand chelem de ma steffi ❤❤❤❤
The greatest movement I've ever seen in a woman's match... shame Venus carrys on , she can barely move compared too this now ..why does she do it?
She's 40 and has been long suffering from an energy autoimmune disease...
@@paigehere5176 so why carry on? No one else would...dont get it? She was a great player... legend tarnished
@@petostacy1771 Because she loves the game
@@paigehere5176 sad seeing great players become so limited.. dont get it..
The two greatest athletes on the WTA. Navratilova, Clijsters and the other Williams are up there.
@@TheSingingMystic87 Great comment, so smart!
Henin did more with less.
@@encinobalboa I agree, although Graf was a hard worker too.
The other Williams lol
Other Williams 😂 ur sooo funnny...
The real reason behind steffis retirement is her lacking of interest in competition. Playing the Wimbledon final was dry and without 🔥 fire..just contented to get the ball back. She cant wait to finish the game without a care!!!!!
Steffi played in poor era where monica is not there sad but truth
Seles was lucky Steffi was facing personal probs and slumping. If not she can just dream.
Steffi played 13 slam finals against top-ten all-time greats.
Serena zero.
Damn... fraülein forehand!!
Fräulein Forehand!
Amazing fast play from both players. Steffi was finally lucky to have won this incredible match.
No, Steffi won 95 points, Venus only 84.
11 points difference.
Steffi NEVER lost in Wimbledon with such a huge difference....
In this match it is the beginning of Venus' playing, she got better. She also has too many unforced errors here.
Venus should have won this match.
1999 was one of Venus‘ best years ever. Only 2000-02 were better.
The Forehand 0:10
Although I strongly believe (as well as lots of tennis experts and commentators) that Monica Seles would have won most slams had her career not been derailed by the stabbing in 1993 due to a crazy Steffi Graf fan, I believe that on grass, Graf would be difficult to beat as she has great foot speed and athleticism and Seles's two handed shots on both sides and lack of reach is not effective on grass, especially when the ball is low and skids away from those two handed shots.
Just like every teenage great player, they have a couple of years where "real" life distracts them, especially Americans. Seles was no different than Graf, Venus, Serena Hingus,....They all had slumps when they got around 20. Seles was a great young player, but Navratolova, Graf, Serena were able to get that drive back. The "stabbing" was just a convenient cover for Monica's actual personal and life problems at the time.
Do you think Graf. Navratolova, and Williams won that many slams just on their talent alone? Do you think a little slice to their back would have stopped them for 10 years or ended their dominance? Graf simply had a superior mind and athleticism that Seles was never going to get to.
Seles was dominant for a couple years because, like I said, Graf was taking a couple years off.
Seles would have won ten French opens alone if she hadn’t gotten stabbed. Toss in the other slams and she probably finished around 18 or so. Graf probably would have finished with around 18 as well. Truly one of the saddest what-might-have-been stories in all of professional sports.
@@harveydodd8803 shoulda would coulda
Nothing indicated that Seles would have won significantly more slams.
She even struggled against a slumping Steffi in the early 90s.
How the hell would she have been able to cope with peak Steffiofbthe mid-90s, with peak Hingis in the late 90s, with peak Venus, peak Serena, peak Henin in the 00s?
@@harveydodd8803 which 7 more FOs would Seles have won? 😂🤣😂
We must recall Stefi quit only after she was beaten twice by the William sisters ... as she explained it.they have no weaknesses who's going to beat them. ?
Serena won only 73 of 240 tournaments played (30 %).
Venus won 49 of 322 tournaments played (15 %).
Steffi won 107 of 214 tournaments played (50 %).
Besides Steffi's competitive H2H records against the sisters, Steffi even beat one of the sisters in a Hong Kong exhibition tournament.
@@beavertown2006 Serena in HK 1999.
76 62, I think.
Serena retired because she know she can't hang out with Rybakina, Sabalenka, Osaka & Swiatek.😉😉😉
Steffi should have used back hand topspin winners, but she never used it. She only relies on back hand slices. Like Federer, she possibly should have given a thought for the down the line back hand winners. She could have closed so many points much earlier. In many matches, just relying on backhand slices she eventually has lost the court coverage and opponents have won the points. In the initial years of her career, her strong forehand winners were effective, however later on especially against Monica Seles she used to get out played and couldn't match the pace. I am a big fan of Steffi, however have mentioned my thoughts. Also she could have tried to shorten points by attempting to come to the net and volley just as Sampras used to do so.
you spoke my thoughts parimal ji. i am ahuge admirer of steffi graf as well.
@@ragsvd5382 thanks, felt happy that U R thoughts are also the same. In fact I am a great fan of John McEnroe, I feel he was one of the rare most gifted player till now. His volleys, drop shots were awesome. He mixed the backhand & forehand topspins, slice shots while approaching the net and lobs very effectively, unlike the current players, who R too much dependent on power game, long rallies and ground strokes. It makes today's tennis quite laborious many a times. The charisma & aura of tennis during the days of McEnroe, Sampras,Becker, Edberg, Navratilova no more exists now .....
Steffi's slice backhand was very key to her career as it set up her forehand but skidding off of the court and putting opponents off balance. At the 1995 U.S Open final against Seles, I remember Graf hit some backhand drives in the first set but that plan didn't always work. As a commentator, I remember Navratilova said that Graf needed to be careful with the topspin backhand because it wasn't the right shot to use against Seles as it bounced much higher (and thus allowed Seles to tee-off on it with ease). Navratilova also said that Graf should stick to her slice as it stayed much lower through the court. Seles also once said that Graf's backhand never got the credit it deserved in terms of how tough it was.
However, I do recall there was a time where Graf's backhand did become a bit of a liability. In early 1990, Graf took some time off because she broke her thumb in a skiing accident. When she came back from that injury, many had noted that Graf hitting her backhand much closer to her body than before and she wasn't opening the face of her racket as well as she did before. It went from a hard and vicious slice backhand with a ton of block on it into a short and choppy one. Plus she was hitting it crosscourt almost all of the time as her down the line slice backhand almost disappeared during the early 90s. It wasn't until 1995 that Graf amended the extension issue with her backhand and she brought her down the line slice backhand back into her arsenal.
Graf's slice backhand was also super key in this match as she had a lot of low slices down the cenre of the court or down the line to Venus' forehand. One of the best strategies against Venus was to centre the ball as she was much more dangerous while on the move. Venus' forehand could also become very suspect if she had to carefully measure the shot. That slice backhand was very key to her winning this match.
Liked Zina garrison never williams
Moromic crazy s...fans would do everything to discredit steffi.!! 😂😂😂😂😂
All respect to Steffi. I would’ve liked Venus to win. A peak Venus would’ve won against peak Graff on any day.
At Graf peak williams never would
@@pbfo179 no
No.
In her two best years on tour, Venus lost 6-1 6-2 to Jelena Dokic, was bageled and lost to Sanchez Vicario whom Steffi dominated, Shaughnessy, Schett in the first round of the French Open and got humiliated 6-1 6-1 by Hingis. She also lost 5 Grand Slam finals in a row in a span of 13 months to Serena also at her peak.
So how on Earth would Venus beat peak Graf if she couldn't even beat Serena who is an inferior player to Steffi?
Dimitry lol doesn’t matter, she slayed against peak Steffi in Miami. In case you don’t know, each opponent is different, rent a brain!
@@Jcoke2201 Peak Steffi was in 1987-1990 and 1993-1996. Steffi was coming back from her second knee surgery in 1999 and she only had three worse years on tour, so please stop saying nonsense. That's like saying Gauff beat a peak Venus twice, lol.
Steffi still had a winning h2h against Venus even though Venus was in her prime (1999 was one of the only four years which Venus finished in the top 3) and beat Venus on grass in 99 Wimbledon, Steffi's LAST ever major, while she was injured and fatigued.
Don't ever compare Steffi to Venus, Steffi is in another league.
Imagine graf playing S.Williams during 2009-2015.Graf would have lost like Safina.
Wasn‘t 2009-15 the era when some old grandma from the Steffi era beat slam winners of the 2010s right and left?
And this Serena who in 2009-15 lost to giants like Kunetsova, Stosur (twice), Bartoli, Makarova, Razzano, Stephens, Lisicki, Ivanovic, Muguruza, Cornet, Vinci in slams?
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
You idyot.
@@carrerau7138 I see some of those names causing some losses but the Vinci loss was especially embarrassing not even a credible singles player and given what she had on the line
Graf would kicked Safina ass 100 out of 100 times but she becomes #1 during Serena's era. That's showed how mediocre Serena was at that time outside of slams😂😂.
@@rajusaha855 tbh Serena didn’t seem to care for non slam tournaments that much. She used them as warmups for slams winning was secondary as she got older.
Graft was so cold at 4:11 when Venus fell at the net. Didn't even look to see if she was ok.
Please in their mixed before this when that murderer hit a ball directly at Steffi she never even batted an eyelid. So spare me the bullshit.
Marion Bartoli is a way better Tennis player than Steffi Graf.
Marion bartoli had belief in herself that Steffi Graff as a great tennis player doesn't have even being world no.1 to win Wimbledon.
Wimbledon is a grass court tournament and therefore amongst the medium surfaces. which means medium rallies dictated by serve and therefore less exertion of energy during a point and shorter matches in general. you get value for your shot! fat and short or tall and thin!
when you play 3 sets against 5 sets for men, it is always an advantage.
Marion Bartoli played a more strategic than a grind type of tennis in tournaments. good volleying skills as compared to Steffi Graff even in execution.
Marion Bartoli had the belief that she could win and in contrast to Steffi Graff who believed that Bartoli would wear herself down and just lose(not that they don't have to play, just that they had to hang in there long enough for her to break down). Most of them slightly underestimated what she was doing in tournaments. She was an inexperienced player by that point who had proven herself as a former top 10 player.
Her winning was really a surprise i.e out of the blue with already having made the finals twice but her consistency was questionable.
She had unique two handed forehands and backhands. That was easy to replicate and master but once mastered it was going to be lethal. That was what spectators saw in tournaments of Marion Bartoli to a great extent.
at Wimbledon 2013 she had some luck from the draw as 15th seed. she never played a top 10 player en route to her victory. the finalist she played: Venus Williams had already beaten Agnieszka Radwańska en route to the final.
Venus Williams was playing her best but was probably worn out a lot by her battles with Agnieszka Radwańska and others. Venus Williams was in the form of her life but Bartoli had the luck of the draw.
Regardless of whether your fat or not, if you make your shots even Steffi Graff may not be able to return it at Wimbledon. so if you are playing near perfection and having consistency with your shots then you are playing on a level field.
then speaking of fat, technically Marion Bartoli may be classified as fat, yet she was the most successful female tennis player.
Bartoli wasn’t really playing a specific style and really had weakness in tournaments and most of her shots had some vigor in it that Steffi Graf generally doesn't necessarily have. Here return games were spot on and had more errors and more importantly she can get Steffi Graff to errors first.
all in all, this was a victory that was easily replicable or Bartoli after this mediocre run. She had belief and luck along with inexperience that allowed her to win her only Grand Slam. Marion Bartoli was dubbed as unfit and fat. She still made it to Grand Slam finals. Even in her Wembdon win 2013 she wasn’t fit. Marion Bartoli is an inspiration.
It was really a fluke because Bartoli won by dropping sets and beat a few top 20 players along the way.
Winning by dropping a set means you played really close to perfection along with dropping the level enough that allowed anyone to comeback and take a set from you.
being fat may seem a hindrance, but is a limitation if you want it to be one.
Honestly calling her fat in tournaments is really justifiable because she wasn’t thin but fat is really appropriate.
And yes, tall and lanky players like Steffi Graf don’t always win , especially in the topsy turvy women’s tour. slightly fatter players can generate more power than extremely thin and tall players like Steffi Graff.
Graf had to retire after this tournament. One Williams sister and she could have had her stabbed, but two was probably too tall a task.
Idiot, she retired after San Diego. Once a moron always a moron.
It was probably too dark so the stabber couldn’t see her to aim properly.
😂😂
Why didn‘t Steffi use a Stinger rocket to shoot down a plane carrying the Willies?
@@carrerau7138 Shooting down a plane full of people would have gotten her at least 3 months in a German prison. I hear their justice system takes these things mildly serious.