Graf’s Brilliant Career Left Opponents Dazzled

The amazing dominance of Steffi Graf was something to behold for her fans, and, well, something for her rivals to fear.

It was something memorable and unprecedented. On the day Graf announced her retirement from tennis, her friends and rivals on the WTA tour spoke of her brilliance and triumphs over injury and adversity.

At her very best, she once won matches in thirtysomething minutes. Starting with the French Open in 1987--her first Grand Slam title--Graf reached the final of 13 consecutive Grand Slam events, a streak ending in the semifinals at Wimbledon in 1990.

One of the few losses was to Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in the French final in 1989, preventing Graf from recording consecutive Grand Slams, winning all four majors in the same calendar year.

“I will always remember the first French Open when I was 17 and she was the No. 1 player in the world,” Sanchez-Vicario said on Friday. “Nobody could beat her and I beat her in the final. It was a dream come true for me.

“We have a very good history. This will have a big impact for tennis. It will be very hard to replace someone like Steffi on the tour.”

Said Graf’s friend and tour player Rennae Stubbs: “It’s a great legacy to have. She could have left five years ago, and she didn’t.” Martina Hingis once dismissed Graf as an aging veteran whose time had passed. That was last year. After losing to Graf in the French Open final in June, Hingis is more far more respectful.

“She was a great legend, an icon and still is,” Hingis said. “ . . . We were not like sisters, not best friends. We both had the same goals. But everybody is going to remember her as Steffi Graf, the great.”

Graf transformed the game with her athletic ability and strong sense of discipline.

“She was in great shape all the time,” said Hingis, who beat Graf only twice in nine meetings.

Said Stubbs: “She awed me with her ability to play tennis through all the adversity. She was the queen of playing every point.

“Her ability to block everything out was unbelievable. She could miss the easiest shot of all time and then forget it, boom, and move on to the next point.”

Graf’s announcement caught some of her colleagues off guard.

“It came as a bit of a surprise,” said Lindsay Davenport. “I was really kind of expecting her to end her career at the U.S. Open. Also, [there is] a little bit of sadness. She’s obviously one of the greatest players that has ever played and done so much for the sport.

“It’s kind of amazing to think that she is gone.”