People have accepted these moaning and groaning players, male and female. Since Roger Federer is gone the horrible Alcatraz is the most negative of all with all his attitudes!
What a great match. Steffi played so well to beat Venus. Venus matured so much in a year and every aspect of her game improved. Just sad to think this was Steffi's last tournament. What a player and what a champion. Venus as well.
@louie-I remember when people used to complain about Monica Seles and her grunts but, I guess when the Williams sisters do it, people just automatically forget their white counterparts out there. The Sharapova's, Caroline Garcia, Kerber, and I could go on. But, nope, when it's the Williams sisters, they are the only ones on the court that grunt or make sounds.
Great match.... Steffi's footwork is like that of a dancing gazelle. Just epic...she played quick and real tennis. Great match from an up and coming Venus.
If I remember correctly, it wasn’t an epic match as the rally was few and far between. Steffi still stood out in that match considering Venus supposed to be power..and athleticism.
But she was no match for Monica Seles who was ranked #1 before she was stabbed by a Graf fan and had won 8 of the last 12 majors while Graf was on tour and beating Graf over and over again. No one player was able to do that while Serena and Venus were on tour. Serena had no equal....Graf had plenty.
@@SalHardy pre stabbing 6-4, post stabbing 4-1. Overall 10-5. So I don’t understand your rationale with beating her over and over again. Serena had no equal? Go recheck your facts. Worse still she had people better than her with losing h2h’s to people like Bammer, ASV, Osaka, MJF, Kenin, Bianca, Suarez, Razzano and Rybakina.
This was without a doubt the best match Steffi played since returning from a long injury layoff in 1998. Steffi proved that she could still compete with the big hitters. Not by overpowering them, but with variety. Which is exactly what her coach instructed her to do. Sure this was not peak Venus yet. But this was also not peak Steffi. They were both top 10 players though. Nobody looked more beautiful and graceful on a tennis court. The female equivalent to Federer on the mens side
V. Williams always ran like gazelle, I love her athleticism. Her poise and grace under pressure was what stood out for me along with her humility and class. Love Ms Williams. Steffi Graff is definitely the GOAT though!
Venus has always seemed to be a much more likable person than her sister. She deserves a lot of recognition for how much she has accomplished with her autoimmune condition.
Martina Navratilova has won more Wimbledon titles (9), Chris Evert has won more French Opens (7), Serena Williams has won more US Opens (6), and Margaret Court has won more Australian Opens (11), but the one who has the most balanced record of all time and to date is Steffi Graf with 7 Wimbledons, 6 French Opens, 5 U.S. Opens, and 4 Australian Opens (in effect: 9 hard court slams, 7 grass court slams, and 6 clay court slams).
@Illya Kuryakin No one is with Evert on clay, no one, 94.55 % winning on the surface. Evert is also tops on Hard Court, and Graf is # 4 on grass , behind Navratilova, Williams and Evert.
@@tonydecastro6340 Every era featured one great rivalry, until the current one which has so much parity that a great rivalry has yet to materialize. Graf dominated an era where her great rival Seles, was taken out of her competitive prime by an obsessed Graf fan. Until then Seles was beginning to dominate Graf. For me, this unfortunate intervention puts an asterisk next to Graf's GoAT credentials. I am a Graf fan as well, but what I have written above definitely changed two careers, altered tennis history, and has an unspoken impact on this very conversation.
@Illya Kuryakin Illya, let's talk about all-time greats. It's easy to say all-time anything if we gloss over meaningful nuances of actual competition. So let's look a little more insightfully at Graf's era of tennis. I grew up a fan of Graf, and, saw the emergence of Monica Seles while Graf was in her prime. As Seles's game grew, every Graf fan had a sense of dread that an inevitable wave was coming - like watching Federer evolve past Sampras. It was impossible to deny, so someone decided to intervene, and one of the great tragedies of sports happened. Until that unfortunate intervention Seles was beginning to dominate Graf with an early version of the modern game. When Graf's fan traumatized Seles by stabbing her during a match and sidelining her career, that fan basically placed a permanent asterisk next to Graf's GoAT credentials. He changed two careers, altered tennis history, and has an unspoken impact on this very conversation.
Steffi with a reconstructed knee - incredible! And her doctors said in 1997 she should be glad if she were able to play some recreational tennis now and then after the surgery. What a woman! 😍
Both players move so fast, and hit the ball so flat. This game shows the advantages of both players, the nearly no bounce slice of Graf and the all court cover Venus.
My favourite Wimbledon match of Steffi's was the 1992 final where Steffi practically demolished Seles (6-2, 6-2), finishing the match with an ace. It was such a sweet revenge for her after losing to Seles a few weeks earlier in that epic (and what I still consider as the greatest) French Open ladies final.
She won each grandslam atleast 4 times. Isn't it amazing? Especially the fact that she won FO 6 times and Wimbledon 7 times. Tennis has hardly seen players who are equally dominating on clay and grass. And then year 1988 when she won 4 slams and olympic. Domination at its best.
Osaka has already won two of the four Slams twice and won two Slams in a row twice as well. She is the new dominant force of tennis. Steffi also dominated a weak era whereas Naomi is dominating the strongest era of women’s tennis.
@Max E And your point is? This is the strongest the WTA has ever been and every tennis commentator agrees. There is so much depth in the women’s game right now and more talented players than ever. It has never been more difficult to win a Grand Slam than now because all of the players in the draw are world class athletes compared to the 80s and 90s when housewives played tennis as a country club hobby and there were like 2-3 good athletes like Graff and Navratilova. Graff and Navratilova couldn’t win a Slam in this era, the game has evolved too much since then.
And she retired at 30, winning 4 out of 10 AO tournaments she played in, 6 out of 16 FO, 7 out of 14 Wimbeldon and 5 out 14 USO. In total she 22 out of the 54 grand slams she entered (40.7%).
Exactly my thought, I always thought Graf was kind of done in her last matches on tour but this shows that even if she was not in her prime and the tour maybe was tougher than a couple of years back, she definitely had good chances of winning more slams had she wanted it.
she was no 2 at tht time ......just recover from injury. i guess she was tired of injuries, as sportsperson myself i knw how hard it is to make a comeback. u have to scarifies lot, sometimes change ur natural game. Also by thn game started to go faster thn before, so keeping with young players is tough :( still she was runner up in this tournament nt bad after coming back from injury.
She made the right decision for her, Connors prime was the70s ,maybe up til 84. After that he still had flashes of great tennis and was always entertaining but he didn't retire because it wasn't right for him.
I ve watched n followed Steffi Graf about 15 years, her age of 16 until retirement 31. Never have seen a better player in womens tennis before and after Steffi. With my tennis friends we ve seen all finals from age o 17 Wimbledon until her Final 1999 french open versus Martina Hingis. Everybody thought, especially after first Set for Martina Hingis, Steffi can't win versus this young new tennis princess Martina, faster, younger, aggressive. Steffi had many injuries and Martina has been fit and sportive without end. But, the "old" Lady Steffi, won Set 2 and 3, and so the French open final. I got goosebumps all over my skin after Steffi reached a break in Martina Hingis' Serve game in Set 2. From this moment on, we knew Steffi could beat this young Martina Hingis. And so, she did in an awesome way. Never seen Steffi arguing, crying, shouting, cheating or get in rage. She has been the talent of the century and if she wouldn't have retired that early, she surely would have reached new grand slam record, maybe unreachable for all coming womenen tennis players. Love to see her old matches. We ll never see such a tennis queen like Steffi, playing forehand and backhand one handed with that precision and always in focus, dominating each match.
@@juandi2570 It skidded off of the court and put players off balance. As Seles herself said, Graf's backhand never got the credit it deserved in terms of how tough it was.
The reason why this match is so fun to watch for me is the contrast of styles. Venus had power for days, and Graf had to mix up her shots and use her incredible repertoire of shots and slices to nullify that power.
Yes but Graf was not short of power either, only her bh wasn´t as powerful , she used her bh conservatively, only apply power when absolutely necesary but her FH was not weaker than any other player of that era and beyound including Venus and Serena.
Hello? Graf had one of the biggest and most powerful forehands in womens tennis history. Also, her serve was a weapon. Only her backhand slice seemed like a defensive shot but was probably more lethal than most of us knew, especially at Wimby where it stayed low and skidded or slid away from opponents.
Watching Steffi vs Venus on grass is like watching Picasso painting. The movement, the touch, the mind, the chemistry is just off the chart. What a brilliant match.
changing of the guard - I would love to see peak graf '95, 96 vs peak williams 2000,2001 battle it out. both had tremendous movement. Graf danced around the court like Ali and venus covered the court with 2 or 3 strides like a gazelle. It would be a great match. Vebus big serve and 1 one two much coming to net to finish point vs graf 4hand and backhand slice
@Illya Kuryakin Only based on the peak level no woman in the history of the game is better than the Williams sisters...They are first and second without a doubt
@@chrisarmelseyibayebek4977 absolutely and categorically no. There is no better player in womens tennis than steffi graf. Golden Slam, 377 weeks at #1, 107 tournament wins, (Serena hasn't even won 100)and yet graf was on tour for 17 years. How long has Serena been playing?
@@genoacity8883 23>22 end of the discussion... Been number one longer will never be a key factor, Wozniacki Jankovic Safina have been number one longer than Venus but they can be compare to Venus so your point is good but not enough
The spin that Steffi could put on a ball mid-volley was absolutely TERRIFYING. lolol What an amazing player. And how amazing is Venus that as a newcomer, she was able to keep up and challenge this great! A truly stellar match from two beyond stellar atheletes the WTA has seen.
@@mohawk393939Venus and Serena never played on the Junior Circuit. Even in their late teens they still had such limited experience compared to many others who accomplished so much as teenagers and then burnt out by their mid twenties.
@@DeepSeas.. Venus held a 63-0 record on the USTA junior tour & was ranked No. 1 among the under-12 players in California, she turned pro at 14yrs old. Serena held a 46-3 record on the USTA junior tour & was ranked No. 1 among under-10 players in Florida. She turned pro, in 1995 at 14yrs old
What a wonderful match; it reminded me of why I was such a huge fan of Graf. When she was fit, both physically and mentally (and she had her fair share of troubles in both aspects over her career), she was basically unbeatable regardless of the type of court (which can't be said about any other player, male or female). She had all the shots in tennis and she executed them exquisitely; both her forehand and, especially, backhand were things of beauty. And she was probably the fastest woman in tennis history; she could probably have medalled in the 100m dash had she taken part in the Olympics! Speaking of speed, I felt the whole match was at 1.5x speed compared to the tennis matches of these days, whether men's or women's, which certainly added to the joy of watching it. And I don't know who was calling the match, but they did a brilliant job. All in all, I enjoyed this gem immensely; thanks for uploading it!
@@susa4727 Federer was very beatable on clay, and Nadal did it plenty of times. So, no, he's not in the same league of unbeatability as Graf was in her prime.
@@sammyt3514 There is no one Graf ever faced during her career in the womens game who was anywhere close to as dominant on clay as Nadal was in the mens game. If Nadal didn't exist, Federer would have likely won as many FO as Graf (not to mention a lot more GS in total). Context matters. Also Graf was not close to Olympic quality sprinter, hence why she went with tennis. Also straight line speed is not the same as court coverage speed. There were absolutely players who had better court coverage than Graf even during her playing time.
@@dundalis no way, Novak is better Clay court player than Roger. If Roger is so great then why he never beat Nadal on Clay ? Nole does it twice. Why Roger loses 3 Wimbledon final to Novak? That's unacceptable for Roger like player.
@@dundalis lol😂😂 Tell me which female tennis player had better court coverage than Graf in 80's & 90's. I can't find anybody even now who had better footwork than Graf.
@@magnetmac1 Since the male tennis pros play so much better then their female counterparts the women must display unique qualities in their appearance and game to make me watch. Steffi Graf, the person and her game always were nice to look at - a feminine elegance while still being supremely athletic. Why watch a female grunting hard worker like Serena when Rafael Nadal does it all better than her - the grunting, the hard work, the tennis?
@@carrerau7138yes she's aggressive and smooth at the same time. Total professional athlete. It's a travesty that her and Andre's son didn't play tennis. What a forehand
The first tennis player that ive read in the sports section & introduced me to the sport that ive never known at age 12 and became the only tennis player in my mind.
Graf retired only at the age of 30...yet achieved so much...had she played for five more years God knows how many more grand slams she would've added to her tally
Unfortunately, injuries cut her career short, yet she had crammed so much winning in her relatively short career at a pace that no other player could match before or since.
Those slice backhands and piercing forehands of Steffi were also Federer's weapons of Legend. The 2 GOAT's in my eyes. Grace, Poise, Beauty and Elegance on and off the courts...
There is a difference between Graf and Federer though (personality-wise): All of Graf's smiles - while rare - were genuine, but a lot of Federer's smiles - which were anything but rare - were fake and possibly also for the cameras / publicity as well as exhibiting a :squeaky-clean" image lol! 😉😁
@@zen-xv3wg well as a tennis player serena is obviously "better", she could already defeat steffi when she was just 17 years old. But that's because the level improves after every generation. Whether she's "greater" or not is more subjective. Personally I and much of the wider public think she is, but not everyone will agree and that's OK
Those time Steffi (& most of the players) showed how to win a match without screaming and scaring the opponent forced to error. Truly classy and sportsmanship. She deserved each and every single match of 22 slams. 👏👏👏
Except for a strong topspin backhand to create more angles. Imagine her dominance if she had that shot in her bag in addition to that great slice backhand.
@@user-be5qg7mr1s Monica was 4 1/2 years younger than Steffi and the stabbing halted her amazing career as a teen...and beyond. Monica was simply better than Graf. Watch the 93 Aussie Open final. Monica was almost unbeatable and only getting better...serving 7 aces and moving Graf all over the court like a rag doll. Monica beat up Steffi. Steffi could do nothing to stop her dominance over a 2 year span. Sadly, it took an act of violence...and not Steffi to stop Monica.
It's amazing that 20 years later there's still no one close to Steffi imo. With all these new training methods, new rackets, better conditions. GOAT for sure
I think we could have a great rivalry between Graf and Venus. It‘s understandable that Graf retired, but if she would have played in 2000 and 2001, it would be a cool and exciting rivalry. They already played five good matches.
Yes. I grew up watching Steffi, now early fifties I've watched Venus and Serena. It would have been very interesting with the racquet technology and different training styles.
that would be amazing rivalry. It would be fun to see Graf adapt her game to modern day technology. Hell, Wilson would have designed a raquet for her to amplify her game
It is always difficult to get over a tough player like Williams. But Steffi is different in many aspects. She is the most disciplined and talented women tennis player I have ever seen. I am supposed to be one of the lucky people who watched some of her live matches specially the grandslams.
@@blackblake3658 1999 was Venus's 4th best year ever. It was something like Steffi's 12th. Venus at 30 was not even a contender anymore. If 30 year old Graf played 30 year old Venus it would be an easy win for Graf. If 19 year old Graf (who was much better than this Graf) played 19 year old Venus it would also be an easy win.
@@ISN-ir5gw Maybe not 5-6 GS titles... but one or two. Her best shot would have been the 2000 French Open. I believe she could have returned to #1, had she continued to finish 1999. All she needed was like a SF at the USO and maybe 1 more title that she had to defend from 1998. She would not have stayed at #1 for long after that.. maybe a month or 8 weeks or so bc she had 2 titles to defend after the USO. She would have finished 1999 at #4 or even #3, I think.
I would agree up to a point. But the lack of a consistent topspin backhand is an issue. For isntance, Justine Henin won a lot less but I prefer watching Henin. I have seen both live at Wimbledon (Graf and Henin). What's WATP?
What a glorious match by both players. I always thought that this match against Venus and the Graf/McEnroe vs. Venus/Justin as taking just enough out of Graf that she ran out of gas in the singles final against Davenport. Thanks for the memories.
Steffi Graf is really the most beautiful player ever. She has the best forehand ever. She also has the most beautiful slice backhand . She also has the most beautiful figure and posture. A lovely face. Watching her play is really the greatest enjoyment.
With the retirement of Barty,her and Graf, had lovely backhand slice that they used a lot on all the surfaces than most of the players today, and great all court game.
Fabulous match and memories. Steffi really was an unbelievable world-class athlete. As strong as Venus and Serena are, I think Steffi's movement is the best I've ever seen in women's tennis.
It's the combination of natural athleticism and disciplined footwork that makes her the best mover. The Williamses were fast runners but the their footwork was not quite as detailed and balanced as Graf's.
@@roninzero12 She definitely did..especially in Grand Slams and any person who wins 10 grand slams after 30 is hands down the best that has ever done it. I’m an athlete and I can’t believe how I feel an hour on a tennis court being 32
@WhoAmI-tq9um Serena elevated the sport and changed the way the game is played. Even beyond the # of GS her impact on the game is undeniable and unmatched. She’s the Michael Jordan on Tennis. Bill Russell won more Championships than Michael Jordan but stats dont tell the full story. When people talk about the GREATEST ATHLETES of all time regardless of sports Serena Williams is always included. She transcended Tennis is a way that Steffi Graf hasnt.
STEFFI retired about a month after this match. Just proves what playing level she was still at when beating future 5 time Wimbledon champ V. Williams!! She very well could have played very competitively a good 5 more yrs! Perhaps added another 2 or 3 Grand Slams to her record! Amazing!!!
During the five years after this match, Venus peaked, Serena made her presence known like a dragon in the sky, Capriati came back with a loud bang, and the Belgians proved that they are a powerful force to be reckoned with. There is no way that Graf would have been able to overcome all of that, let alone win a slam.
@Illya Kuryakin Capriati showed what she was truly capable of in 2001. The 1999 Capriati is not the same Capriati. The 2001 and so on Capriati is the same Capriati who beat Graf in the Olympics. Even in 2004 French and US Open, Graf would not have a chance because Myskina, Dementieva, and Kuznetsova were all playing godly in those tournaments. Graf wouldn't even stand a chance against Sharapova or Clijsters during this period. And she'd probably sell her soul to the devil just to beat the Williams sisters during the years from 2000-2004. Graf might be able to defeat Henin though. I believe it is possible.
@@reinebautistamercado4286 During 2000-2002 the Williams lost to Coetzer, Dokic, Sanchez-Vicario, Maggie Maleeva (2x), Shaughnessy (2x), Seles (2x), Testud, Capriati (3x) Schnyder, Rubin etc. Almost all Graf contemporaries. I think she would have been competitive and win some big match.
Nobody can deny the longevity of the Williams' sisters. Graf on the other hand accomplished a great career before the age of 30. Great match from both women.
Wimbledon was, by all indications, Venus's favorite tournament and the one she had multiple titles on... This is one reason, in hindsight, why this match between Steffi and Venus stands as the greatest single match between two women...it had everything.
@define crazy Who cares how old they are? Or that they still play on long past their best? Or that they lose a lot now - and early, certainly Venus. They want to play on and Steffi didnt. She still won 22 GSs & the Golden Slam in an era when grass was superfast, racquet heads weren't the size of paddles and court surfaces were all different requiring many more different skills and strategies than the homogeneous styles seen today. This was Wimbledon and Venus is an all-time great on Grass with 5 W titles. Very few players, men or women, have matched that and Wimby was the Slam of all Slams. Venus deserves the accolade.
Graf was a superior athlete, body control, footwork and power are better than today's players. I forgot how gifted she was, she is the greatest women player of all time
Graf retired early because she didn't want to struggle on with increasingly severe injuries & layoffs. She went out at the top. She was so beautiful to watch. The grace of her movement on the court was sublime.
@Ismahim Niazi She covered a lot of ground quickly. Look at the 3rd set run down of the drop shot by Venus. She ran all the way from the opposite corner at the baseline and hit a .... LOB!!!
There are tennis players with more powerful forehands than Steff Graf, but in terms of style, accuracy and consistency, her forehand is still my favourite in the women's game. The way she moved around the court is so unique, she timed her movements so well that she seemed to create extra thinking time for herself to measure up the next shot. Just think 113 people gave this video a thumbs down, obviously numbskulls
I think the Andre Agassi was also a big factor for Graf to decide retiring at the time! After all, she has achieved everything then! So, naturally love, having family were the only things left for her to consider...
Dont underestimate the rise of the Williams sisters. They both beat Steffi in 1999 on at least one occasion (Venus beat her twice). Steffi knew the Williams sisters were going to be difficult to overcome. They were 18 and 19 at that point she knew they were only going to get better....
@@gqnelly back issues were way more of a reason for her to retire early. She said so herself on the very rare occasions she spoke to people. I doubt that she would have blinked an eye when asked about competing against Serena and Venus even up to her mid thirties if she could have stayed healthy. And even with her retirement coming at 31, she still won way more titles and had a better overall record than them. It was just her time to call it quits, thats really it.
@@gqnelly during Steffi's retirement she was ranked no 3 that's means higher than both Williams sisters. In fact at that moment Graf's main rival were Davenport & Hingis.
This was Steffis last great match. She narrowly beat Lucic in the semi final and was way below par in the final. Fitting that Venus would go on to be the next dominant female player at Wimbledon after Steffi. But this match was thrilling. A look at the future of the game but a showcase of Steffis athleticism and all court craftsmanship. Awesome slice back hands and powerful forehands.
@@juandi2570 Early in her career she hit topspin backhands frequently in matches. Such a shame she stuck to the slice and didn't hit the topspin. That could have been a more aggressive shot if she had used it.
@@jaspalcheema1500 Her slice backhand was arguably her biggest weapon though. It skidded off of the court and put players off balance. Monica Seles once said that Graf's slice backhand never got the credit it deserved in terms of how tough it was.
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Steffi was pure class. No grunting and squealing. Style and grace.
Yeha and a good reason why I absolutely hated Seles and Sharapova.
MY FAVORITE FEMALE OLAYER OF ALL TUME. STEFFI GRAFF.
People have accepted these moaning and groaning players, male and female. Since Roger Federer is gone the horrible Alcatraz is the most negative of all with all his attitudes!
@@selini52 "the horrible Alcatraz is the most negative of all with all" wtf?
Word
I can watch Steffi play all day! What a legend! What a treasure RUclips is! Tennis wasn’t the same for me when she retired 😭
absolutely jose..i completely lost interest in tennis after steffi retired..
Me too . Steffi is the best.
I Miss Hingis too and Henin 😖
Same with me. She was such a wonderful, talented and beautiful tennis player to watch. Her elegance is unmatched.
I miss Monica Seles
What a great match. Steffi played so well to beat Venus. Venus matured so much in a year and every aspect of her game improved. Just sad to think this was Steffi's last tournament. What a player and what a champion. Venus as well.
I so dearly miss watching the amazing Steffi playing. She was the most complete player ever. She is truly the greatest.
Yes, Steffi is the GOAT !
Steffi is the classiest and very graceful on court. It is lovely to watch her. No sounds, no dramas, just pure amazing game.
lol, no. She was a sore loser
@louie-I remember when people used to complain about Monica Seles and her grunts but, I guess when the Williams sisters do it, people just automatically forget their white counterparts out there. The Sharapova's, Caroline Garcia, Kerber, and I could go on. But, nope, when it's the Williams sisters, they are the only ones on the court that grunt or make sounds.
@@Chrially2931totalmente de acuerdo 👏
GOAT
Monica Seles says no.
Steffi's slice backhand is really nice to watch. So beautiful.
Great match.... Steffi's footwork is like that of a dancing gazelle. Just epic...she played quick and real tennis. Great match from an up and coming Venus.
If I remember correctly, it wasn’t an epic match as the rally was few and far between. Steffi still stood out in that match considering Venus supposed to be power..and athleticism.
Pretty good considering she wears a size 11 shoe
@@almawalker1432 Because back then Wimbledon still had slick fast grass, not that green stuff they call grass but plays like clay they got now.
Virginia Wade's commentary - restrained, honest, and insightful - was truly world-class!
Yes she was probably the best female commentator of all time.
Watching, I was thinking this is what beneficial commentary sounds like.
So Well said! I thoroughly enjoyed her non-biased commentary!💖 Plus She was also a Legend!
Well said
I suppose we could say that your commentary is excellent also, even if perhaps your audience is smaller (but no less appreciative).
Thanks Wimbledon! Please post more 80s and 90s classic matches! :)
I miss Steffi. Rewatching her matches really shows me how different the game is today. Steffi was superb.
But she was no match for Monica Seles who was ranked #1 before she was stabbed by a Graf fan and had won 8 of the last 12 majors while Graf was on tour and beating Graf over and over again.
No one player was able to do that while Serena and Venus were on tour. Serena had no equal....Graf had plenty.
@@SalHardy pre stabbing 6-4, post stabbing 4-1. Overall 10-5. So I don’t understand your rationale with beating her over and over again. Serena had no equal? Go recheck your facts. Worse still she had people better than her with losing h2h’s to people like Bammer, ASV, Osaka, MJF, Kenin, Bianca, Suarez, Razzano and Rybakina.
Mark9208 i have to ask anybody really. Do see any manly features in Stefi.
@@markdecena4559 There's not a single payer alive who beat Serena 5 times in a "major" tournament.
@@floydknight6944 why is that relevant?
Such a graceful player Steffi was. Powerful yet beautiful.. destructive yet dignified.. athletic yet soft.. She is just unparalleled
perfect description and i second that.
@@ragsvd5382 me too
Everything combines in the forehand. She moves so quickly yet gracefully to get into position & unleashes a missile. it's so often unplayable.
idiot
It is important for an athlete to be beautiful and soft. Like Bjorn Borg.
A classical tennis match from 2 grass court queens. This is the first time that I realized how perfect Steffi's slice backhand could be.
This was without a doubt the best match Steffi played since returning from a long injury layoff in 1998. Steffi proved that she could still compete with the big hitters. Not by overpowering them, but with variety. Which is exactly what her coach instructed her to do.
Sure this was not peak Venus yet. But this was also not peak Steffi. They were both top 10 players though.
Nobody looked more beautiful and graceful on a tennis court. The female equivalent to Federer on the mens side
I'd put the Seles French semi up there too.
Yeah she for sure is female Fed
@@jeremyredding2251 True. That FO semi final against Seles was also a great match.
@@hillaryn1486 Or maybe Fed is a male Graf? She came first after all.
strm627 that is an amazing point!!!!
i am sold. makes so much sense.
V. Williams always ran like gazelle, I love her athleticism. Her poise and grace under pressure was what stood out for me along with her humility and class. Love Ms Williams. Steffi Graff is definitely the GOAT though!
I agree. Graf has more slams across all surfaces and the golden slam...she is the goat
It was the Goat that showed the Gazelle how to win though. LoL
Venus has always seemed to be a much more likable person than her sister. She deserves a lot of recognition for how much she has accomplished with her autoimmune condition.
@@Mzee1084 I agree! I've watched their whole careers,,,Venus just more classy and elegant on court
@@Mzee1084 indeed. Venus is just way more likable than Serena will ever be.
Martina Navratilova has won more Wimbledon titles (9), Chris Evert has won more French Opens (7), Serena Williams has won more US Opens (6), and Margaret Court has won more Australian Opens (11), but the one who has the most balanced record of all time and to date is Steffi Graf with 7 Wimbledons, 6 French Opens, 5 U.S. Opens, and 4 Australian Opens (in effect: 9 hard court slams, 7 grass court slams, and 6 clay court slams).
@Illya Kuryakin No one is with Evert on clay, no one, 94.55 % winning on the surface. Evert is also tops on Hard Court, and Graf is # 4 on grass , behind Navratilova, Williams and Evert.
Seles.
@@BinDABA who never won the title at Wimbledon...
@@tonydecastro6340 Every era featured one great rivalry, until the current one which has so much parity that a great rivalry has yet to materialize. Graf dominated an era where her great rival Seles, was taken out of her competitive prime by an obsessed Graf fan. Until then Seles was beginning to dominate Graf. For me, this unfortunate intervention puts an asterisk next to Graf's GoAT credentials. I am a Graf fan as well, but what I have written above definitely changed two careers, altered tennis history, and has an unspoken impact on this very conversation.
@Illya Kuryakin Illya, let's talk about all-time greats. It's easy to say all-time anything if we gloss over meaningful nuances of actual competition. So let's look a little more insightfully at Graf's era of tennis.
I grew up a fan of Graf, and, saw the emergence of Monica Seles while Graf was in her prime. As Seles's game grew, every Graf fan had a sense of dread that an inevitable wave was coming - like watching Federer evolve past Sampras. It was impossible to deny, so someone decided to intervene, and one of the great tragedies of sports happened.
Until that unfortunate intervention Seles was beginning to dominate Graf with an early version of the modern game. When Graf's fan traumatized Seles by stabbing her during a match and sidelining her career, that fan basically placed a permanent asterisk next to Graf's GoAT credentials. He changed two careers, altered tennis history, and has an unspoken impact on this very conversation.
Steffi Graf, the Lady. Her Tennis and She are unforgetable.
Graf and Monica Seles had the rivalry. Someone actually stabbed Monica in the back, literally.
@@stephenc2481 So? She came back and won a slam after the stabbing.
@@stephenc2481 Steffi 10:5 Seles h2h. And in Wimbledon 2:0 with 24:4 games.
Don’t forget tHat nose of hers. Lmao
@@stephenc2481 Monica Seles was stabbed in GERMANY
Steffi with a reconstructed knee - incredible!
And her doctors said in 1997 she should be glad if she were able to play some recreational tennis now and then after the surgery.
What a woman! 😍
❤ STEFFI GRAF WAS ALSO NINE F-CKING YEARS OLDERS THAN VENUS PENUS WILLIAMS❤🙂😎
@@giffysstiffy8874giffytuck 11
one of the greatest women's matches ever played at wimbledon!!!
@@normankennith7919 Steffi in her peak years had even better performances in Wimbledon.
Look up the 88, 89, 92 finals for instance.
Steffi is the greatest 😊
Steffi Graf IS the GOAT.
She's my favorite player "All-Time"!!
Steffi will always be my favourite player. She was a joy to watch
roly mier yeah im still mesmerized
i would have paid money just to watch her footwork in person, up close! seriously!...
@@tomschmitz5745 yes and me.. Best graceful movement on court.... And those legs....
Yeah. We forget Martina & Monica Seles too.
Steffi was pure class, she had everything.
those beautiful slice backhand & killer forehand from Steffi Graf .. 😍
best combo on grass!
she's the greatest
The disrespect of the slice by 2 handed players n fans no doubt.
Both players move so fast, and hit the ball so flat. This game shows the advantages of both players, the nearly no bounce slice of Graf and the all court cover Venus.
I miss Steffi. Playing like dancing, she's a legend of all time.
Ilham Raymond yes, so graceful and beautiful to watch, just like federer
My favourite Wimbledon match of Steffi's was the 1992 final where Steffi practically demolished Seles (6-2, 6-2), finishing the match with an ace. It was such a sweet revenge for her after losing to Seles a few weeks earlier in that epic (and what I still consider as the greatest) French Open ladies final.
@Illya Kuryakin I'm sorry. Haha
29:42 shows how fast Steffi still was (though she lost that point).
I not think steffi is for me to bad
Steffi the LEGEND !!!! No other words to describe her !
can't love today's women's tennis like this..
Pure athleticism.. No nonsense pure tennis..
Steffi is the graceful ballet dancer on court
Absolutely well said ashwin ji.
Bolitari (sp?) Tennis Academy has made robots out of nearly every player that followed.
She won each grandslam atleast 4 times. Isn't it amazing? Especially the fact that she won FO 6 times and Wimbledon 7 times. Tennis has hardly seen players who are equally dominating on clay and grass. And then year 1988 when she won 4 slams and olympic. Domination at its best.
Osaka has already won two of the four Slams twice and won two Slams in a row twice as well. She is the new dominant force of tennis. Steffi also dominated a weak era whereas Naomi is dominating the strongest era of women’s tennis.
@Max E And your point is? This is the strongest the WTA has ever been and every tennis commentator agrees. There is so much depth in the women’s game right now and more talented players than ever. It has never been more difficult to win a Grand Slam than now because all of the players in the draw are world class athletes compared to the 80s and 90s when housewives played tennis as a country club hobby and there were like 2-3 good athletes like Graff and Navratilova.
Graff and Navratilova couldn’t win a Slam in this era, the game has evolved too much since then.
And she retired at 30, winning 4 out of 10 AO tournaments she played in, 6 out of 16 FO, 7 out of 14 Wimbeldon and 5 out 14 USO. In total she 22 out of the 54 grand slams she entered (40.7%).
@@akizaizinskii crazy talk
@@guntodd Lame
Steffi Graf is an absolute legend!
Steffi's footwork is crazy fast. Always a joy to watch.
When she was young her dad trained her on hot asphalt barefooted. She's fast ever since
@@tyronevaldez-kruger5313is this true … or a joke lol ?
@@t1mech1ldtc60 it's true I still live near the village Brühl
It's really amazing that Graf was playing this well yet still retired only weeks after this match.
Exactly my thought, I always thought Graf was kind of done in her last matches on tour but this shows that even if she was not in her prime and the tour maybe was tougher than a couple of years back, she definitely had good chances of winning more slams had she wanted it.
she was no 2 at tht time ......just recover from injury.
i guess she was tired of injuries, as sportsperson myself i knw how hard it is to make a comeback. u have to scarifies lot, sometimes change ur natural game. Also by thn game started to go faster thn before, so keeping with young players is tough :(
still she was runner up in this tournament nt bad after coming back from injury.
She had another injury the tournament after wimbledon and retired at that tournament.
She made the right decision for her, Connors prime was the70s ,maybe up til 84. After that he still had flashes of great tennis and was always entertaining but he didn't retire because it wasn't right for him.
Her body was at its limits in truth
This is a very very beautiful match, truly vintage stuff!!!
I ve watched n followed Steffi Graf about 15 years, her age of 16 until retirement 31. Never have seen a better player in womens tennis before and after Steffi. With my tennis friends we ve seen all finals from age o 17 Wimbledon until her Final 1999 french open versus Martina Hingis. Everybody thought, especially after first Set for Martina Hingis, Steffi can't win versus this young new tennis princess Martina, faster, younger, aggressive. Steffi had many injuries and Martina has been fit and sportive without end. But, the "old" Lady Steffi, won Set 2 and 3, and so the French open final. I got goosebumps all over my skin after Steffi reached a break in Martina Hingis' Serve game in Set 2. From this moment on, we knew Steffi could beat this young Martina Hingis. And so, she did in an awesome way. Never seen Steffi arguing, crying, shouting, cheating or get in rage. She has been the talent of the century and if she wouldn't have retired that early, she surely would have reached new grand slam record, maybe unreachable for all coming womenen tennis players. Love to see her old matches. We ll never see such a tennis queen like Steffi, playing forehand and backhand one handed with that precision and always in focus, dominating each match.
That backhand slice is really amazing wow
It was an amazing weapon.
She didn’t have a backhand at all... That slice was so annoying....
@@juandi2570 It skidded off of the court and put players off balance. As Seles herself said, Graf's backhand never got the credit it deserved in terms of how tough it was.
gk891, she had a slice...Never a backhand..
@@juandi2570 It's called a slice backhand. A slice backhand is still a backhand.
The reason why this match is so fun to watch for me is the contrast of styles. Venus had power for days, and Graf had to mix up her shots and use her incredible repertoire of shots and slices to nullify that power.
Man to man sort of thing.
Yes but Graf was not short of power either, only her bh wasn´t as powerful , she used her bh conservatively, only apply power when absolutely necesary but her FH was not weaker than any other player of that era and beyound including Venus and Serena.
Hello? Graf had one of the biggest and most powerful forehands in womens tennis history. Also, her serve was a weapon. Only her backhand slice seemed like a defensive shot but was probably more lethal than most of us knew, especially at Wimby where it stayed low and skidded or slid away from opponents.
@@thomasluby1754 I agree she may not have had all-round power but she had the knockout punch with the forehand.
@@franstar1730 Great observation. I agree 100%.
I more than miss her🤔🤔she had always played like a Goddess!!
steffi graf 1988 was dominance. her whole career was a joy to watch.
Watching Steffi vs Venus on grass is like watching Picasso painting. The movement, the touch, the mind, the chemistry is just off the chart. What a brilliant match.
changing of the guard - I would love to see peak graf '95, 96 vs peak williams 2000,2001 battle it out. both had tremendous movement. Graf danced around the court like Ali and venus covered the court with 2 or 3 strides like a gazelle. It would be a great match. Vebus big serve and 1 one two much coming to net to finish point vs graf 4hand and backhand slice
@Illya Kuryakin no
@Illya Kuryakin Only based on the peak level no woman in the history of the game is better than the Williams sisters...They are first and second without a doubt
@@chrisarmelseyibayebek4977 absolutely and categorically no. There is no better player in womens tennis than steffi graf. Golden Slam, 377 weeks at #1, 107 tournament wins, (Serena hasn't even won 100)and yet graf was on tour for 17 years. How long has Serena been playing?
@@genoacity8883 23>22 end of the discussion... Been number one longer will never be a key factor, Wozniacki Jankovic Safina have been number one longer than Venus but they can be compare to Venus so your point is good but not enough
As Venus fan, I would say that Steffi was really joy to watch. Her shots were clean and that forehand tho, certainly one of the best WTA ever had.
Qaa
Waddafaq u mean by Venus fan!!
They didn't call Steffi 'Fraulein Forehand' for nothing! Quite formidable in it's day. 😎🎾🎾🎾🥎🥎🥎
they said there was a slice backhand to power forehand was a nightmare combo.
“One of the best“…? 😀
The backhand slice from Graf is still untouchable.
The spin that Steffi could put on a ball mid-volley was absolutely TERRIFYING. lolol
What an amazing player. And how amazing is Venus that as a newcomer, she was able to keep up and challenge this great! A truly stellar match from two beyond stellar atheletes the WTA has seen.
Hardly a newcomer - she was 19, for context at that age Steffi had won all the Slams and an Olympic gold medal in the same year
@@mohawk393939Venus and Serena never played on the Junior Circuit. Even in their late teens they still had such limited experience compared to many others who accomplished so much as teenagers and then burnt out by their mid twenties.
@@DeepSeas.. Venus held a 63-0 record on the USTA junior tour & was ranked No. 1 among the under-12 players in California, she turned pro at 14yrs old. Serena held a 46-3 record on the USTA junior tour & was ranked No. 1 among under-10 players in Florida. She turned pro, in 1995 at 14yrs old
When your taught with a dunlop max 200g things get more interesting especially with steffi on the end of it
Steffi is the GOAT. Best foot work and fastest mover. So graceful. Treasure to watch.
Next to Serena Williams! Compare stats!
@@nickelwindow538graf is the GOAT!!!!
@@nickelwindow538 moron spotted
Steffi has a beautiful smile. I used to love seeing her ponytail going swish swash during her matches. Lovely memories of childhood and school days.
2 great champions and Steffi was truly special. The only player to achieve the Golden Slam puts her is a category above all others.
retired at 31 too, at the very top tier of greatness.
@@stevennorris7181 Retired two months after her 30th birthday.
Queen Steffi Graf . The greatest tennis player ever
Unquestionable truth.
The greatest after Serena.
Poppycock. Serena Williams ....drop mic
Oyama Dyosiba yes she is
Bailey Lame. Steffi is the GOAT.
How Steffi managed to overcome the sheer power of Venus’s serve and ground strokes is unbelievable
Steffi wasn't a soft hitter either. Her forehand was many times almost unreturnable. Except for that slice backhand of hers
@@tasibho yeah that’s for sure and that monotonous backhand slice kept her in the game……all in all a quite superb player
What a wonderful match; it reminded me of why I was such a huge fan of Graf. When she was fit, both physically and mentally (and she had her fair share of troubles in both aspects over her career), she was basically unbeatable regardless of the type of court (which can't be said about any other player, male or female). She had all the shots in tennis and she executed them exquisitely; both her forehand and, especially, backhand were things of beauty. And she was probably the fastest woman in tennis history; she could probably have medalled in the 100m dash had she taken part in the Olympics! Speaking of speed, I felt the whole match was at 1.5x speed compared to the tennis matches of these days, whether men's or women's, which certainly added to the joy of watching it. And I don't know who was calling the match, but they did a brilliant job. All in all, I enjoyed this gem immensely; thanks for uploading it!
That's true of Federer as well
@@susa4727 Federer was very beatable on clay, and Nadal did it plenty of times. So, no, he's not in the same league of unbeatability as Graf was in her prime.
@@sammyt3514 There is no one Graf ever faced during her career in the womens game who was anywhere close to as dominant on clay as Nadal was in the mens game. If Nadal didn't exist, Federer would have likely won as many FO as Graf (not to mention a lot more GS in total). Context matters. Also Graf was not close to Olympic quality sprinter, hence why she went with tennis. Also straight line speed is not the same as court coverage speed. There were absolutely players who had better court coverage than Graf even during her playing time.
@@dundalis no way, Novak is better Clay court player than Roger.
If Roger is so great then why he never beat Nadal on Clay ? Nole does it twice.
Why Roger loses 3 Wimbledon final to Novak? That's unacceptable for Roger like player.
@@dundalis lol😂😂 Tell me which female tennis player had better court coverage than Graf in 80's & 90's.
I can't find anybody even now who had better footwork than Graf.
Steffi is one of most athletic tennis players I've ever watched. Her leg strength and footwork are stellar.
Athletic but yet so feminine!
@@carrerau7138
Feminine?!?
This is tennis, not a beauty pageant show....lol!
@@magnetmac1 Since the male tennis pros play so much better then their female counterparts the women must display unique qualities in their appearance and game to make me watch.
Steffi Graf, the person and her game always were nice to look at - a feminine elegance while still being supremely athletic.
Why watch a female grunting hard worker like Serena when Rafael Nadal does it all better than her - the grunting, the hard work, the tennis?
BEAUTIFUL LEGS.
@@carrerau7138yes she's aggressive and smooth at the same time. Total professional athlete. It's a travesty that her and Andre's son didn't play tennis. What a forehand
She's the Queen of Tennis. Intense, strong, intelligent and gorgeous. Steffi was my favorite Tennis Player
I wished this was the Finale. It was the best match of the Tournament. Perfect Grass Court Tennis.
Even then Venus was a bad loser
The athleticism of both players is incredible.
Not really..
@@airkuna Really
@@medicinesux1 yes
Venus was not even well, she was not yet diagnosed with Sjegrons, the signs came as early as 1998
@@foundgrace82 sure
The first tennis player that ive read in the sports section & introduced me to the sport that ive never known at age 12 and became the only tennis player in my mind.
Graf retired only at the age of 30...yet achieved so much...had she played for five more years God knows how many more grand slams she would've added to her tally
Unfortunately, injuries cut her career short, yet she had crammed so much winning in her relatively short career at a pace that no other player could match before or since.
@@faithfulsoul5020 vnmvjm:hvhvhvhvhvhvhvhvhvhvhvhvhv(ký ký l(ò kl klokop?h?-uuuhyhmuhhh-jhyhhhyyhhhhhh+mum khuy kìn bùn k
Nada
@@faithfulsoul5020 unacceptable. Apologize.
She started playing professionally at 13 though. that's one heck of a long career. Something similar happened to Sabatini and capriati among others
Stefanie Graf. The best mover of all time. Period.
Those slice backhands and piercing forehands of Steffi were also Federer's weapons of Legend. The 2 GOAT's in my eyes. Grace, Poise, Beauty and Elegance on and off the courts...
There is a difference between Graf and Federer though (personality-wise): All of Graf's smiles - while rare - were genuine, but a lot of Federer's smiles - which were anything but rare - were fake and possibly also for the cameras / publicity as well as exhibiting a :squeaky-clean" image lol! 😉😁
Federer and serena for me
They were the GOATs for a time, but they were both surpassed!
@@econcam8977 serena is definitely not better than Steffi
@@zen-xv3wg well as a tennis player serena is obviously "better", she could already defeat steffi when she was just 17 years old. But that's because the level improves after every generation. Whether she's "greater" or not is more subjective. Personally I and much of the wider public think she is, but not everyone will agree and that's OK
Those time Steffi (& most of the players) showed how to win a match without screaming and scaring the opponent forced to error. Truly classy and sportsmanship. She deserved each and every single match of 22 slams. 👏👏👏
Who are the undeserving slam winners? Don’t all the winners “deserve” it?
@@notknown6605 no, some are cheats and hideous
Graf was always been my idol ❤ i loved her
Steffi is the best ever. Such a joy to watch. Amazing footwork, the forehand, and that slice backhand. Great match by both women.
Stefni personifies the grace,beauty and power of tenis.Emulating her would be the best tribute to this legendary player .
except for POWER
Steffi is the greatest ever womens singles player. Not a question.
Serena Williams!!
Monica Seles!
NO.
Steffi or Martina only!
@@Jadarius9524 No 😂
Venus, although an AMAZING athlete was outclassed in this one. Graf is the GOAT. 377 weeks at #1. Nobody dominated tennis like she did
robby da silva she had no competition when she dominated. Sanchez, novatna, Sabatini, Mary Pierce...
Agree, apart from power she’s actually a very limited player.
@@juaniam4027 so who had the most competition?
@@Mark9208p serena.
@@leemafashion6628 right
The great Steffi Graf how I miss her, the way she moved on court is still unmatched
Listen her pending arrest and investigation - criminal enterprise member I know them I am in there with them
Juliette CAD ?
@@juliettecad3899 FUI
Juliette must be on crack
My favourite tennis player of all time does it again. What a beautiful player and an exceptional woman.
Steffi was a pure athlete, had everything...
Love that one-handed backhand. Totally badass.
"had everything..." Absolutely! And she's got legs!!!
@@crazyharry6018 That's quite a common characteristic among professional tennis players.
@@ApanblodDamn right. But THEM legs!!!
Except for a strong topspin backhand to create more angles. Imagine her dominance if she had that shot in her bag in addition to that great slice backhand.
Graf has 7 Wimbledon titles and Venus has 5. Both are amazing athletes
But Graf is better and more successful.
@@coliwobbles514 true. Venus could never win on clay or rebound ace
@@joeyconvery2055 Steffi still has a winning H2H against Seles. And seles never beat her on grass
@@user-be5qg7mr1s Monica was 4 1/2 years younger than Steffi and the stabbing halted her amazing career as a teen...and beyond.
Monica was simply better than Graf. Watch the 93 Aussie Open final. Monica was almost unbeatable and only getting better...serving 7 aces and moving Graf all over the court like a rag doll.
Monica beat up Steffi. Steffi could do nothing to stop her dominance over a 2 year span.
Sadly, it took an act of violence...and not Steffi to stop Monica.
It was like a final. This was worth watching game. Seles is out here because she never had won on grass. Move on with . It's bet.Graf and Venus'game.
Steffi Graf is an artist 🎨 who created masterpieces ✨.
It's amazing that 20 years later there's still no one close to Steffi imo. With all these new training methods, new rackets, better conditions.
GOAT for sure
No one close? Serena has 23 Slams buddy.
Regulus Arcturus just my opinion. I know Serena is a great player as well. But I just think the way Steffi played was something else.
Regulus Arcturus but graf is retired when she have 30 year
She is a legend but I would not say that no one can compare to her. with each generation the comp gets deeper
Serena does have 23 to steffi's 22 but keep in mind Steffi retired @30 while Serena is still playing @ 38, Steffi is the greatest hands down
I miss steffi so much.... what gace and power at the same time
Steffi coming over her backhand is a rare thing of beauty.
The slice backhand is amazing. Takes the pace off of it with a lot of spin
Steffis smile at the end is EVERYTHING
I think we could have a great rivalry between Graf and Venus. It‘s understandable that Graf retired, but if she would have played in 2000 and 2001, it would be a cool and exciting rivalry. They already played five good matches.
Yes. I grew up watching Steffi, now early fifties I've watched Venus and Serena. It would have been very interesting with the racquet technology and different training styles.
that would be amazing rivalry. It would be fun to see Graf adapt her game to modern day technology. Hell, Wilson would have designed a raquet for her to amplify her game
@@kawai99100 graf slice in the modern day game would drive her opponents crazy
@@user-be5qg7mr1s her slice still drives people crazy😉
It is always difficult to get over a tough player like Williams. But Steffi is different in many aspects. She is the most disciplined and talented women tennis player I have ever seen. I am supposed to be one of the lucky people who watched some of her live matches specially the grandslams.
Very lucky!
Venus was a teenager.
@@blackblake3658 1999 was Venus's 4th best year ever. It was something like Steffi's 12th. Venus at 30 was not even a contender anymore. If 30 year old Graf played 30 year old Venus it would be an easy win for Graf. If 19 year old Graf (who was much better than this Graf) played 19 year old Venus it would also be an easy win.
@@rolandgreen7484 Exactly, she retired at 30 years of age. She could have won 5-6 more grand slams, had she played till 34-35.
@@ISN-ir5gw Maybe not 5-6 GS titles... but one or two. Her best shot would have been the 2000 French Open.
I believe she could have returned to #1, had she continued to finish 1999. All she needed was like a SF at the USO and maybe 1 more title that she had to defend from 1998. She would not have stayed at #1 for long after that.. maybe a month or 8 weeks or so bc she had 2 titles to defend after the USO. She would have finished 1999 at #4 or even #3, I think.
For me Steffi Graf is the icon of tennis- Image of Tennis. That head band, flying forehand or slice backhand pose.
Steffi was one of the most consistance and gorgeus technical players on The WATP , she was sensational.
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I would agree up to a point. But the lack of a consistent topspin backhand is an issue. For isntance, Justine Henin won a lot less but I prefer watching Henin. I have seen both live at Wimbledon (Graf and Henin). What's WATP?
What a glorious match by both players. I always thought that this match against Venus and the Graf/McEnroe vs. Venus/Justin as taking just enough out of Graf that she ran out of gas in the singles final against Davenport. Thanks for the memories.
Steffi Graf is really the most beautiful player ever. She has the best forehand ever.
She also has the most beautiful slice backhand .
She also has the most beautiful figure and posture. A lovely face.
Watching her play is really the greatest enjoyment.
With the retirement of Barty,her and Graf, had lovely backhand slice that they used a lot on all the surfaces than most of the players today, and great all court game.
Fabulous match and memories. Steffi really was an unbelievable world-class athlete. As strong as Venus and Serena are, I think Steffi's movement is the best I've ever seen in women's tennis.
It's the combination of natural athleticism and disciplined footwork that makes her the best mover. The Williamses were fast runners but the their footwork was not quite as detailed and balanced as Graf's.
The only other candidate for the best movement is Kim Clijsters who was speedy, agile, with excellent footwork, plus those amazing slides.
Golden Slam 😉
lol no
@@LuLu-nw6biWilliams were more than strength
Nobody can equal steffi, nobody!!!
Except maybe Monica Seles
@@AmitRoy-qc2itthere will never be another Steffi and she was the greatest of her time but Serena surpassed them both
@@humblebeans5511She didn't
@@roninzero12 She definitely did..especially in Grand Slams and any person who wins 10 grand slams after 30 is hands down the best that has ever done it. I’m an athlete and I can’t believe how I feel an hour on a tennis court being 32
@WhoAmI-tq9um Serena elevated the sport and changed the way the game is played. Even beyond the # of GS her impact on the game is undeniable and unmatched. She’s the Michael Jordan on Tennis. Bill Russell won more Championships than Michael Jordan but stats dont tell the full story. When people talk about the GREATEST ATHLETES of all time regardless of sports Serena Williams is always included. She transcended Tennis is a way that Steffi Graf hasnt.
Classical match in which won the experience. I loved both, expecially the Great Steffi.
STEFFI retired about a month after this match. Just proves what playing level she was still at when beating future 5 time Wimbledon champ V. Williams!! She very well could have played very competitively a good 5 more yrs! Perhaps added another 2 or 3 Grand Slams to her record! Amazing!!!
During the five years after this match, Venus peaked, Serena made her presence known like a dragon in the sky, Capriati came back with a loud bang, and the Belgians proved that they are a powerful force to be reckoned with. There is no way that Graf would have been able to overcome all of that, let alone win a slam.
@Illya Kuryakin Capriati showed what she was truly capable of in 2001. The 1999 Capriati is not the same Capriati. The 2001 and so on Capriati is the same Capriati who beat Graf in the Olympics.
Even in 2004 French and US Open, Graf would not have a chance because Myskina, Dementieva, and Kuznetsova were all playing godly in those tournaments. Graf wouldn't even stand a chance against Sharapova or Clijsters during this period. And she'd probably sell her soul to the devil just to beat the Williams sisters during the years from 2000-2004.
Graf might be able to defeat Henin though. I believe it is possible.
@@reinebautistamercado4286 During 2000-2002 the Williams lost to Coetzer, Dokic, Sanchez-Vicario, Maggie Maleeva (2x), Shaughnessy (2x), Seles (2x), Testud, Capriati (3x) Schnyder, Rubin etc. Almost all Graf contemporaries. I think she would have been competitive and win some big match.
2 or 3?? closer to 5 or 6, she was superior, her footwork and body control were Federer level
Venus was barely 19 years old here. It was clear Steffi's days at the top were numbered at this point. At least she retired on top.
Nobody can deny the longevity of the Williams' sisters. Graf on the other hand accomplished a great career before the age of 30. Great match from both women.
why does longevity have to be seen as a negative thing? So what if Graf had all her accomplishments before the age of 30 ? And ?
These two will go down in history, powerful ladies.
Absolutely. There is only one Steffi Graf. There is only one Venus Williams.
Wimbledon was, by all indications, Venus's favorite tournament and the one she had multiple titles on... This is one reason, in hindsight, why this match between Steffi and Venus stands as the greatest single match between two women...it had everything.
Steffi had it all, the complete game. She was so fast, too.
all forehand no backhand
@@SobersRajakumar Not really true at all. Her backhand was integral to her game
Her shots had class written all over.full of elegance
The level of play these two all-time greats were able to produce through all of those rain delays is INSANE.
@define crazy But Venus has played 16 GS finals. She may not have 22 GS but that doesn't mean that she isn't on of the greatest ever.
@define crazy Oh shut up.
Pitty Venus made too many unforced errors and was struggling with serve in the first set
@define crazy
Who cares how old they are? Or that they still play on long past their best? Or that they lose a lot now - and early, certainly Venus. They want to play on and Steffi didnt. She still won 22 GSs & the Golden Slam in an era when grass was superfast, racquet heads weren't the size of paddles and court surfaces were all different requiring many more different skills and strategies than the homogeneous styles seen today.
This was Wimbledon and Venus is an all-time great on Grass with 5 W titles. Very few players, men or women, have matched that and Wimby was the Slam of all Slams. Venus deserves the accolade.
Graf was a superior athlete, body control, footwork and power are better than today's players. I forgot how gifted she was, she is the greatest women player of all time
Graf retired early because she didn't want to struggle on with increasingly severe injuries & layoffs. She went out at the top. She was so beautiful to watch. The grace of her movement on the court was sublime.
@Ismahim Niazi She covered a lot of ground quickly. Look at the 3rd set run down of the drop shot by Venus. She ran all the way from the opposite corner at the baseline and hit a .... LOB!!!
Lmao😂 okay
@@notknown6605yes she's better than current players
Two of the best grass court movers in all of tennis. Bring back fast courts!!! Look at what these two did. This was fast court grass heaven!
There are tennis players with more powerful forehands than Steff Graf, but in terms of style, accuracy and consistency, her forehand is still my favourite in the women's game. The way she moved around the court is so unique, she timed her movements so well that she seemed to create extra thinking time for herself to measure up the next shot. Just think 113 people gave this video a thumbs down, obviously numbskulls
This is much more enjoyable to watch than modern women's tennis.
Why?
No, becouse we have Iga Świątek!
@@dididubalier2196 I agree. Everyone today plays the same style, and it's all ball bashing, without tactical play.
With Steffi Graf, Tennis was more than a sport. It was art of dance with a racket. Love her play forever.
Steffi Graf and Stefan Edberg were the 2 players whom made tennis, pure theatre 🎭
I think the Andre Agassi was also a big factor for Graf to decide retiring at the time! After all, she has achieved everything then! So, naturally love, having family were the only things left for her to consider...
Dont underestimate the rise of the Williams sisters. They both beat Steffi in 1999 on at least one occasion (Venus beat her twice). Steffi knew the Williams sisters were going to be difficult to overcome. They were 18 and 19 at that point she knew they were only going to get better....
@@gqnelly back issues were way more of a reason for her to retire early. She said so herself on the very rare occasions she spoke to people. I doubt that she would have blinked an eye when asked about competing against Serena and Venus even up to her mid thirties if she could have stayed healthy. And even with her retirement coming at 31, she still won way more titles and had a better overall record than them. It was just her time to call it quits, thats really it.
@@gqnelly during Steffi's retirement she was ranked no 3 that's means higher than both Williams sisters. In fact at that moment Graf's main rival were Davenport & Hingis.
That slice backhand of Steffi's is the best in all of tennis.
Two of my all time favorites and this includes Serena and Martina N.
Virginia Wade is by far the best commentator I've listen to!
I often wonder who she thinks is the GOAT.
She is leaps and bounds above all commentators!
Steffi: poetry in motion......!
Well spoken !!
Steffi is the best WTA player of all times
There are no one even close to her.
@@sujanyadebnath4622 Serena Williams and Martina Navratilova say otherwise.
@@sujanyadebnath4622 Pre-stabbed Monica Seles.
@GoTeam 12 out 170 matches is insanely good.
This was Steffis last great match. She narrowly beat Lucic in the semi final and was way below par in the final. Fitting that Venus would go on to be the next dominant female player at Wimbledon after Steffi. But this match was thrilling. A look at the future of the game but a showcase of Steffis athleticism and all court craftsmanship. Awesome slice back hands and powerful forehands.
Her weak side was the backhand.... If she had had a good backhand, she would’ve been invincible...
@@juandi2570 Early in her career she hit topspin backhands frequently in matches. Such a shame she stuck to the slice and didn't hit the topspin. That could have been a more aggressive shot if she had used it.
@@jaspalcheema1500 Her slice backhand was arguably her biggest weapon though. It skidded off of the court and put players off balance. Monica Seles once said that Graf's slice backhand never got the credit it deserved in terms of how tough it was.
Davenport pressured her slice to no end in the final. Steffi was capable of hitting over her backhand she was just stuck in her ways with the slice
@@gk891 and on grass it was a weapon...
This gorgeous smile of Steffi´s after having won the match. Relief and - modestly kept - pride. Kudos to Venus as well!
24:24 CLASSIC STEFFI GRAF
My all time favorite ... Steffi Graf. Way to go!
That slice backhand is pure art.
This slice though from Steffi...i love it.
Steffi, a melhor tenista da história.
All the way buddy when she finished it all became boom boom with this one n sister game over no finesse no nothing bye-bye