Steffi Graf vs MJ Fernandez Wimbledon 1995 QF
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- Опубликовано: 10 ноя 2023
- At Last in 1995
Mary Joe played superb tennis in the first set, winning many points by pushing Steffi into the long rallies. The second set was a completely different league. The Steffi League.
Steffi ♥
Enjoy! 
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The quality of women tennis in this era was simply better.
I certainly have my issues with the Graf legacy, but her footwork was the best of any woman or man I've ever seen play the game. Those quick adjustment steps just cannot be done any better.
I don’t think she ever looked sloppy in her footwork her entire career. That’s a sensational achievement
Steffi and Justine Henin....women's tennis is missing that elegant, beautiful game nowadays!
Steffi, Juju, Roger!
😍😍😍
I love the Steffi from 95 and 96 as well as 88 and 89 however for me in 95 and 96 when she was on. Her big serve working that forehand on fire and her slice moving her opponent all over that court. She was a thing of beauty to behold add the way she moved so fast yet graceful. In my humble opinion if Steffi was on her big serve working to put opponents on defense from the first shot. Her slice which stayed so low moving you all around her forehand pinning you to the baseline and if she could keep her errors low she was a force of nature that could blow you away. 😊😊😊
Imagine if in 97/98 luck had been on her side and she was not injured. Imagine what she could have achieved in those two years.
@@markjames1127 Imagine injuries would play no role in tennis.
Meaning all players were able to play full careers from age 15 to 35 without injuries and especially without premature career endings caused by injuries.
I think that then Steffi's lead in the slam count would be monumental (despite her nasty family scandals).
Who would have stopped her from 1987 to 2004?
@@carrerau7138 yes indeed, Steffi is truly a phenomenal player. Her movement and ability to hit those shots from all corners is just a beautiful sight. Hingis and Davenport would not have a chance.
I love to see whe steffi levitate herself in the air then hit her big powerful forehand..i dont see that with any other players
11:54 stunning topspin backhand by Steff
Those legs and that footwork! 😍
Yes Steffi always had the most beautiful legs ❤
@@francinezane4076 For me the question has always been - were her legs so beautiful because her footwork was so great or was her footwork so great because her legs were so beautiful?
Or was it only coincidence, no causation whatsoever?
I remember Steffi saying that was the best tennis she ever played. After 2 all in the 1st set she just steamrolled Mary Joe ❤️❤️❤️
Yes it was lovely to watch ❤❤❤
Amazing athleticism, power & grace from Steffi. Frankly drop that Steffi in Wimbledon 2023, she gonna win the title.
She would have her ass kicked in round 1
😂 sure...
@@yussepig6629 who will kicked her ass ?? Marketa & Jabeur 😂😂
Grace... I don't see that
@@rajusaha855lmao
Love these older matches ; Steffi is Steffi - but impressed with MJ Fernandez s all around game too
She had a very nice single hand backhand slice - clean crisp volleys from both sides and good smarts for grass ; many of the skills today's top woman don't have
Bit like Chris Evert with no teeth
I still recall that particular backhand that MJ Fernandez hit at 1:50.
As good as Mary Joe was, she didn’t hit a heavy enough ball to hurt the top players. She was the whipping girl of the WTA during that era in tennis.
Her manager, Ion Triac, always used to say that she really should have been using a heavier racquet. The lighter ones she used robbed her serve and groundstrokes of power.
MJF had match point against Seles in the 91 AO semis but lost (Seles went on to win the title).
It's a curious thing that Mary Jo never got a single win against Graf even though their career spans were pretty much parallel. I mean sure, there was a considerable difference between the two in what they brought to the court, but still you'd expect someone as competent all-round and experienced at the top level to have beaten Steffi at least once. She did come close a few times, including in their last meeting in the Australian Open of 1999 (the final season for both of them) and most notably in the final of the French Open, where she had the win within her grasp and lost it.
Steffi was asked in around 1996 why she has such a lopsided head to head against a player as good as Mary Jo Fernandez. She said something to the effect that although she was aggressive, she just felt so comfortable in going for her shots against her. I think you really see that in this match, especially from 3 all in the first set.
I agree with you, but I think it’s pretty easy to explain. MJF didn’t have any of the skills that seemed to bother Graf. She was an ok volleyer but not a great one. She wasn’t overwhelmingly powerful. She was just a mediocre mover. She was steady but didn’t the spin and movement of a Sanchez or Coetzer. I just think this type of match up didn’t phase her at all. See also: the Maleeva sisters.
@@FlabbyTitmuss Well clearly something was working in Steffi's favour 😀 But c'mon, just one win would have been a fair justification of Mary Jo's ability...and she did come close. She was more aggressive and creative than the Maleeva sisters. But yeah, wasn't to be. She once said Steffi's great strength wasn't so much her forehand, or even her backhand or serve, it was her footwork to be able to set up her shots, especially the forehand. It was an interesting insight into the hell it must have been playing Steffi Graf.
Haha. Fair enough. At least one win would’ve been a nice feather in MJF’s cap. But her overall record vs the greats (Navratilova, Evert, Graf, Seles, even Hingis) is hideous so not sure how realistic that was. It was kind of like when Serena was beating Sharapova 2 billion times in a row…sure, Serena was the better player and did everything better, but one win mixed in there would’ve been expected, and good for the tour too.
@@FlabbyTitmuss yes true. Mary Jo had a respectable record against players like Sabatini or ASV or Novotna, but it seemed like Steffi or Monica were that bit too good. She could play some great tennis against them but sort of lose her way as the match wore on. I don't think she believed in herself against either of them enough. But that's how it was...
I'm glad she never beat Steffi especially after reading these comments. That comment from MJ about it just being Steffis speed and not her amazing forehand and deadly slice is what helped her win is just plain ignorant. I mean from everything i've heard about Mary Jo Fernandez she is a sweet person however she is wrong ! Yes Steffis movement and speed are one of her weapons. However what a dumb statement by MJ. So i guess that 6-0 second set was all about Steffis speed 😂😂😂😂 when Steffis serve which was a weapon and won her many free points as many commentators pointed out. And her big forehand were on point and she kept her errors low she was extremely hard to beat.
Good Fernandez in the first set. Graf unplayable in the second.
Btw I think Mary Jo’s big chances were clay season 93, and the AO 99. But C’est la vie.
Agreed. I’d also say the AO in 1991 was a huge opportunity lost. She had match point against Monica in the semis with Novotna waiting in the final. She missed a routine backhand and played the point passively. She beat Monica 6-0 in the second set by playing very aggressively, and she continued until she was in a winning position. We all know Jana did not claim a slam until 1998 and was a late bloomer whose nerves betrayed her. MJ would have had a huge chance vs Jana had she won that one point. On the other hand, Monica would go on a tear winning 7 of 8 slams she entered. I feel that was a pivotal match for both.
I love this racquet Steffi has. Was this the largest head size she ever used?
MJF was an excellent player with technically rock solid strokes and lovely timing. She just lacked that extra weaponry needed to enter that elite bracket.
It was the Wilson pro staff classic 7.0 racket with 95 head size. Always wished I could get 1 of those
@@riaanbehr7976I had one and I loved it. I used to try to initiate her strokes too
the famous steffi graf white racket. by 96 she was playing with a different racket already tho. that navy wilson.
@@riaanbehr7976I think the bespoke version she used had a somewhat smaller head than 95. One of her Wilson racquets is detailed online in the tennis hall of fame as having an 85 sized head - the same as her old Dunlop racquet. As so often, the version the pros used was substantially different to the ones sold to the public.
@@fuckurbodyalways difficult to know if the version the pros use was actually different. So often, when the racquet companies want to launch a new racquet, they just respray the pros' existing racquets and get them to pretend they're using the new one to assist with marketing. Certainly, the Wilson racquets Steffi used were bespoke ones and nothing like the ones sold to the public.
The video seems like it sped up a bit?
😀 That's just Steffi. That woman was said to do everything fast. She liked to finish matches fast, she did press conferences fast, she walked fast, she certainly ran fast, and I can imagine things like eating, sleeping and even general chit chat were all business and, well, fast! Steffi was a fast woman. You've actually touched on something as I think someone as steady as Mary Jo probably felt a bit rushed by her.
The grass somewhat faster in those days. The weather was also warm, which makes the ball fly faster through the air, and the grass was baked hard making it even faster.