Monday, August 16. 1999
The University Daily Kansan
Section B · Page 11
Graf hangs up her racket at age 30
Steffi Graf joined superstars Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, John Elway and Barry Sanders as athletes who retired in 1999 when she announced her decision on Friday.
The Associated Press
"They all retired at the same time," two-time U.S. Open tennis champion Tracy Austin said. "What are they doing to us?"
All Graf did was dominate her sport while earning a women's record about $22 million along with 22 Grand Slam tournament singles titles.
"I have done everything I wanted to do in tennis," the 30-year-old Graf said in Heidelberg, Germany. "It is time to stop."
Bart McGuire, the WTA Tour's chief executive officer, said Graf had been a role model for female athletes in all sports.
"She has been a catalyst for the resurgence of women's tennis, especially in Europe," McGuire said. "Steffi is a class act."
"I can kind of sympathize with what she's going through because when you're at the top, it is not easy to maintain it," said Pete Sampras, who's currently the top-ranked men's player. "She had an unbelievable career, did it with a lot of class.
"She went out and got the job done and made the racket do the talking. I have always looked up to her, the way she approached the game. She worked very hard and is a great athlete. But she has nothing
to be ashamed of after winning 22
Grand Slams. That is not easy."
Samplomas That Affect Biology
Samplas has been No. 1 in the
world rankings for 272 weeks in his career,
a record for men.
Graf was No.1 for 377 weeks, a woman's record.
Her nimble footwork and big forehand c h a n g e d women's tennis, although Graf, unlike many other young players, was not an
Graft retired Friday after winning 21
Grand Slam tournament singles
titles
"She was so disciplined. She was always focused, always trying 100 percent," Austin said. "Just very professional about her job and her work."
overnight success. She didn't win her first Grand Slam tournament title until 1987, when she surprised Martina Navratilova in the final of the French Open.
Andre Agassi, the third-ranked man, said Graf's retirement was a loss for tennis because she was the best lady that had ever played, dominated on every surface.
In 1982, Graf played her first WTA Tour match in Filderstadt, Germany. The 13-year-old participated in the draw and pulled Austin's name as her first-round opponent.
"She was this kid who hit the ball
Austin won the next 10 games, but knew she had seen the future of women's tennis.
so hard I couldn't believe it." Austin said Friday. "It was 4-all in the first set and she was painting the lines."
"I knew she was going to be a very, very good player," Austin said. "She had a huge, huge forehand and she moved like a deer out there."
Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario played Graf in seven Grand Slam tournament finals, winning the 1989 French Open and the 1994 U.S. Open.
"She's been a great player, a great champion, a good person and a friend," Sanchez-Vicario said in Manhattan Beach, Calif., where she is playing in the Acura Classic. "No one can replace Steffl. It's kind of hard to think she isn't going to 'be there anymore.'
Lindsay Davenport, the Wimbledon champion and the defending U.S. Open champion, thought Graf would wait before retiring.
"I was really expecting her to kind of end her career at the U.S. Open, so it is a little bit of a surprise," she said. "What I thought was really great was the older she got and the more she was winning, probably in the mid-'90s, the happier it seemed to make her. When she was playing in the '80s and just dominating, she never looked that happy, and I think she really learned to appreciate the game the older she got and more she played."
Billie Jean King called Graf the
"I have done everything I wanted to do in tennis. It is time to stop."
Steffi Graf
all-time great singles player in women's tennis.
Former tennis star
"I'm glad that she is able to retire on her own terms and hope that she will keep some involvement and commitment to our sport the rest of her life," King said. "We will miss her great athletic ability."
Austin, whose career was shortened by a back injury, said she was not surprised by Graf's decision.
"It's a great loss for her women's tennis, but I love the fact that she's doing it on her terms because after all of these injuries she's had, it's great that she's not going out because of an injury."
"But I'm happy for her that she feels at peace," Pierce said.
Wimbedon semifinalist Alexandra Stevenson said Graf's retirement gave her goose bumps.
Mary Pierce, whose lone Grand Slam tournament title came at the 1995 Australian Open, was surprised at the retirement.
"Knowing I will never have the privilege of playing against her makes me sad," she said. But I will memorize her graceful and courageous run at the 1999 French Open. Steffi Graf was always my measure of greatness."
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. — A year ago, Lindsay Davenport went from being a good player to a great one. She doesn't just hope for success, she expects it. And perhaps the nicest woman in tennis finally realized she hates to lose.
The Associated Press
Davenport a winner on and off court
"That was really hard for me to kind of step up and always be the aggressor and take chances and just be a more forceful presence on the court," she said.
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But she did, and she's got U.S. Open and Wimbledon titles to prove it.
Davenport's transformation from perennial top 20 player to a Grand Slam champion occurred during one sizzling summer in her native California.
"Kind of set the whole summer on fire," Davenport said.
She won three consecutive tournaments on her favorite hard court surface last July and August, then defeated Martina Hingis to win her first Grand Slam at the U.S. Open.
Suddenly, everyone was talking about how the 6-foot-2-1/2 player with the booming serve and punishing groundstrokes had improved her game. Having dropped about 30 pounds, Davenport was quicker and able to get to balls opponents had previously hit out of her reach.
"She's wanting it more and working more," Hingis said. "She lost weight, and she's serving better."
All the attention was a bit overwhelming for someone who doesn't crave the
"I just really let the tennis — kind of like Pete Sampras — do the talking," she said.
Davenport ended 1998 as the world's top-ranked player, her first time in the top spot. She won a
Davenport: the world's top-ranked tennis player
women's Tennis Association Tour-leading 69 singles matches and six titles, her best year since turning pro in 1993.
"There's so much pride and a level of attitude you get when you know you're No. 1," she said from the Acura Classic, a U.S. Open tuneup that she won last year.
But not the kind of attitude associated with some of Davenport's fellow pros. She possesses none of the bravado of the Williams sisters or Hingis.
"I'm not the type of player that's going to say, 'I'm unbeatable' or 'Did you see how well I played or quotes like that,' she said. "I take
it pretty normal."
Because she's approachable and stands out in a crowd, Davenport frequently finds herself the recipient of strangers' friendly advice.
"I swear I'm a magnet for that," she said. "Everybody is like, 'If you did this, you'd become much better.' I kind of always roll my eyes."
But she says thanks and sends everyone off with a friendly smile. Even the ones who stare and ask about her height.
Davenport won her second Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in July, restoring her to the top ranking. A loss in the semifinals at Carlsbad a week ago put her No. 2 behind Hingis.
"To get to No. 1 and stay there for a number of weeks has been a huge honor, but at the same time, if I wasn't No. 1 and I won a Grand Slam in a year it would be a bigger success," she said.
"I made the cover of the sports section for winning the U.S. Open," she said. "For winning Wimbledon, I'm on the cover of the front page."
Despite her No.1 status, Davenport has never been one of tennis' cover girls. She isn't in the gossip columns for who she's dating or for throwing tantrums, like some of her opponents.
"A lot more people have come up to me since winning Wimbledon than the U.S. Open. It definitely puts me in a different category of
Davenport cited a routine three-set quarterfinal defeat to Nathalie Tauziat at Wimbledon last year as a turning point in her career. She won the first set 6-1, but lost the second in a tiebreaker and was beaten 6-3 in the third.
player."
"She dictated the whole match, and she was the one hitting the winners," Davenport said. "I thought if I'm going to lose, I'd rather be the one who makes 60 errors and just gets beat off the court by winners.
"What I really figured out is that if I'm going to lose, I want to lose it on my terms."
Davenport's confidence is evident to her rivals.
"You see it in her whole game. When she's down, she's believing in herself all the time," said Anke Huber of Germany, who's lost to Davenport twice in recent weeks.
Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario of Spain knows what it takes to be No. 1, having been there in 1995. She sees a difference in Davenport since last year.
"She's just hitting her balls and making them from everywhere. She's very, very confident and that's a big difference," Sanchez-Vicario said.
"She's elevated her game and now it's up to the rest of the players to go and get her to see who can knock her off."
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