Their rivalry became during the semifinal of Roland Garros '89 and it finished during the semifinale of Roland Garros ten years later. Thanks Steffi and Monica for the emotions you have given us.
@@netfun8087Thank you for compliment. You are very sensitive too. The matches beetween Steffi&Monica were only 15, but among the most beautiful and intense in history. These two champions will remain in the heart of all fans of this sport.
These two tennis legends represent my childhood/adolescence, I'll never forget the good time spent in front of the TV watching their rivalry. I love them both, amazing athletes who shaped tennis in their time
Aaron Wilkins Seles also did herself no favors by secretly binge-eating during this time. Her weight ballooned and she lost matches she shouldn't have. She admitted it in her book.
This is tennis! Legends! Steffi footwork was out of this world. So graceful and fast. Seles's return was so early and with laser-like precision. Miss them both.
Graf here was more athletic than final FO 1992. She move faster, hit the forehand and serves harder, slice also deeper and all hits were flatter. Seles also hits the ball harder and precision. The key point for Graf in the 9th game of the 3rd set. She broke Seles serve and more confident in the 10th game.
@@enjangyusuf2ndchannel468 I think they both could hit as hard in 92 as they did in 99 but graf had stated it was a ploy to throw off monica as she loved pace..I think the biggest differecne is seles return was much better in 92 andshe moved a ton faster than in 99
If you just look at Steffi's footwork.... It's out of the world.... The fact she move beautifully from 1st to last point.... Her fitness and footwork, no one in women tennis nowadays can match
@@danielgeorgetheoneandonly Hardly. She couldn't even take a game off of Swiatek in the 2nd set of the Miami final, and ate a huge bagel. And this is clay, Naomi Osaka's worst surface. She's not much better on grass, either. She'll never win Wimbledon.
@@danielgeorgetheoneandonly What a weird statement?! Steffi Graf dominated women's tennis for years, yet you think *lol*, Naomi Osaka would take her apart? Get a grip.
Steffi Graf really changed my life- we loved tennis watching her with my sisters and learned playing and we still play almost everyday keeps us healthy and active; made it a lifestyle. But it all started watching her those years. We loved those slice backhands.
Steffi Graf, the tennis player that just plays with so much grace on court. It's wonderful to watch her! It's like how tennis should be! Steffi got me into tennis when I first watched her win the Australian Open in 1994, I knew I had to follow her. She was already playing pro for almost a decade then. When I started playing tennis, her movements on court was simply the golden standard for me. It was hard to follow her footwork, but damn you learn so much from watching her. She was called "Fraulein Forehand" because of her beautiful and powerful forehand shots.
I believe to have read somewhere that Seles admitted that much, how the slice backhand of Graf's was an underrated shot. Hingis also said something along those lines.
I was always a die-hard Steffi fan during their playing years. Only after they both retired and rewatching all 15 matches these 2 legends played against each other could i appreciate how good both of them were. (it even made me a Seles fan after Graf retired). Nomatter which tournament or round they played against each other, they always brought the best out of each other. The tennis world will forever miss these 2 legends!!
I'm a huge Seles fan, but my oh my...Graf dances over the court like a gazelle...impressive! Really miss the matches of those days. Thanks for uploading!
I used to be a huge Graf fan in the 80s (I was very young), but now, over 30y later, I really like Seles as a tennis player and I appreciate her much above all as a person. And yes, Graf's movement on court is so impressive.
Illya Kuryakin I don't think Steffi had Something to do with the stabbing. I don't Like the crieing of seles. Do you think Steffi had Something to do with the stabbing?
Monica Seles is a player I can watch forever, what a great lady, great champion and the first and possibly only player that could ever truly threaten Graf
@Illya Kuryakin lol steffi has said herself Monica was better than her in her own prime and her toughest puzzle to figure out,, parche i guess figured it out,,sorry truth hurts i know
What a match highlights! it must have been a great match! Great Steffi Graf! impressive, when Djokovic shouts looks like Seles and Seles had a great return as Djokovic too! and both are from the former Yugoslavia!
@Illya Kuryakin Oh look at the imbecile! Saying Graf's peak was at '88 when in '86 Graf have already defeated Navratilova. They're even at 9-9 H2H overall. On the other hand, Navratilova defeated Seles their first three matches: two in '89 and 1 in '90. Yes, 1990 where Seles won her first Grand Slam. Their overall H2H count is 9-7 in favor of Monica, of course. Look at you shameless poodle, saying those non-sense to favor Graf and diminish Seles. And you never get tired of that crappy blackmail scandal, do you? The scandal which according to you, started in 1990 resulting in Graf's "slump." But RIGHT AFTER the Seles' stabbing, Graf "MIRACULOUSLY REGAINED" her confidence & composure, won the three remaining Slams of 1993 and regained the #1 ranking. Gunther Parsche healed Steffi! LOL! Btw, we never really saw the peak Seles - thanks to your brother Gunther Parsche! So again, what the fucking lie are you spreading??
@Illya Kuryakin And then there are people who say Serena's power was early 2000. Seriously. Steffi's peak was late 80s and after the stabbing. Period. Oh wait a sec. In between those years, Steffi was supposed to peak as well but was interrupted by Seles & not that blackmail bullshit. Graf was supposed to dominate women's tennis late 80s until mid '90s. Seles on the other hand, can be said to peak early 90s when she dethroned Graf as the best player. As I said, we never saw the full potential of Seles despite the fact she ruled women's tennis early 90s. Graf may get the hang of Seles' game without the stabbing which may result in 1-2 victories against Seles in GS. But Seles was improving as hell and has lots of room for improvement compared to Graf. It showed in Seles' early 2000 matches. It was her fitness which hindered her from doing so. She was bullimic due to depression. Her depression may have gone away but her eating disorder didn't. Dear, whatever stat you showed, Seles was supposed to catch up Graf's GS titles whether you agree or not. You're a typical delusional & in-denial Graf fan. Seriously.
@Illya Kuryakin Ok, I stand corrected. Whether it's bullimic or BED, she still gained weight which got in the way of her mobility. She was one of a kind. And yeah, I believe without the stabbing, Graf's GS would be 15 or 16, below Navratilova & Evert. Seles would have won 8-10 more: either one higher/lower than Navratilova or equal. But then again, thanks to your brother Parsche who got what he wanted.
Steffi of 1999 is capable of beating most of the top ten players of today. She is such a complete player, that sliced backhand and quick forehand are so rare these days it would have been a great weapon regardless of who she faced across the net.
TeamUSASportsFan Their H2H is 1-1. Serena at her best vs Steffi at her best? When Serena is serving and moving well, she’s extremely difficult to beat regardless of opponent. Pile on the pressure however and she is easily mentally broken and will quickly lose her composure, rendering her half a player that’s relatively easily dismantled.
Weird comment. She was word no. 3 and won FO and reached Wimbledon final in 99 just before she retired so she would had the upper hand against any lady of current era seeing the quality of tennis in WTA circuit.
TeamUSASportsFan a female vs monster.. not a good comparison. Serena is supremely skillful but her exceptional records are also due to his manly power a woman hardly can over come.
I don't think so. Take a look at all sports. There have been many athletes who have been great for a few years, but then their talents lessen. It happens to many and Seles was no exception. The minute cut to her back was meaningless and if any mental damage was done to her because of it, then all tennis players would have felt the same unease about their surroundings. Then again, we can also say had Steffi not gone through her ordeal regarding her father, then a few years later major knee problems, that she was robbed of many more slams and titles because of it.
@@markuse3472 Exactly, well said. Astonishing to think what else Steffi could have won, considering she retired at the ridiculously young age of 30. Serena Williams has won one more grand slam than Steffi, which has taken her 10 more years, to achieve that feat...
@@markuse3472 Did you say Minute? Are you crazy. That fool tried to kill her and almost did and if you think a tennis player being stabbed on court means nothing then I guess people attacking the capital in D.C. was just a stroll in the park like they are tying to say. That was an outrageous crime and of course that changed the way EVERYONE did business in tennis after that an Monica was deprived of have a stellar career. She had graf's number beating her at will at that point and everyone knows it. You sound so stupid on here.
@@Logans3Run Well said my ass. it must have driven you people crazy when a person of color surpassed Graf for the most grand slams won in a tennis career. You all sound crazy. Graf was so embarrassed by the attack on Seles that she did not want to even hold interviews on the matter and Seles was so gracious not blaming graf at all for it was not her fault that a crazy person like you two sound tried to kill Seles.
The day she retired from tennis i cried like a baby for 2 days. For me there ll be' none like her. Before she turned21 she won more than 40 tournments played 13 Slam finals in a row and made grand slam. Only godness can do that. Serena does not worth a hair of her.
absolutely well said dear..i cried like hell..AUGUST the 13TH 1999..the day STEFFI GRAF RETIRED..the CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS..none before her and none after her..
I didn‘t cry, I watched Steffi videos all night long. And I knew with utmost certainty that I would never see such an elegant, graceful and lovely woman tennis player again in my lifetime. And that made me sad.
2 absolutley superb players who in both took the game to another level post Chris and Martina era They paved the way for the next generation, we should celebrate them both for their superb skills and the joy their matches provided French 92, US 95 superb tennis
This match is very typical for Seles' "second" career. She could still hit hard but she was much heavier and slower and therefore had trouble changing direction. It's kinda amazing that she was still a top player even though she played being pretty much out of shape after the stabbing. Before the stabbing she could run down drop shots and Steffi's inside out forehand. Here she is in trouble as soon as Steffi hits a deep shot that forces her to move away from the middle of the court.
Serena is in much worse shape than Seles here and is still dominant and winning slams in her mid to late 30s. Then again Seles is not a great of Serena level.
@@rolandgreen7484 Very selective bitch. Seles herself said that her level of game is different when it comes to GS. May I remind you, between 91 & 93 during which Monica was Number 1, what's the GS H2H between Seles & Graf?????
quelle classe, quel professionnalisme cette steffi graf. Toutes les joueuses de tennis devraient venir sur youtube voir comment cette joueuse s' est comportée sur le court en ayant gagné autant de tournois en respectant les arbitres, les joueuses. Ayant été ramasseur à son époque, je n' oublierai jamais sa gentillesse
I can think of a few rivalries since then- Hingis vs Williams sisters Clijsters vs Henin Serena vs Henin Capriati vs Serena All those rivalries fizzled out by the mid 2000s until Clijsters/Henin made their comebacks. Now the game is quite boring 😔
Eri, Mostly true but she got extra help from her countryman and her country. Steffi never mentioned why she won after that Germanic nationalistic incident. Poor Monica! Let's put it this way, if Steffi is the best, then Monica should be ranked one higher than Steffi.
@@andreanicolas9363 Not this match. Steffi won this FO match fair and square. It is the victories after the stabbing perhaps orchestrated by an ultraright German political entity with 100% approval from the German government. Those victories should have a Monica Seles * next to them.
@@juanantonioperez8918: I agree Steffi is the GOAT with you except in one thing, Steffi Graf could do everything in tennis courts and she did, 107 WTA tennis titles, including 22 Grand Slam is her answer for that, if Seles was fat and out the form that isn't Steffi problem!! No excuses for anybody no excuses for Seles loss
All the years of watching steffi play. She never seemed to get tired out. Woman of steel. When she lost she was out played, never because she ran out of gas.
I think there's only one occasion when she ran out of gas - that was the 1989 french open final, under very unique circumstances. She'd been ill with food poisoning and also admitted later that towards the end she was really affected by menstrual cramp.
Two absolute legends and champions on court..I was always a Steffi fan but my respect for Monica Seles increased manifold after the tragedy and her brave comeback..what a match..and although Steffi won it but it was not a foregone conclusion by any chance..the power of the groundstrokes of both players was unbelievable..I really miss those days when we could see players of this calibre face off and produce such classics.
She was 30 and top of her game after winning FO and being runner up in Wimbledon when she retired, how many she would have more won had she played few years more.
@ST 23 Without the Williams's screaming and howling, intellect takes a handful of their earlier titles away, each. They were coached, instructed to scream for the only purpose to annoy and distract their apposition. Every announcer or critic or sports commentator are afraid to speak the Truth just because they are African American.
@ST 23 May I ask you a question: Are you stupid or just pretending to be very stupid? Just a question. Moving on, in human terms, "pure" or any other word as that are within REASON. Grow a brain.
@ST 23 The Williams did not win any of the Australian Opens until 2003. Not saying Steffi could or could not have won more slams but it is not since the Williams had all the non clay slams on lock after summer 99.
Graf had 6 GS titles at 19. (1987 FO, 1988 AO, 1988 FO, 1988 W, 1988 USO, 1989 AO) (she lost the 1987 W, 1987 USO, 1989 FO) She reached all GS singles finals in the season 1988 and 1989 (and post Seles also in 1993).
I just love to watch Steffi’s footwork, how she slides in to her shots and especially that inside forehand!i was watching their final from 92 and Steffi was definitely hitting her forehand harder since then. For me, she will always be the GOAT❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
@@broncoguy4862 I know. I was being sarcastic. How can people put her in the Goat conversation if she only reached once the Wimbledon final and was destroyed.
@@helderbento7991 well is the criteria to be the "Greatest of all time" based on how many Wimbledon titles a player wins? If not then Seles definately falls within the top 10 female tennis players in history. Of course Graf easily gets into top 5.
C' est pas demain la veille qu' on verra une joueuse avec toutes les qualités de graf ( jeu de jambes, physique, mental, coup droit, régularité, humilité...). Une véritable artiste!
I have seen her playing when she was 15 at the Nashua Tennisgala in Den Bosch when she plays against Hana Mandlikova. In all these years i have never seen a female tennis player with the footwork of Steffi , absolutly amazing
A good match but I agree that Monica's weight issues and poor movement took so much away from her game post Hamburg, especially because - being double handed on both sides - she's already restricted. I think she was actually fitter/faster at the 1998 French Open, but she wasn't able to maintain those improvements into the '99 season.
Common. It's clear here that Graf has already mastered Seles' style. Monica could no longer expand her game, except by becoming a monstrous, power player like Serena.
@@FloridaIndependent seles greatest strength was her mental strength she still had it after Hamburg but not at the same level. she stayed in the top 5 while at times 30 pounds over weight that says a lot for her other intangibles
Steffi Graf will always be a legendary standard for women’s tennis. She is the first and only tennis player (male or female) to achieve the Golden Slam by winning all four Grand Slam singles titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same calendar year.
Charto74; please don't forget their Wimbledon final at1991 and by the way that was before stabbing + Steffi has achieved her Golden Slam during 1988 while your Seles was still learning how to play tennis. Go somewhere and cry.
Ahmed Abdullah And don't forget Seles took number one spot in March 1991 from Graf and won 8 Grand Slams out of 9 finals from 1990-1993 plus winning WTA Championship 1990-1992, all before she complete her teenage. A remarkable accomplishments shattered by Graf's pawn because Graf and Germany Tennis Confederation Couldn't accept someone so young winning so much and mad Graf look like a newbie. Did it ever occur to you that with Seles out of the picture in 1993, Graf suddenly reigned again as number one and winning a lot. Something that she achieved between 1987-1990 before Seles entered tennis world. Everybody can see it even Billie Jean King herself admit it, but YOU, Graf's pawn blissfully ignore the fact that Graf's accomplishments benefited from Gunther's action. Now go suck Gunther's dick in Germany. Go!
The way Graf would move to the inside out forehand to create those brutal angles is perhaps one of this sports most memorable weapon. Federer would employ it too with the same precision and brutal effectiveness. Unstoppable!
Graf is the only female tennis player who are arranging her game and not in a hurry to hit a winner . That's why she has amazing footwork as if she is dancing in every game .
This match simply reminds me how many glorious matches tennis fans were robbed of in a rivalry that had the potential to be the greatest between these two magnificent ball strikers.
Que distinta hubiese sido la historia de Steffi si no hubiesen apuñalado a Mónica, solo la mejor condición física de Graf después del incidente podía con Seles porque Mónica es mejor que Graf de lejos
@@davidcarrasco8533 En el mejor momento de la carrera de Mónica, cuando ella se decidió a dedicarle el 100% al tenis ya casi para cumplir apenas sus 20 años y siendo la número 1 de ranking, todo servido para reinar los próximos 10 años por lo menos y para su desgracia la apuñalan y se pierde dos años por trauma psicológico, luego regresa ya sin la destreza q tenía y un par de año facelle su papá y su carrera fue en picada, nunca fue la misma. Le truncaron su carrera totalmente.
Graf was a mixture of Federer and Nadal in women´s tennis, at first one might think her gamestyle is more like Federer because of her OHBH but a closer look reveals she has so much of Nadal too, her rituals (except for the grunting lol), her tenacity to play until the last point of the match with so much confidence (even in her slump years and Seles peak she was losing to Seles in very tight matches) and her extraordinary defense placing unbelieveable shots on the run coming from the other corner of the court. Women´s tennis has noone like her these days
@@bearfoot007 Did you ever see Graf playing? by your statment it´s evident you didn´t. Graf used her BH much smarter than many semm to credit, if not forced she sliced her BH to keep the ball low and deep and thus limiting a lot the opponent´s aggrestion, if not inducing an error, it also helped her to desguise drop shots which she also used a lot with the BH. But when she was near the net, when she had to hit a passing or when the court was open, she didn´t hesitate to use a quick BH top spin and she almost certainly hit a winner when she did, it wasn´t faulty she just chose not to use it unless it was necesary, having that huge FH and a lot of footwork and court speed it would not have been wise to put more pace on the BH, specially in tennis when quick responses and decisions are needed
To provide perspective on my 'controversial' statement I did watch a lot of Graf in the 80s and 90s. Of course after the initial euphoria of the Golden Slam in 1988 she did get tested by Seles (until the knife attack in 93) and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario. The weapons she had - quick footwork, huge forehand, strong serve - were already enough to guarantee her legend status. But the one area I felt she fell short (hence Achilles heel) was being predictable on the backhand (and by this I mean not being able to hit the ball past the opponent with power from the back of the court). As a Steffi fan the gruelling encounters with Seles and especially Sanchez-Vicario were painful to watch as one could see the clear strategy from the other side of the court - put the ball deep into the backhand court and wait for an opening. One should realize I was replying to the original post where Steffi is compared to Federer. One thing is for sure, however strong the merits of the backhand slice may be, and Federer is as adept at it as anyone, one will not have to wait a couple of hours to see Roger unfurl his majestic backhand top spin when needed. I could never say the same about Steffi!
both are simply the best female tennis player of all time....not to say that serena is out of that category...really missed the way graf n seles play...amazingly beautiful tennis...serena off course another the best in her own way n style...
It's funny how some of the comments under this video say that Graf would have been destroyed by "any low ranked girl." Just a reminder that Graf won 22 GS singles titles from age 17 - 29. 1987 - FO - 17 1988 - AO - 18 1988 - FO - 18 1988 - W - 19 1988 - USO - 19 1989 - AO - 19 1989 - W - 20 1989 - USO - 20 1990 - AO - 20 1991 - W - 22 1992 - W - 23 1993 - FO - 23 1993 - W - 24 1993 - USO - 24 1994 - AO - 24 1995 - FO - 25 1995 - W - 26 1995 - USO - 26 1996 - FO - 26 1996 - W - 27 1996 - USO - 27 1999 - FO - 29 Between June 1997 - February 1998 she was out with a knee injury. 1995 and 1996 she missed the first 3-4 months of the season bc of a back injury. What a fighter.
@@sampra0359pencapaian 22 gelar steffi dicapai dlm rentan waktu yg lebih pendek karena gantung raket lebih cepat, sementara serena sampai diumurnya yg sekarang klo tdk salah masuk 38 masih main itupun blm menambah gelar grandslam yg dimilikinya dan spertinya tdk akan bertambah lgi, dan dari segi keindahan permainan steffi graf masih jauh lebih bsik diliatnya
@@bayusetiadi7434 Di jaman steffi graf persaingan tidak terlalu ketat, rival terberat graf hanya monica seles dan martatilova. Sedangkan Serena ada Hingis, Davenport, Venus, Sharapova, Clisjster, Henin. Dan di usia Serena yg sudah tidak muda, sdh menikah dan punya anak masih saja bisa bersaing dg petenis muda dan itu harus diakui. Serena masih menjadi momok bagi Halep, Osaka, Andrescu dll. Power Graf masih dibawah Serena.
Diujung karier Stefi Graf masih sempat bertemu Serena muda yg nota bene very2 powerful dan sempat saling mengalahkan itu arti power Graf masih diatas serena disamping itu pergerakan Graf enak diliat sangat entertaint dgn footwork yg begitu indah, comebacknya serena setelah melahirkan belum menorehkan satu gelar grandslam ngak seperti clijster lsngsung tancap gas dan berbuah manis gelar US open pun dlm genggamannya, Steffi masih yg terbaik
@@bayusetiadi7434 puncak karir serena ada di tahun 2000an walaupun diakhir thn 99 dia juara us open. Seandainya graf lahir di era williams sister, duo belgian, sharapova, azarenka,dll masihkan graf mampu meraih 22 gelar grandslam? Kemampuan graf hanya setara dg Radwanska.
Well. Nowadays I don't even watch the WTA any more. What these 2 great ladies were able to produce is out of this world. When Monica was stabbed in Germany that was the end.
The best all court (surface) player of all time, Steffi Graf 🙂🙂 with at least 4 Grand slams on each surface is a testimony itself. In tennis history Wimbeldon and French open together are the most difficult surfaces to play on. Many Great players have found it hard to master this art of playing on different surfaces. Edberg, Becker,sampras,Hingis,Venus,Davenport etc. on clay court on the other hand Henin,Seles,Roddick,Lendl could not win elusive Wimbeldon title. But Steffi won 7 Wimbeldon and 6 French open titles. That's amazing 😮😮. The GOAT for sure 😍😍.
The tension was really there for this match and I think it showed at times with both players struggling to find their very best. The crowd were also really subdued. Steffi coming through on this one in the way that she won so many matches when she wasn't absolutely 100% - because she knew she was fitter than nearly everyone else and could outlast them.
First off i will admit that i'm the ultimate Steffi Graf fan and i have most of her big matches on DVD and as a kid i was always routing for Steffi. Early in my 20's i acquired every match Steffi and Monica played as i was intruiged and wanted to study this rivalry. I must admit that now as a grownup, a competive tennis player myself and having watched their matches multiple times, i've also become a fan of Seles. When these 2 played against each other they brought out some of the best tennis ever played by man or woman and certainly out of each other. Monica's stabbing was the greatest tragedy in tennis history. Not only for Monica but for this amazing rivalry and robbed us of so many more amazing matches between these 2 great legends.
@Illya Kuryakin Before you said her fans were ugly now you are saying everything about her is ugly,you are not a true tennis fan ,just a hater, the way you are ahting shows you would probably feel happy of that stabbing incident,the person above praised both graf and seles but you are just a pure hater,pity you!
@@franstar1730 We are not too sure about that but one thing for sure is that Monica would have won at least 15 GSs. Just the 2 years she missed at her prime, Monica would have won 6 out of 8 GSs offered or she could also have a Calendar Grand Slam. Here you are, saying that Monica was popular not because of her accomplishments in tennis.
Loved watching these 2 play. Always brought out the best in wach other. Such contrasting styles. Seles was brute force and Steffi all finess and great power. To those still saying the Seles dominated Steffi, during Seles dominant year 1990 - 1993, they split their matches 3-2 in Seles favour. All 3 sets execpt Steffi's 6-2, 6-1 win at 92 Wimbledon. Yes, Seles was more consistent over those years BUT she never dominated Steffi
Great to see these two players playing at their best. I remember this match very well. Monica had very powerful shots here, as usual. But eventually Steffi had developed the right strategy to beat Monica using her short crossed slice backhand very successfully (except on rebound ace surface where Monica's game was much more efficient). If Steffi could have served even harder and used her top spin backhand down the line more often - like Roger Federer does-, very few players would have beaten her.
I miss you Monica, i'm always wondering if the terror of 30 april 1993 wasn't happened !!!! she was the sportswoman of my childhood... you're always number One Monica of women's tennis.
Graf fans know the truth. Seles owned Graf before she got stabbed. Seles beat Graf consistently. That crazed maniacal lunatic robbed Seles of numerous titles
@@ricktaber8377 am a Graf fan, and no, Graf was never owned by Seles. They may have reached some kind of parity; Seles was NEVER a threat on grass for example, even when she was dominant on other surfaces; one huge BLOT in her resume is that she never won Wimbledon. So, no, she NEVER owned Graf, even statistics wise BEFORE the stabbing.
@@ricktaber8377 Yes since a losing 2-3 record while #1 is owning. Seles fans are so delusional and hilarious in their stupidity, they have made me into a Graf fan, despite that I never liked Graf while she played. And never knew before the internet age Seles had such a retard fan base. Best of all is thinking a player with ZERO Wimbledon titles, a player with ZERO titles at the most important event in the sport is the GOAT. I bet you guys think Ivan Lendl is the mens GOAT too, since apparently winning less than half the slams of the best all time and best of all not winning even once at the Worlds biggest venue (Wimbledon) is what makes a GOAT.
I can’t believe this was 20 years ago. They’re so much better than players today, sans Serena and Clijsters. It’s just amazing to see the footwork angles, etc. Seles was the platform for how players play today but she’s still so much better at what she did than what players try to do now. The angles and precision, with her mental approach are so superior,
Well, it made sense for Seles to play with a bigger racquet, since she was playing almost all shots with two hands an the racquet, meaning that her reach was very much limited compared to conventional players like Graf.
Loved that Monica Seles, she played with so much desire and grit, with such determination etched in her face. Graff was so smooth, and covered the court beautifully. These 2 were just a pleasure to watch.
Neither player were anywhere near their best in this match (especially concerning their mobility) but this was still plenty of drama and some pretty darn good tennis here. It's a testament to how great these two were.
I think that Seles had diminshed /a lot/, specifically in terms of defence and movement. She was very tough (actually dominant) in extended rallies 1990 - 1993. But Graf, i think, had improved a lot, just to stay level with the rest of Tour (which Seles had argued - and still argues - had improved very sharply in the late 1990s). Now, all of Graf fans will completely hysterical at this suggestion. But it you actually go back to what the **players and ex-players were saying (i.e. in post-match interviews) they assert that Graf was 'playing better then ever' in 1999. No-one was saying that about Seles... Even so, Graf is forced to repeatedly defend against Serena, Venus, Seles and Davenport in her matches against these players, frequently winning points when these players are well inside the service line (through their aggressive shotmaking) but have exposed parts of the court, allowing Graf to defend and make one extra ball which they do not put away or make an unforced error on... and this happens with frequency in this match, too. Seles (in addition to Davenport, Capriati) has been emphatic in her description of players on the tour becoming more powerful, more explosive + serving far more effectively in this period. Graf, in reality, made a sensible decision to retire as these changes were reshaping the Tour.
LOL you are delusional. Graf's prime ended at the end of 96. In 97-99 she lost 4 times to Coetzer, lost to Kournikova, lost to Halard, lost to Frazier, lost to Sugiyama, lost to Zvereva for the first time in 20 matches at Wimbledon, was on her way to losing to Tauziat for the first time in about 20 matches at Queens had it not been called for rain, lost to Schnyder at the U.S Open. And most of those are veterans, not up and comers, so that excuse doesnt even apply. And none of Graf's opponents said she was playing better than ever, that is a lie, name a single one who said this. If anyone did it was probably someone born in 1981 or later who never played Graf in her prime, and these same people are probably stupid enough to say Seles was at her best ever too. I dont know if Graf herself did, but if she did it was a PR faux like Federer claiming he is playing his best tennis ever repeatedly the last 5 years which everyone knows is bull. Now you are right on one thing, the tour had improved a lot and Seles and Graf both faced that as well, as their own declines with age and injury. Yet another reason Seles nutters are delusional as fuck to think she would still have been dominant at this point without the stabbing as they frequently insist on.
@@adamlarsson3828 I would have to disagree. Graf had too many injuries after 96 to still be at her best in 99. She was way better in 99 than 97 or 98 but she sunk so low those years where she barely played due to injury that she had a long way to g back up. She still never returned to her 96 level or even close to it. The 96 Graf would have had no trouble with players like Kournikova or Julie Halard which Graf in 99 was still having trouble with despite not playing as bad as 97 or 98. Had she not had all her injuries were forced her to sit out most of 97 and about half of 98 you might have ended up right as she was still working on her game.
The sound of Graf's slice is beautiful. There's something hypnotic in the way Steffi moves. Nice handshake between two of the best players in history.
Their rivalry became during the semifinal of Roland Garros '89 and it finished during the semifinale of Roland Garros ten years later. Thanks Steffi and Monica for the emotions you have given us.
woww..thats a very good observation lavinia..thankyou..
Thank you❤❤
Well said. Beautiful sentiment. Thank you for sharing.
@@netfun8087Thank you for compliment. You are very sensitive too. The matches beetween Steffi&Monica were only 15, but among the most beautiful and intense in history. These two champions will remain in the heart of all fans of this sport.
Great comment
These two tennis legends represent my childhood/adolescence, I'll never forget the good time spent in front of the TV watching their rivalry. I love them both, amazing athletes who shaped tennis in their time
Cla_Disney ..... So very true.... I loved watching tennis when these two ladies were playing. Both of them were my favorite.
Completely agree. Me too
Seles was dominating Graf when she got stabbed. Her power was incredible
@@ken-mb5cp agrees. Reckons she would have surpassed Graf without that happening
Aaron Wilkins Seles also did herself no favors by secretly binge-eating during this time. Her weight ballooned and she lost matches she shouldn't have. She admitted it in her book.
This is tennis! Legends! Steffi footwork was out of this world. So graceful and fast. Seles's return was so early and with laser-like precision. Miss them both.
Nice comparison.
exactly!
Graf here was more athletic than final FO 1992. She move faster, hit the forehand and serves harder, slice also deeper and all hits were flatter. Seles also hits the ball harder and precision. The key point for Graf in the 9th game of the 3rd set. She broke Seles serve and more confident in the 10th game.
@@enjangyusuf2ndchannel468 I think they both could hit as hard in 92 as they did in 99 but graf had stated it was a ploy to throw off monica as she loved pace..I think the biggest differecne is seles return was much better in 92 andshe moved a ton faster than in 99
20 years ago already. Incredible.
25 now, still watching! :)
24
If you just look at Steffi's footwork.... It's out of the world.... The fact she move beautifully from 1st to last point.... Her fitness and footwork, no one in women tennis nowadays can match
Ok ist a lit bit to much.
@@PeterGodek2 way to much.
Lol Naomi Osaka would tear steffi apart
@@danielgeorgetheoneandonly Hardly. She couldn't even take a game off of Swiatek in the 2nd set of the Miami final, and ate a huge bagel. And this is clay, Naomi Osaka's worst surface. She's not much better on grass, either. She'll never win Wimbledon.
@@danielgeorgetheoneandonly What a weird statement?! Steffi Graf dominated women's tennis for years, yet you think *lol*, Naomi Osaka would take her apart? Get a grip.
Steffi Graf really changed my life- we loved tennis watching her with my sisters and learned playing and we still play almost everyday keeps us healthy and active; made it a lifestyle. But it all started watching her those years. We loved those slice backhands.
her slice was so good. It won her many titles
STEFFI GRAF an inseparable part of many of our lives..She is the champion of champions undoubtedly..
Steffi Graf, the tennis player that just plays with so much grace on court. It's wonderful to watch her! It's like how tennis should be! Steffi got me into tennis when I first watched her win the Australian Open in 1994, I knew I had to follow her. She was already playing pro for almost a decade then. When I started playing tennis, her movements on court was simply the golden standard for me. It was hard to follow her footwork, but damn you learn so much from watching her. She was called "Fraulein Forehand" because of her beautiful and powerful forehand shots.
Graf's incredible slice backhand gave Seles all kinds of trouble in this match. Most under-rated shot of that era.
I believe to have read somewhere that Seles admitted that much, how the slice backhand of Graf's was an underrated shot. Hingis also said something along those lines.
@@tobiast5908Navratilova, Novotna, Capriati are on record with saying the same.
So did Lindsay davenport. Steffis slice gave her anxiety lol
I enjoy watching these two more than watching women's games today.
Henin and Clijsters were great rivalry as well. Their matches were fun to watch.
Absolutely agree. Far better to watch. There was a greater variety of styles back then.
They both had style and grace, they did not abuse officials and had respect for another.
@@roddickzhao6202 Talking about Henin, I love watching her matches with Serena. That was great rivalry as well.
INDEED
I was always a die-hard Steffi fan during their playing years. Only after they both retired and rewatching all 15 matches these 2 legends played against each other could i appreciate how good both of them were. (it even made me a Seles fan after Graf retired). Nomatter which tournament or round they played against each other, they always brought the best out of each other.
The tennis world will forever miss these 2 legends!!
Same with me shaun…
I'm a huge Seles fan, but my oh my...Graf dances over the court like a gazelle...impressive! Really miss the matches of those days. Thanks for uploading!
I used to be a huge Graf fan in the 80s (I was very young), but now, over 30y later, I really like Seles as a tennis player and I appreciate her much above all as a person. And yes, Graf's movement on court is so impressive.
Riccardo Di Salvatore Nice of you to write! And yes, Seles is a beautiful person....she had the hard lessons in life!
I miss both players. They are remarkable and become highlight in women tennis history.. I hope they will play in exhibition one day...
Illya Kuryakin I don't think Steffi had Something to do with the stabbing. I don't Like the crieing of seles. Do you think Steffi had Something to do with the stabbing?
@@bear-ms3ms Nobody cares if the words are written right.And I just said what I don't like , it's allowed.
Monica Seles is a player I can watch forever, what a great lady, great champion and the first and possibly only player that could ever truly threaten Graf
So true!! Best player ever! Monica ❤
@Illya Kuryakin love it when you feel desperate! Steffi is a wonferful player!
Sabatini?
@Illya Kuryakin lol steffi has said herself Monica was better than her in her own prime and her toughest puzzle to figure out,, parche i guess figured it out,,sorry truth hurts i know
@Illya Kuryakin Last 9 slams prior to the stabbing - Seles: 7, Graf: 2. But ok - Sabatini was the bigger threat lol
la belle époque du tennis féminin clairement!
steffi is still my favourite female tennis player:)
Steffi's footwork, speed, slice and forehand...Monica's early return, power and angles! Both legends!
After a lot of years, we look already them.
This game looks more like an men's game..no long rallies, precise placement, ace services, power strokes..amazing to watch
Even on clay, their shots are flatter and have more pace than today's women's (i.e., Halep, Wozniacki, etc.) who hit with more arc.
Graf just played unbelievable here!
Graf plays the much more attractive tennis. She was the queen of forehand and footwork!
What a match highlights! it must have been a great match! Great Steffi Graf! impressive, when Djokovic shouts looks like Seles and Seles had a great return as Djokovic too! and both are from the former Yugoslavia!
Steffi Graf and Roger Federer are two players I could watch until the day I die.
Jason Irish Red yeah, I will add Nadal too.
Jason Irish Red and I think they have very similar footwork and forehands.i wonder if roger was a fan or ever watched Steffi?
Illya Kuryakin did he pay a tribute to steffi?id love to watch this
Illya Kuryakin wow thanks so much for sharing Illya!i just went on to his twitter and found that quote. That has made my day❤️❤️❤️❤️
For me, the greatest of rivalries. Their styles could not be any more different.
@Illya Kuryakin That's true. Because Seles is better than both. ;)
@Illya Kuryakin Oh look at the imbecile! Saying Graf's peak was at '88 when in '86 Graf have already defeated Navratilova. They're even at 9-9 H2H overall. On the other hand, Navratilova defeated Seles their first three matches: two in '89 and 1 in '90. Yes, 1990 where Seles won her first Grand Slam. Their overall H2H count is 9-7 in favor of Monica, of course. Look at you shameless poodle, saying those non-sense to favor Graf and diminish Seles.
And you never get tired of that crappy blackmail scandal, do you? The scandal which according to you, started in 1990 resulting in Graf's "slump." But RIGHT AFTER the Seles' stabbing, Graf "MIRACULOUSLY REGAINED" her confidence & composure, won the three remaining Slams of 1993 and regained the #1 ranking. Gunther Parsche healed Steffi! LOL!
Btw, we never really saw the peak Seles - thanks to your brother Gunther Parsche! So again, what the fucking lie are you spreading??
@Illya Kuryakin And then there are people who say Serena's power was early 2000. Seriously. Steffi's peak was late 80s and after the stabbing. Period. Oh wait a sec. In between those years, Steffi was supposed to peak as well but was interrupted by Seles & not that blackmail bullshit. Graf was supposed to dominate women's tennis late 80s until mid '90s. Seles on the other hand, can be said to peak early 90s when she dethroned Graf as the best player. As I said, we never saw the full potential of Seles despite the fact she ruled women's tennis early 90s.
Graf may get the hang of Seles' game without the stabbing which may result in 1-2 victories against Seles in GS. But Seles was improving as hell and has lots of room for improvement compared to Graf. It showed in Seles' early 2000 matches. It was her fitness which hindered her from doing so. She was bullimic due to depression. Her depression may have gone away but her eating disorder didn't.
Dear, whatever stat you showed, Seles was supposed to catch up Graf's GS titles whether you agree or not. You're a typical delusional & in-denial Graf fan. Seriously.
@Illya Kuryakin Ok, I stand corrected. Whether it's bullimic or BED, she still gained weight which got in the way of her mobility. She was one of a kind. And yeah, I believe without the stabbing, Graf's GS would be 15 or 16, below Navratilova & Evert. Seles would have won 8-10 more: either one higher/lower than Navratilova or equal. But then again, thanks to your brother Parsche who got what he wanted.
@Illya Kuryakin Illnesses & injuries are indeed part of a sports athlete. But DISORDERS ARE NOT!
This court is the one that produced some of the greatest matches of their rivalry, including the monumental 1992 final.
Yes, on slow courts Seles was good competition for Steffi!
Steffi of 1999 is capable of beating most of the top ten players of today. She is such a complete player, that sliced backhand and quick forehand are so rare these days it would have been a great weapon regardless of who she faced across the net.
@Illya Kuryakin she could beat all of them.
TeamUSASportsFan Their H2H is 1-1. Serena at her best vs Steffi at her best? When Serena is serving and moving well, she’s extremely difficult to beat regardless of opponent. Pile on the pressure however and she is easily mentally broken and will quickly lose her composure, rendering her half a player that’s relatively easily dismantled.
Weird comment. She was word no. 3 and won FO and reached Wimbledon final in 99 just before she retired so she would had the upper hand against any lady of current era seeing the quality of tennis in WTA circuit.
TeamUSASportsFan a female vs monster.. not a good comparison. Serena is supremely skillful but her exceptional records are also due to his manly power a woman hardly can over come.
@@kuls43 A monster?? Is your mom somewhere??
I wish the stabbing never happened. We were deprived of so many great matches like this one. These two are equal yet so different.
I don't think so. Take a look at all sports. There have been many athletes who have been great for a few years, but then their talents lessen. It happens to many and Seles was no exception. The minute cut to her back was meaningless and if any mental damage was done to her because of it, then all tennis players would have felt the same unease about their surroundings. Then again, we can also say had Steffi not gone through her ordeal regarding her father, then a few years later major knee problems, that she was robbed of many more slams and titles because of it.
@@markuse3472 Exactly, well said.
Astonishing to think what else Steffi could have won, considering she retired at the ridiculously young age of 30.
Serena Williams has won one more grand slam than Steffi, which has taken her 10 more years, to achieve that feat...
@@markuse3472 Did you say Minute? Are you crazy. That fool tried to kill her and almost did and if you think a tennis player being stabbed on court means nothing then I guess people attacking the capital in D.C. was just a stroll in the park like they are tying to say. That was an outrageous crime and of course that changed the way EVERYONE did business in tennis after that an Monica was deprived of have a stellar career. She had graf's number beating her at will at that point and everyone knows it. You sound so stupid on here.
@@Logans3Run Well said my ass. it must have driven you people crazy when a person of color surpassed Graf for the most grand slams won in a tennis career. You all sound crazy. Graf was so embarrassed by the attack on Seles that she did not want to even hold interviews on the matter and Seles was so gracious not blaming graf at all for it was not her fault that a crazy person like you two sound tried to kill Seles.
@@markuse3472 🤡 Typical western clown
The day she retired from tennis i cried like a baby for 2 days. For me there ll be' none like her. Before she turned21 she won more than 40 tournments played 13 Slam finals in a row and made grand slam. Only godness can do that. Serena does not worth a hair of her.
absolutely well said dear..i cried like hell..AUGUST the 13TH 1999..the day STEFFI GRAF RETIRED..the CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS..none before her and none after her..
Exactly I did to, but she gave so much during nearly 20 years 💯
I didn‘t cry, I watched Steffi videos all night long.
And I knew with utmost certainty that I would never see such an elegant, graceful and lovely woman tennis player again in my lifetime. And that made me sad.
Serena has more Grand Slams and was much more successful in doubles than Graf. She was the more complete player.
2 absolutley superb players who in both took the game to another level post Chris and Martina era
They paved the way for the next generation, we should celebrate them both for their superb skills and the joy their matches provided
French 92, US 95 superb tennis
This match is very typical for Seles' "second" career. She could still hit hard but she was much heavier and slower and therefore had trouble changing direction. It's kinda amazing that she was still a top player even though she played being pretty much out of shape after the stabbing. Before the stabbing she could run down drop shots and Steffi's inside out forehand. Here she is in trouble as soon as Steffi hits a deep shot that forces her to move away from the middle of the court.
Serena is in much worse shape than Seles here and is still dominant and winning slams in her mid to late 30s. Then again Seles is not a great of Serena level.
@GoTeam 100 pounds, I doubt that very much. She is 5.10, I dont know it its possible for a top tennis player to weight only 100 pds.
Seles made so much noise. I find it very distracting.
Seles had always trouble against Graf. She was 4-6 down in their h2h even before the stabbing.
@@rolandgreen7484 Very selective bitch. Seles herself said that her level of game is different when it comes to GS. May I remind you, between 91 & 93 during which Monica was Number 1, what's the GS H2H between Seles & Graf?????
Graf is a true composer on women tennis game
Both amazing legend! Steffi footwork until to day we never seen any woman footwork like this monica stroke was great
Nobody moved like Graf, ever! Her footwork set her apart from anyone
quelle classe, quel professionnalisme cette steffi graf. Toutes les joueuses de tennis devraient venir sur youtube voir comment cette joueuse s' est comportée sur le court en ayant gagné autant de tournois en respectant les arbitres, les joueuses. Ayant été ramasseur à son époque, je n' oublierai jamais sa gentillesse
Last best known rivalry in ladies tennis Graf Seles .
I can think of a few rivalries since then-
Hingis vs Williams sisters
Clijsters vs Henin
Serena vs Henin
Capriati vs Serena
All those rivalries fizzled out by the mid 2000s until Clijsters/Henin made their comebacks. Now the game is quite boring 😔
Graf the next level of tennis, simple legend. No words , no screams ,no crazy atitude, pnly spotive determination. Miss u Steff..
Great service, forehand, movement and the craziest fans who did for her what she couldn´t on a tennis court
Eri,
Mostly true but she got extra help from her countryman and her country. Steffi never mentioned why she won after that Germanic nationalistic incident. Poor Monica! Let's put it this way, if Steffi is the best, then Monica should be ranked one higher than Steffi.
@@benthekeeshond545ok sorry .. but what does that knife incident has to do with who's the best.. in this match~!?
@@andreanicolas9363
Not this match. Steffi won this FO match fair and square. It is the victories after the stabbing perhaps orchestrated by an ultraright German political entity with 100% approval from the German government. Those victories should have a Monica Seles * next to them.
@@juanantonioperez8918: I agree Steffi is the GOAT with you except in one thing, Steffi Graf could do everything in tennis courts and she did, 107 WTA tennis titles, including 22 Grand Slam is her answer for that, if Seles was fat and out the form that isn't Steffi problem!! No excuses for anybody no excuses for Seles loss
All the years of watching steffi play. She never seemed to get tired out. Woman of steel. When she lost she was out played, never because she ran out of gas.
I think there's only one occasion when she ran out of gas - that was the 1989 french open final, under very unique circumstances. She'd been ill with food poisoning and also admitted later that towards the end she was really affected by menstrual cramp.
I always felt when she lost , because she did not play at her best. If she played at her best I never thought she could loose...
@@abdeo777 nobody can play their best all the time
Missing theses matches and these amazing players...
Two absolute legends and champions on court..I was always a Steffi fan but my respect for Monica Seles increased manifold after the tragedy and her brave comeback..what a match..and although Steffi won it but it was not a foregone conclusion by any chance..the power of the groundstrokes of both players was unbelievable..I really miss those days when we could see players of this calibre face off and produce such classics.
Oh Steffi. The GOAT in my books. The way she played the game was just incredible. No tantrums, no shenanigans, just pure professionalism.
She was 30 and top of her game after winning FO and being runner up in Wimbledon when she retired, how many she would have more won had she played few years more.
@ST 23 Hingis made herself cry with that atrocious behaviour. She knew the French crowd is relentless in punishing such a behaviour
@ST 23 Without the Williams's screaming and howling, intellect takes a handful of their earlier titles away, each. They were coached, instructed to scream for the only purpose to annoy and distract their apposition. Every announcer or critic or sports commentator are afraid to speak the Truth just because they are African American.
@ST 23 May I ask you a question: Are you stupid or just pretending to be very stupid? Just a question. Moving on, in human terms, "pure" or any other word as that are within REASON. Grow a brain.
@ST 23 The Williams did not win any of the Australian Opens until 2003. Not saying Steffi could or could not have won more slams but it is not since the Williams had all the non clay slams on lock after summer 99.
The key of steffi won this tournament are her atletism and confidence…
Seles 8 slams at 19......her career was just beginning :(((.
Graf had 6 GS titles at 19. (1987 FO, 1988 AO, 1988 FO, 1988 W, 1988 USO, 1989 AO) (she lost the 1987 W, 1987 USO, 1989 FO) She reached all GS singles finals in the season 1988 and 1989 (and post Seles also in 1993).
@@stevyyjay85 don't overlook a calendar slam that alone ranks higher than 8 slams at 19
@@stevyyjay85 You totally missed the point. 🤦🏻♂️
MEH. she got slow and began overeating.
@@user-be5qg7mr1s disrespectful now be gone peasant
I just love to watch Steffi’s footwork, how she slides in to her shots and especially that inside forehand!i was watching their final from 92 and Steffi was definitely hitting her forehand harder since then. For me, she will always be the GOAT❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Yes , but that "stub back thing " is for long conversation . That stop Monica when she absolute start to won Graff in a row 1992 - 1993 .
@@aleksandarfrick2656 specially in Wimbledon the biggest tournament in the world
@@helderbento7991 Seles made it to the Wimbledon final once in her entire career. Once. And was beaten easily in straights by Graf.
@@broncoguy4862 I know. I was being sarcastic. How can people put her in the Goat conversation if she only reached once the Wimbledon final and was destroyed.
@@helderbento7991 well is the criteria to be the "Greatest of all time" based on how many Wimbledon titles a player wins? If not then Seles definately falls within the top 10 female tennis players in history. Of course Graf easily gets into top 5.
C' est pas demain la veille qu' on verra une joueuse avec toutes les qualités de graf ( jeu de jambes, physique, mental, coup droit, régularité, humilité...). Une véritable artiste!
I have seen her playing when she was 15 at the Nashua Tennisgala in Den Bosch when she plays against Hana Mandlikova. In all these years i have never seen a female tennis player with the footwork of Steffi , absolutly amazing
one last hand shake between the two greatest players tennis has ever witnessed..
Simply the best
Iam big fan of Steffi Graff.
Gracias Seles por sacar lo mejor de Steffi, siempre al límite.
Really miss that level of tennis in women´s side
A good match but I agree that Monica's weight issues and poor movement took so much away from her game post Hamburg, especially because - being double handed on both sides - she's already restricted. I think she was actually fitter/faster at the 1998 French Open, but she wasn't able to maintain those improvements into the '99 season.
Yes, SIX YEARS after Hamburg...
@Ari Onassis-Sugen You're definitely stupid as fuck! You don't know anything about psychology so keep your non-sense, imbecile opinion to your own.
Common. It's clear here that Graf has already mastered Seles' style. Monica could no longer expand her game, except by becoming a monstrous, power player like Serena.
@@FloridaIndependent seles greatest strength was her mental strength she still had it after Hamburg but not at the same level. she stayed in the top 5 while at times 30 pounds over weight that says a lot for her other intangibles
@@FloridaIndependent why the unnecessary dig at Serena?
I can say that Steffi is the best of all times women tennis players!
Steffi Graf will always be a legendary standard for women’s tennis. She is the first and only tennis player (male or female) to achieve the Golden Slam by winning all four Grand Slam singles titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same calendar year.
Yeah, Thanks to Gunther Parche.
Typical Selestials!
Charto74; please don't forget their Wimbledon final at1991 and by the way that was before stabbing + Steffi has achieved her Golden Slam during 1988 while your Seles was still learning how to play tennis. Go somewhere and cry.
Ahmed Abdullah And don't forget Seles took number one spot in March 1991 from Graf and won 8 Grand Slams out of 9 finals from 1990-1993 plus winning WTA Championship 1990-1992, all before she complete her teenage. A remarkable accomplishments shattered by Graf's pawn because Graf and Germany Tennis Confederation Couldn't accept someone so young winning so much and mad Graf look like a newbie. Did it ever occur to you that with Seles out of the picture in 1993, Graf suddenly reigned again as number one and winning a lot. Something that she achieved between 1987-1990 before Seles entered tennis world. Everybody can see it even Billie Jean King herself admit it, but YOU, Graf's pawn blissfully ignore the fact that Graf's accomplishments benefited from Gunther's action. Now go suck Gunther's dick in Germany. Go!
chrato74 Graf Seles head to head 10 - 5 and the history will remember only that. Go cry somewhere idiot.
The way Graf would move to the inside out forehand to create those brutal angles is perhaps one of this sports most memorable weapon. Federer would employ it too with the same precision and brutal effectiveness. Unstoppable!
When Federer was a young boy he “watched Steffi for hours“ on German TV!
Steffi the best female player I ever saw
Graf is the only female tennis player who are arranging her game and not in a hurry to hit a winner . That's why she has amazing footwork as if she is dancing in every game .
You will never, ever, see steffi fall for a ball!! Always the ever graceful and powerful!!!
Always such class, grace and elegance.
Fraulein Forehand forever my GOAT.
This match simply reminds me how many glorious matches tennis fans were robbed of in a rivalry that had the potential to be the greatest between these two magnificent ball strikers.
I had forgotten how awful it was to have to listen to that human Vuvuzela. And all the time, Steffi is quiet and beating that ball.
Que manera de jugar tenis 💖gran campeona Steffi Graf.
Que distinta hubiese sido la historia de Steffi si no hubiesen apuñalado a Mónica, solo la mejor condición física de Graf después del incidente podía con Seles porque Mónica es mejor que Graf de lejos
@@davidcarrasco8533 En el mejor momento de la carrera de Mónica, cuando ella se decidió a dedicarle el 100% al tenis ya casi para cumplir apenas sus 20 años y siendo la número 1 de ranking, todo servido para reinar los próximos 10 años por lo menos y para su desgracia la apuñalan y se pierde dos años por trauma psicológico, luego regresa ya sin la destreza q tenía y un par de año facelle su papá y su carrera fue en picada, nunca fue la misma. Le truncaron su carrera totalmente.
Graf was a mixture of Federer and Nadal in women´s tennis, at first one might think her gamestyle is more like Federer because of her OHBH but a closer look reveals she has so much of Nadal too, her rituals (except for the grunting lol), her tenacity to play until the last point of the match with so much confidence (even in her slump years and Seles peak she was losing to Seles in very tight matches) and her extraordinary defense placing unbelieveable shots on the run coming from the other corner of the court. Women´s tennis has noone like her these days
A great player but she could not play a backhand top spin. That was her Achilles heel!
@@bearfoot007 Did you ever see Graf playing? by your statment it´s evident you didn´t. Graf used her BH much smarter than many semm to credit, if not forced she sliced her BH to keep the ball low and deep and thus limiting a lot the opponent´s aggrestion, if not inducing an error, it also helped her to desguise drop shots which she also used a lot with the BH. But when she was near the net, when she had to hit a passing or when the court was open, she didn´t hesitate to use a quick BH top spin and she almost certainly hit a winner when she did, it wasn´t faulty she just chose not to use it unless it was necesary, having that huge FH and a lot of footwork and court speed it would not have been wise to put more pace on the BH, specially in tennis when quick responses and decisions are needed
U r absolutely right
To provide perspective on my 'controversial' statement I did watch a lot of Graf in the 80s and 90s. Of course after the initial euphoria of the Golden Slam in 1988 she did get tested by Seles (until the knife attack in 93) and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario.
The weapons she had - quick footwork, huge forehand, strong serve - were already enough to guarantee her legend status. But the one area I felt she fell short (hence Achilles heel) was being predictable on the backhand (and by this I mean not being able to hit the ball past the opponent with power from the back of the court). As a Steffi fan the gruelling encounters with Seles and especially Sanchez-Vicario were painful to watch as one could see the clear strategy from the other side of the court - put the ball deep into the backhand court and wait for an opening.
One should realize I was replying to the original post where Steffi is compared to Federer. One thing is for sure, however strong the merits of the backhand slice may be, and Federer is as adept at it as anyone, one will not have to wait a couple of hours to see Roger unfurl his majestic backhand top spin when needed. I could never say the same about Steffi!
@Illya Kuryakin No argument there, lol! :-)
Minunat fantastic din păcate nu vom mai vedea așa ceva. Admirație!!!
Monica tenis legend
Haven't found women tennis players in the last 20-25 years who have footwork like Steffi did
There weren't any in the 100 years before Steffi either.
Great women/players...classic
Tremendous to see a very weak Steffi who just recovered from surgery to beat a fresh and a severely overweight immobile MS. This makes my day.
both are simply the best female tennis player of all time....not to say that serena is out of that category...really missed the way graf n seles play...amazingly beautiful tennis...serena off course another the best in her own way n style...
Look at the quality of their game...hardly any unforced errors...very professional tennis...Graf...she looked gorgeous in every outfit 😍
It's funny how some of the comments under this video say that Graf would have been destroyed by "any low ranked girl."
Just a reminder that Graf won 22 GS singles titles from age 17 - 29.
1987 - FO - 17
1988 - AO - 18
1988 - FO - 18
1988 - W - 19
1988 - USO - 19
1989 - AO - 19
1989 - W - 20
1989 - USO - 20
1990 - AO - 20
1991 - W - 22
1992 - W - 23
1993 - FO - 23
1993 - W - 24
1993 - USO - 24
1994 - AO - 24
1995 - FO - 25
1995 - W - 26
1995 - USO - 26
1996 - FO - 26
1996 - W - 27
1996 - USO - 27
1999 - FO - 29
Between June 1997 - February 1998 she was out with a knee injury.
1995 and 1996 she missed the first 3-4 months of the season bc of a back injury.
What a fighter.
Steffi would dominate today even more than in the late 80s or the 90s.
Monica is a very nice person
Steffi Graf too
Dustin Gabe LMAO. Ok skippy.
@@AK-fe4sq "If she didn't get stabbed"? Wtf are you insinuating? That she needed to be stabbed to be nice? You're clearly insane.
Steffi Graf is still the best women tennis player in the world untill now
Ya gk lah. Serena 23 gelar grandslam, Graf 22 gelar.
@@sampra0359pencapaian 22 gelar steffi dicapai dlm rentan waktu yg lebih pendek karena gantung raket lebih cepat, sementara serena sampai diumurnya yg sekarang klo tdk salah masuk 38 masih main itupun blm menambah gelar grandslam yg dimilikinya dan spertinya tdk akan bertambah lgi, dan dari segi keindahan permainan steffi graf masih jauh lebih bsik diliatnya
@@bayusetiadi7434 Di jaman steffi graf persaingan tidak terlalu ketat, rival terberat graf hanya monica seles dan martatilova. Sedangkan Serena ada Hingis, Davenport, Venus, Sharapova, Clisjster, Henin. Dan di usia Serena yg sudah tidak muda, sdh menikah dan punya anak masih saja bisa bersaing dg petenis muda dan itu harus diakui. Serena masih menjadi momok bagi Halep, Osaka, Andrescu dll. Power Graf masih dibawah Serena.
Diujung karier Stefi Graf masih sempat bertemu Serena muda yg nota bene very2 powerful dan sempat saling mengalahkan itu arti power Graf masih diatas serena disamping itu pergerakan Graf enak diliat sangat entertaint dgn footwork yg begitu indah, comebacknya serena setelah melahirkan belum menorehkan satu gelar grandslam ngak seperti clijster lsngsung tancap gas dan berbuah manis gelar US open pun dlm genggamannya, Steffi masih yg terbaik
@@bayusetiadi7434 puncak karir serena ada di tahun 2000an walaupun diakhir thn 99 dia juara us open. Seandainya graf lahir di era williams sister, duo belgian, sharapova, azarenka,dll masihkan graf mampu meraih 22 gelar grandslam? Kemampuan graf hanya setara dg Radwanska.
Look at those Aces and Winners! ♥️ Such power and grace 😍
Steffi Graf = Roger Federer ❤❤❤
Well. Nowadays I don't even watch the WTA any more. What these 2 great ladies were able to produce is out of this world. When Monica was stabbed in Germany that was the end.
The best all court (surface) player of all time, Steffi Graf 🙂🙂 with at least 4 Grand slams on each surface is a testimony itself. In tennis history Wimbeldon and French open together are the most difficult surfaces to play on. Many Great players have found it hard to master this art of playing on different surfaces. Edberg, Becker,sampras,Hingis,Venus,Davenport etc. on clay court on the other hand Henin,Seles,Roddick,Lendl could not win elusive Wimbeldon title. But Steffi won 7 Wimbeldon and 6 French open titles. That's amazing 😮😮. The GOAT for sure 😍😍.
amazing steffi......👍🌺😎.
The tension was really there for this match and I think it showed at times with both players struggling to find their very best. The crowd were also really subdued. Steffi coming through on this one in the way that she won so many matches when she wasn't absolutely 100% - because she knew she was fitter than nearly everyone else and could outlast them.
Fraulein forehand and master slicer #SteffiGraf against the angle maker #MonicaSeles. I miss them both 😘🌹😍
2 magnifiques joueuses !!!!!!!!!!
VERY NICE 1999 RG HIGHLIGHTS WITH MONICA SELES VS STEFF GRAF !!!!
First off i will admit that i'm the ultimate Steffi Graf fan and i have most of her big matches on DVD and as a kid i was always routing for Steffi.
Early in my 20's i acquired every match Steffi and Monica played as i was intruiged and wanted to study this rivalry. I must admit that now as a grownup, a competive tennis player myself and having watched their matches multiple times, i've also become a fan of Seles.
When these 2 played against each other they brought out some of the best tennis ever played by man or woman and certainly out of each other.
Monica's stabbing was the greatest tragedy in tennis history. Not only for Monica but for this amazing rivalry and robbed us of so many more amazing matches between these 2 great legends.
@Illya Kuryakin Before you said her fans were ugly now you are saying everything about her is ugly,you are not a true tennis fan ,just a hater, the way you are ahting shows you would probably feel happy of that stabbing incident,the person above praised both graf and seles but you are just a pure hater,pity you!
It still amazes me, how many winners Steffi Graf forehand hits, hitting her forehand from behind ..
Monica is the best!
Monica had not so many fans befor the stabbing haha but the stabbing made her popular not her tennis
A wonderful player but the noise she makes is very distracting.
@@OriginalSilke
Nothing more disgusting than a bigot.
@@franstar1730
We are not too sure about that but one thing for sure is that Monica would have won at least 15 GSs. Just the 2 years she missed at her prime, Monica would have won 6 out of 8 GSs offered or she could also have a Calendar Grand Slam. Here you are, saying that Monica was popular not because of her accomplishments in tennis.
@@OriginalSilke she's not serb ypu fucking bitch,check ypur facts before posting shit
Fabulous match. The greatest champions find a way to win through adversity. Hence why these ladies are both GOATS 💞
Loved watching these 2 play. Always brought out the best in wach other. Such contrasting styles. Seles was brute force and Steffi all finess and great power.
To those still saying the Seles dominated Steffi, during Seles dominant year 1990 - 1993, they split their matches 3-2 in Seles favour. All 3 sets execpt Steffi's 6-2, 6-1 win at 92 Wimbledon. Yes, Seles was more consistent over those years BUT she never dominated Steffi
@Illya Kuryakin Correct, Steffi won the 2 matches they played in 1991 and Seles the 2 in 1990.
@@sds2954 will she was she dominating where it mattered the slams
Great to see these two players playing at their best. I remember this match very well. Monica had very powerful shots here, as usual. But eventually Steffi had developed the right strategy to beat Monica using her short crossed slice backhand very successfully (except on rebound ace surface where Monica's game was much more efficient).
If Steffi could have served even harder and used her top spin backhand down the line more often - like Roger Federer does-, very few players would have beaten her.
I miss you Monica, i'm always wondering if the terror of 30 april 1993 wasn't happened !!!! she was the sportswoman of my childhood... you're always number One Monica of women's tennis.
Graf fans know the truth. Seles owned Graf before she got stabbed. Seles beat Graf consistently. That crazed maniacal lunatic robbed Seles of numerous titles
I agree. It would've change Women's Tennis History. Yes she's always #1 Monica.
@@ricktaber8377 am a Graf fan, and no, Graf was never owned by Seles. They may have reached some kind of parity; Seles was NEVER a threat on grass for example, even when she was dominant on other surfaces; one huge BLOT in her resume is that she never won Wimbledon. So, no, she NEVER owned Graf, even statistics wise BEFORE the stabbing.
@@remioona8127 pure speculation.
@@ricktaber8377 Yes since a losing 2-3 record while #1 is owning. Seles fans are so delusional and hilarious in their stupidity, they have made me into a Graf fan, despite that I never liked Graf while she played. And never knew before the internet age Seles had such a retard fan base.
Best of all is thinking a player with ZERO Wimbledon titles, a player with ZERO titles at the most important event in the sport is the GOAT. I bet you guys think Ivan Lendl is the mens GOAT too, since apparently winning less than half the slams of the best all time and best of all not winning even once at the Worlds biggest venue (Wimbledon) is what makes a GOAT.
I can’t believe this was 20 years ago. They’re so much better than players today, sans Serena and Clijsters. It’s just amazing to see the footwork angles, etc.
Seles was the platform for how players play today but she’s still so much better at what she did than what players try to do now. The angles and precision, with her mental approach are so superior,
I always wondered about this huge racquet of Seles, it gave her such power. Steffi is still playing with a much smaller size racquet here..
@timothy chung and also the raquet you idiot.
Well, it made sense for Seles to play with a bigger racquet, since she was playing almost all shots with two hands an the racquet, meaning that her reach was very much limited compared to conventional players like Graf.
I miss them. Two legends. Respect forever.
Simplemente la #1 steffi 😘😍
Great match. Seles/Graf rarely disappoints. Also, killer slice backhand at 14:35.
what amazing precision, athletism on groundstrokes ! puts todays tennis sometimes to shame !
Loved that Monica Seles, she played with so much desire and
grit, with such determination etched in her face. Graff was so
smooth, and covered the court beautifully. These 2 were just
a pleasure to watch.
Steffi graf queen 👑 of 🎾 🇩🇪 legend
Roy,
Definitely! How she can't be the queen of tennis, being backed by her country and a stabbing assailant.
Wow!
Women tennis of old more intensive than now
Graff
Capriati
Seles
Pierce
Sanchez
Fernandez
Hingis
Henin
Steffi is the GOAT.
@@bear-ms3ms Yes, Steffi is the GOAT. And she can GLOAT about it :-)
@@bear-ms3ms Did I stutter? I said Steffi The GOAT can GLOAT :-)
@@bear-ms3ms Better a big nose than a big ass.
@@bear-ms3msYes, aren't we all? :-)
@@bear-ms3ms Gloat.....Golden lady of all time.
Thank´s you dear Günter
Great man
@Max E should’ve done deeper.
Das Gestöhne geht mir immer noch auf die Nerven.
Du gehst mir auf die Nerven.
@@aidepaul534 Schön, sollte auch so sein
Neither player were anywhere near their best in this match (especially concerning their mobility) but this was still plenty of drama and some pretty darn good tennis here. It's a testament to how great these two were.
I think that Seles had diminshed /a lot/, specifically in terms of defence and movement. She was very tough (actually dominant) in extended rallies 1990 - 1993.
But Graf, i think, had improved a lot, just to stay level with the rest of Tour (which Seles had argued - and still argues - had improved very sharply in the late 1990s).
Now, all of Graf fans will completely hysterical at this suggestion.
But it you actually go back to what the **players and ex-players were saying (i.e. in post-match interviews) they assert that Graf was 'playing better then ever' in 1999.
No-one was saying that about Seles...
Even so, Graf is forced to repeatedly defend against Serena, Venus, Seles and Davenport in her matches against these players, frequently winning points when these players are well inside the service line (through their aggressive shotmaking) but have exposed parts of the court, allowing Graf to defend and make one extra ball which they do not put away or make an unforced error on...
and this happens with frequency in this match, too.
Seles (in addition to Davenport, Capriati) has been emphatic in her description of players on the tour becoming more powerful, more explosive + serving far more effectively in this period.
Graf, in reality, made a sensible decision to retire as these changes were reshaping the Tour.
LOL you are delusional. Graf's prime ended at the end of 96. In 97-99 she lost 4 times to Coetzer, lost to Kournikova, lost to Halard, lost to Frazier, lost to Sugiyama, lost to Zvereva for the first time in 20 matches at Wimbledon, was on her way to losing to Tauziat for the first time in about 20 matches at Queens had it not been called for rain, lost to Schnyder at the U.S Open. And most of those are veterans, not up and comers, so that excuse doesnt even apply. And none of Graf's opponents said she was playing better than ever, that is a lie, name a single one who said this. If anyone did it was probably someone born in 1981 or later who never played Graf in her prime, and these same people are probably stupid enough to say Seles was at her best ever too. I dont know if Graf herself did, but if she did it was a PR faux like Federer claiming he is playing his best tennis ever repeatedly the last 5 years which everyone knows is bull.
Now you are right on one thing, the tour had improved a lot and Seles and Graf both faced that as well, as their own declines with age and injury. Yet another reason Seles nutters are delusional as fuck to think she would still have been dominant at this point without the stabbing as they frequently insist on.
@@adamlarsson3828 I would have to disagree. Graf had too many injuries after 96 to still be at her best in 99. She was way better in 99 than 97 or 98 but she sunk so low those years where she barely played due to injury that she had a long way to g back up. She still never returned to her 96 level or even close to it. The 96 Graf would have had no trouble with players like Kournikova or Julie Halard which Graf in 99 was still having trouble with despite not playing as bad as 97 or 98. Had she not had all her injuries were forced her to sit out most of 97 and about half of 98 you might have ended up right as she was still working on her game.