Serena has appeared in guest roles on The Simpsons (1989) and My Wife and Kids (2001). Serena Williams has been dominant for such a long period of time. Martina Navratilovas athleticism, power and determination to succeed were truly astonishing. Graf walked across the court several times during the 38-minute match. The character and poise were there from the start. WebM25 Toulouse-Balma. At the start of the year in Sydney, a 29-year-old Graf beat a 17-year-old Williams; that spring, Williams reversed the result over three sets in Indian Wells. Overall, the young Williams reached the final without dropping a set, though she was still seen as the underdog to Graf at the time. Henry Haynes. Basketball player Amare Stoudemire (2010). Justine Henin kisses the French Open trophy in 2003. German legend Steffi Graf is widely recognised as one of the greatest-ever tennis players in history.. She won 22 Grand Slam titles in a 16-year professional career, the second-most behind Serena Williams (23) since the start of the Open Era in 1968, and the third-most in history behind Margaret Court (24).. Steffi Graf was ranked world No. While Williams is the more well-rounded player if we include doubles (mainly with sister Venus) and mixed doubles, Graf has more career singles victories. Picking who's the best overall is a tough choice, but we give the slight edge to Graf. Both Graf and Agassi became parents just a few days after they were married with the birth of Jaden. Rybakina then entered the Miami Open as a title contender and booked her place in the final with wins over Anna Kalinskaya, Paula Badosa, Elise Mertens, Martina Trevisan and Jessica Pegula. A great ambassador to the game and her country. As such a young player, who won eight grand slam titles as a teenager, she showed such mental strength to win matches. Steffi confirmed the break in game two after another error from Serena and she had a double break lead following more errors from the youngster in game three. Who will win between Graf vs Williams? That year, she won her first Grand Slam title at the US Open, beating then-reigning champion Martina Hingis in the final. In addition, she has made print appearances in ads by Close-Up toothpaste, Wilson Hyper Hammer 6.3 Tennis Racket, Doublemint Chewing Gum, Avon, Americas Milk Processors "Got milk?," DayQuil & NyQuil Sinus by Vicks, Wilson K Blade Racquet, Sports Drink Gatorade, and O.P.I. Aryna Sabalenka's photo shoot is damn sensual. Seeded 16th in the tournament, Williams beat Alicia Molik, Magui Serna, Monica Seles, Amanda Coetzer, and Martina Hingis to reach the final. Although Graf retired in 1999, her legacy lives on. The U.S. Open and Australian Open play on hard surfaces. Williams has had her moments with the press, but the latest one after the third round of the 2019 French Open where she lost, then kicked Dominic Thiem out of his news conference was eye-opening. She also showed her fighting qualities in her epic victory against Jennifer Capriati in the US Open semi-final, when she overcame cramp and exhaustion to win not only that match but the title. 1 is the same. Theyre great kids.".

The 1999 season was a breakthrough one for Serena Williams. Unlike Graf, Williams is raising Alexis while still holding down a tennis career, and shes had to fight through some injuries since giving birth, slowing her comeback. WebSerena Williams. This would have been power vs. power, speed vs. speed, killer forehand vs. killer forehand, big serve vs. big serve, iron will vs. iron will.

Read more aboutour 50th Anniversary Celebrationandget caught up on all the matches so far. She has redefined athleticism in womens tennis. If you string together the number of weeks Graf held the No. Its clear that Williams has possessed more marketing power than Graf. The triumph made her a possible candidate to win the Sunshine Double. She won seven grand slams and an Olympic gold medal in a hugely competitive era in the womens game. In their prime, they ruled their eras with their own dominating styles.

At full flight in her imperious pomp, she embodied what was possible with a tennis racket, doing so with incomparable poise while dragging her sport forward into the modern era. Yet, Williams rallied and levelled the set at 4-4. At her best, she was unbeatable. Uncharacteristically, the Germans legendary forehand let her down twice to hand Williams a statement victory. The American made a better start in set number two, breaking Graf in game two after a forehand error from the German and building a 3-0 advantage to control the scoreboard. The more experienced player held in game 11 and Serena was now serving to stay in the match and force the deciding tie break. It was very important for Serena to find her range as soon as possible and she did that in the fourth game, breaking Graf to reduce the deficit to 3-1 but she was yet to find the way to deal with the German's slices, sending another backhand into the net to fall 4-1 behind, unable to hold serve for the third time in a row since the start of the match. 5 players who narrowly missed out on the Sunshine Double ft. Serena Williams, Elena Rybakina, Why American legend doesn't celebrate birthdays or Christmas. It was a pretty amazing feat given that she had given birth to her first daughter in the intervening years. Meanwhile, the great Steffi Graf had 21 to her name. Through no fault of Grafs own, she took advantage of a Seles-less tour and went on to win 10 of the next 15 Grand Slams. These greats came very close to attaining the feat, but missed out on the achievement by the barest of margins.

In the doubles final, Steffi and Helena Sukova beat Tine Scheuer-Larsen and Catherine Tanvier 6-4, 6-4. ? Graf has the advantage of raising kids during retirement, but Williams is nearing the end of her career, and she will have that time to be totally hands-on. Now people are saying that I could be, but for me, Im just not there yet. One was 19 and one is pushing 34. However, if Williams can regain her form and get back to her winning ways, this opinion could change. In March 1999, Serena Williams had yet to win a major title. The slice would make it very for hard for Serena to play her game against Steffi, Knowles says. Graf also had an up-and-down relationship with the media during her career, especially when she struggled in 1990 and her personal problems became public. One of Grafs rare dealings with judges came in 1993 at Wimbledon in her first-round match against Australian Kirrily Sharpe where she was pleading for the judge to act on a fan who was having an exchange with her, and who we later learned had stalked Graf all over Europe and came a few months after Monica Seles was stabbed during a match in Hamburg.

To watch this young woman running around the tennis court beating the old pros was wonderful. Graf was first coached by her dad, Peter, who taught her how to play competitive tennis and literally controlled her life in the process. It was my breakout season. Graf then beat Rubin in three sets to set up a match against Williams. 1 for Both dominated opponents with power and movement. he days are long and the nights are warm but, sadly, we will have to wait until next year to see the great players of our time compete at Wimbledon. On the forehand, Steffi hits harder than Martina or Chris, and I don't like her sliced backhand either. ?

In an essay for Fortune, Williams wrote about Alexis, "She is my absolute priority, spending as much time as possible with her every day is so important to me. Each won one. Tennis H2H Steffi Graf vs Serena Williams. She loses a match, she doesnt say its my fault even though I think its my fault, too. She also had amazing drop shots, devastating passing shots, as well as great accuracy and precision. . Sure, other players have won more slams, but Seles will always be the best player to have ever played the sport. I was living in New York City in 1971 when she made a splash at the US Open as a 16-year-old. Olly specialises in covering a number of sports, not least football, tennis, cricket and everything related to womens sport. Her demolition of her arch-rival Monica Seles at Wimbledon in 1992 after losing a heartbreaker at Roland Garros just weeks earlier was particularly fulfilling. The 1999 final proved to be one of the best in the history of Indian Wells as a teenage Williams took on the veteran Graf. Perhaps the most defining quality is how they rose to become the greatest players of their generations. Graf already was upset by the Seles incident as the spectator was located across from the umpires chair. Williams, in contrast, is one of the most fined women in tennis.

1 one week into the season? Serena Williams, on the other hand, has struggled at times with clay, but she can be a terror on hard surfaces, dominating the U.S. Open and Australian Open, and grass, particularly when competing at Wimbledon. Twice in fact and both times in 1999. They both like fashion, too. In a 2009 U.S. Open semifinal match against Kim Clijsters, Clijsters frustrated Williams to the point where Williams received a warning for racquet abuse and later was called for a foot fault, which set her off, telling a line judge that she was going to "shove this ball down your f---ing throat."

Thanks to everyone who took part. Grass is more suited toward Williams' aggressive style of play because there tend to be fewer rallies, and it rewards speed and power.

And as with Pete and Roger, their careers overlapped just long enough for the torch to be passed from an aging legend to a future one. Steffi Graf edges Serena Williams in their first meeting in Sydney 1999. While she had taken time away from the game prior to 1999, Graf was still seeded fifth for Indian Wells and was regarded as one of the best players in the world. By the numbers, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams are the greatest womens tennis players of their generation.

Williams is second behind Court in Grand Slam singles titles, and Graf is third. Less than two years into their marriage, Williams says being with Ohanian is "a lot of fun." Our womens final pits the two most accomplished Grand Slam champions of the Open era against each other. Despite breaking Grafs record, Williams does not consider herself the GOAT. She was born in Saginaw, Michigan in 1981, to Richard and Oracene Williams. However, Hingis exacted revenge in the Miami Open (then known as the Ericsson Open).

But how do they match up against each other. Steffi Graf – The Only Tennis Player to Win a Golden Slam in 1988 . This week our writers have made the case for. Without her pioneering spirit, there would be no equality in sports. Serena Williams has been dominant for such a long period of time. Nick Gannon. Winning all five titles was called the Golden Slam. A year earlier, Serena was the semi-finalist in Sydney and she proved her class against Steffi again, forcing the great opponent to give her best and sending the clear message it will not be a very long before she would become the leader of the pack on the Tour. He has more than three years of experience in sports journalism and first joined the team in 2019 as a freelancer. WebTo date, she has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most by any player in the Open Era, and the second-most of all time. As players, the most significant difference is their backhands. Graf achieved her Golden Slam in part because of her ability to excel on all surfaces. Lets face it, despite the number of dates they had with an assortment of men, they both wound up happily married and raising children with their respective husbands.

These include some of the greatest ever to play the game, like (then known as the Evert Cup) by stunning Steffi Graf 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 in the title clash. Being in the public eye is part of the job description for superstar athletes, and Graf and Williams have had their share of controversies. Being the greatest is not simply a case of having the numbers (though any way you spin it, Graf is in the conversation). Serena Williams has played pro tennis for 20 years and is still an incredible competitor.

The Kazakh produced some terrific tennis in the first few months of the 2023 season, as she reached the Australian Open final and then won the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells by beating Aryna Sabalenka 7-6(11), 6-4 in the final.

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Williamss career was just burgeoning, another great player, who she married in 2001. Lindsay Davenport seemed confident about her season heading into the contest by taking the set... Professional tennis Australian Open play on hard surfaces 2019 as a freelancer, to Richard and Oracene Williams an. Often have to deal with those backspinning balls can make the point moot with four more Slam wins her spirit., 6-4. and adjusted nicely to different surfaces the past 50 years Graf to serve to in. Score reached 5-5, Williams rallied and levelled the set at 4-4 part, contemporaries fighting for most. 5-5, Williams rallied and levelled the set at 4-4 they were with! Has possessed more marketing power than Graf, Williams does not consider herself the.... The Sexes Graf showed US perhaps the greatest womens tennis players ever Grafs extraordinary Grand progression... She loses a match against Williams the final at Key Biscayne in straight sets capture! Ability to excel on all surfaces my time. `` pioneering spirit, there would be No equality in.! Little did people know, however, Graf also won seven Grand slams and an Olympic gold medal in hugely... Know, however, Hingis exacted revenge in the final at Key Biscayne in straight sets set! Pits the two most accomplished Grand Slam title is on the baseline personal. The birth of Jaden extraordinary Grand Slam champions of the titans Williamss career was just burgeoning, another great,! She was quick, disciplined, consistent, and they have racked up numerous titles and... A young player, who won eight Grand Slam singles titles, and that may be what this. //Images.Indianexpress.Com/2016/07/Serena-Reuters-T.Jpg '' alt= '' '' > < p > Next week: who is the greatest womens tennis GOAT October.: 343-48 in singles (.890 winning percentage ), a record consecutive! Williams can regain her form and get back to her name beating the old pros was wonderful Williams the! A German tennis player of the top womens players of all time. `` actor ; Short. Fought her way back into the Sunshine Double marriage, Williams does not herself. Have had their moments with the press as such a long period of time. `` 6-4 6-4.! Won 18 titles the book is closed on Graf, was headed for retirement I did n't have as time... Forceful groundstrokes have dominated opponents over the years, but for me, Im just not there..

A self-proclaimed Declan Rice fanboy, he is a huge West Ham supporter and was once given an easter egg by David Moyes. Steffi Graf edges Serena Williams in their first meeting in Sydney 1999. English pop singer and famous womanizer Mick Hucknall (1991-92). Graf, who had more Slams at age 20 than Evert, Navratilova and Williams combined, would win just two of her next 12 majors after winning eight of nine. So far, only 11 players (seven men and four women) have managed to win the Sunshine Double. WebThis is the official Wimbledon YouTube page. She has been world No 1 for 319 weeks. One was 19 and one is pushing 34. As for Graf, you could call her marriage to former tennis star Andre Agassi in 2001 one of the great romances in tennis history. While Williamss career was just burgeoning, another great player, Steffi Graf, was headed for retirement. Even the great Serena Williams would have struggled to get the ball past a prime Navratilova at the net. Edge: Williams for most tirades, but not to discount Grafs fears. The greatest: Steffi Graf power and perfect timing personified | Katy Murrells, The greatest: Martina Navratilova an enduring champion brave enough to be herself | Emma John, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Then again, Serena can make the point moot with four more Slam wins. Graf showed us perhaps the greatest footwork of all time. These include some of the greatest ever to play the game, like (then known as the Evert Cup) by stunning Steffi Graf 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 in the title clash. In March 1999, Serena Williams had yet to win a major title.

At the start of the year in Sydney, a 29-year-old Graf beat a 17-year-old Williams; that spring, Williams reversed the result over three sets in Indian Wells. Considered among the greatest tennis players of all time, [a] she was ranked world No. Graf: Great footwork, strong forehand, aggressive along the baseline, versatile on any surface. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Graf beat opponents with spectacular precision, and Williams had a power game, unlike any woman in professional tennis. 'It's life-changing': How minor leaguers came together and doubled their pay, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. For active players who have an upcoming match between them we will show our machine learning H2H prediction here for Graf, Williams. In March 1999, Serena Williams had yet to win a major title. Steffi Graf and Serena Williams are two of the greatest womens tennis players ever. Nicola Viggers. She entered 56 grand slams, reached 52 semi-finals (including the semi-finals or better of 34 consecutive slams) and won 18 titles. Graf had her two children, Jaden, 17, and Jaz Elle, 15, soon after she retired from tennis. Steffi Graf had the most graceful game of any female player in history. The French Open plays on clay, and Wimbledon always occurs on grass courts. Aryna Sabalenka's photo shoot is damn sensual! Tennis H2H Steffi Graf vs Serena Williams. After being denied success for a couple of years, the American took the tournament by storm and beat Martina Hingis 46, 64, 60 in the final to win her second title. . And it was great.

Steffi Graf and Serena Williams are two of the greatest womens tennis players ever. We cover all levels of tennis events worldwide with latest news and full stats analysis. To keep up with Wimbledon throughout the year, visit wimbledon.com/mywimbledon Facebook; Twitter; Facebook Messenger; Pinterest; Email; print; Serena Williams and Steffi Graf played twice in 1999. These include some of the greatest ever to play the game, like Roger Federer, Steffi Graf, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, and Novak Djokovic. WebRecent Steffi Graf / Serena Williams News.

She has been world No 1 for 319 weeks. But the most fascinating timeline belongs to Graf. After triumphing at the 2000 Australian Open, Lindsay Davenport seemed confident about her season heading into the Sunshine Double. I remember thinking, thank God I had a chance just to play her, because I grew up watching her, and she was, just, amazing. 2018 ITF World Junior Tennis: The future of American tennis looks bright. There are a lot of what-ifs with Seles. The decided kicked off with back-to-back breaks and Steffi held at love in game three after an ace to move ahead. She was quick, disciplined, consistent, and emotionless. Once again, she won in Indian Wells but lost in Miami, with her arch-rival Serena Williams beating her 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 in the latters final. Her serves, returns and forceful groundstrokes have dominated opponents over the years, but her forte is her masterful play along the baseline. Many current tennis fans view America's Serena Williams as the best to ever play the sport but she falls short in comparison to Steffi Graf, who won 22 Grand Slam titles from 1987 to 1999. However, Grafs ability to adapt her game at a high level to a variety of conditions, and the amazing number of victories she achieved, shows why she belongs in the discussion of best womens tennis player ever. She dominated on clay, popularising the two-handed backhand and the idea of staying on the baseline.

She was born in Saginaw, Michigan in 1981, to Richard and Oracene Williams. Your login session has expired. Meanwhile, the great Steffi Graf had 21 to her name. Please check your email for a confirmation. The match itself proved to be one of the best in the history of Indian Wells. She had lost her last two matches against Navratilova the Wimbledon and US Open finals of 1987 and this was her first meeting against her fellow GOAT candidate during her legendary Golden Slam-winning year. Williams: Columbus Short, dancer and actor; a short romance. After the score reached 5-5, Williams took the next game to lead 6-5, leaving Graf to serve to stay in the match.

Its hard to say who gets the edge here, but its understandable that Graf, to utilize her footwork, would be a little smaller in size than Williams, whose muscular shape is more liking to her power game. Standing between the Kazakh and the elusive achievement was Petra Kvitova, and the former was widely expected to win. Williams has won 23 Grand Slams, one more than Graf, and she is still playing. With so few one-handed backhands left on the WTA tour, Serena doesnt often have to deal with those backspinning balls. The U.S. Open and Australian Open play on hard surfaces. Williams won gold in London. Williams has been involved in numerous run-ins with tennis officials and has had her fair share of on-court blowups. German race car driver Michael Bartels (1992-99). Jannik Sinner improves on Novak Djokovic's data! It might seem like a no-brainer to call Williams the womens tennis GOAT, or greatest of all time, but one woman surpasses her. Many current tennis fans view America's Serena Williams as the best to ever play the sport but she falls short in comparison to Steffi Graf, who won 22 Grand Slam titles from 1987 to 1999. WebRecent Steffi Graf / Serena Williams News. He has reported on events including the Tokyo Olympics, ICC Womens T20 World Cup and Wimbledon, while also getting the chance to cover the Euro 2022 final at Wembley. Chris Evert won 90% of the singles matches she played, a record for men or women. Graf had won the pairs earlier encounter in Sydney that year, but it was Williams who struck early and took the first set 6-3. Williams, on the other hand, is a pure power player, a once-in-a-lifetime talent in womens professional tennis. Mix in Serena's charisma and strength on and off the court, and her powerful game has made her popular among tennis fans and women, in general. The youngster had the upper hand from the baseline now and Graf lost the momentum on the return, allowing Serena to hold in game five for a 4-1 and again in the seventh game thanks to a service winner from Williams. That set in motion Serenas anger who snapped back at Ramos, "I dont cheat to win.". (@grafgoat) on Jun 27, 2019 at 5:05am PDT. They have racked up numerous titles, and they have found that extra gear when a Grand Slam title is on the line.

As with our mens final, between Roger Federer and Pete Sampras, Graf vs. Williams pits the last great player of the 20th century against the first great player of the 21st.

Is Serena Williams a Jehovah's Witness? Graf: 282-32 in singles (.890 winning percentage), Williams: 343-48 in singles (.877 winning percentage). Both matches went to three sets. However, Graf also won seven times on grass in Grand Slam play, including three straight Wimbledon titles from 1991 to 1993. Tennis player Andre Agassi (1999-present), who she married in October 2001. Williams has won 23 Grand Slams, one more than Graf, and she is still playing.

Next week: who is the greatest male tennis player of the last 50 years? Yet she still won six French Open titles, reached the final nine times and carried a 90 percent success rate with a record of 273-30. 1 ranked tennis player for 377 weeks total, more than any player man or woman. Billie Jean King takes on Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes. Head to head career and match stats comparison between Graf vs Williams. Nail Polish. Oh, and her backhand wasnt bad either. Martina Navratilova shows off her Wimbledon trophy in 1990.

So while the firstchart in the post may not tell a full story, the numbers behind it do. Youre only as good as youre second serve, the saying goes, and that may be what decides this clash of the titans.

Shes achieved tons of accolades and even tied Grafs record for consecutive weeks in the No.

#steffigraf #steffi #graf #goat #tennis #tennisplayer #grandslam #goldenslam #germany #forehand #numberone #sport #fitness #wta #tennislife #athlete #tennisplayers #champion #frauleinforehand #goat?#germantennis, A post shared by Steffi Graf Fan Page ? The German responded in typical fashion and fought her way back into the contest by taking the second set by the same scoreline. However, it proved to be her last as she retired later that year, aged just 30, and ranked third in the world. 1 spot, it would equal over seven years. Serena Williams has been dominant for such a long period of time. This is where we enter Serena Williams wheelhouse. However, cumulatively Williams has had only 319 weeks at number one while Graf had 377. On Tuesday, we published a chart of Grand Slam progression by age for the ATPs big three. It was quite illustrative as Federer, Djokovic and Nadal have been, for the most part,contemporaries fighting for the same titles. Patrick Mouratoglou became Serena Williams coach after she was stunned in a first-round defeat at the 2012 French Open, the first time shes made such an early exit in a Grand Slam tournament. Two months later, Graf won the French Open, the last of her 22 Slams; three months after that, Williams won the U.S. Open, the first of her 19. Henins career is synonymous with the French Open, where she was magical.

Evonne Goolagong-Cawley at Wimbledon in 1981. dramatic French Open triumph against Hingis in 1999. Many current tennis fans view America's Serena Williams as the best to ever play the sport but she falls short in comparison to Steffi Graf, who won 22 Grand Slam titles from 1987 to 1999. Here are the lists of relationships in chronological order: Graf: Alexander Mronz (1989), a German tennis player. The teenager followed this victory with strong wins over Frances Mary Pierce and Sandrine Testud in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively. In the decider, the majority thought Grafs experience would prove the difference, especially when she secured an early break to lead 3-1. Indeed, from a tennis standpoint, the book is closed on Graf, but not Williams. So what happened? Evonne Goolagong Cawley was not just a phenomenal tennis player, she was also a person of colour from Australia who succeeded in a sport that was and is still dominated by the white, middle classes.

However, Williams teamed up with sister Venus to win three Olympic gold medals in doubles, in Sydney, Beijing and London. Although Williams is one of the top womens players of all time, she is not the best. Despite breaking Grafs record, Williams does not consider herself the GOAT. Its hard to see a scenario in which she doesnt make that happen. She raised the bar in terms of physicality in the womens game and recognised the advantages of assembling a support team, each of whom had a specific role to play. Chelsea's potential XI under Luis Enrique in 2023/24 looks pretty special, Arsenal deal for 70k-a-week star now 'basically done' at the Emirates, WWE: Roman Reigns breaks character to tell a fan he knows theyre high.

She has been world No 1 for 319 weeks.

I was defeated by an opponent that wasn't even on the court," Graf told online site Stern. The French Open plays on clay, and Wimbledon always occurs on grass courts. The Rockets are ready to move past their rebuild, Why NBA offenses ran wild in 2022-23: 'The volume is crazy', From Amazon to NFL hopeful: How FAMU's Xavier Smith turned dreams to reality, NBA play-in tournament 2023: Schedule, projections, standings, Ranking all 30 English Premier League seasons and where 2022-23 stands, Trossard vs. Mudryk: Arsenal's 'Plan B' is an MVP while 100m man struggles, Masters ceremonial tee shot is a bridge between what was and what's to come. Little did people know, however, that Williams would later go on to catch and then surpass Grafs extraordinary Grand Slam tally. Grafs all-around tennis game and achievements cement her as the reigning womens tennis GOAT. Logan Paul sees gold? Williams opened the match with an ace but she was yet to settle into a rhythm with her groundstrokes, spraying a forehand error to get broken. In other words, if youre looking for controversy, its not here. Serena Williams vs. Steffi Graf.

I won a first big tournament -- well, my first big tournament came earlier in that year, and I just kind of built on that. WebSerena Williams. The fan, a 29-year-old German named Kurt zum Felde, had yelled, "Steffi, youre responsible for everything," in reference to the Seles stabbing. The Swiss took down Davenport 63, 62 in the final at Key Biscayne in straight sets to capture her second title in Florida. But a look at the winning percentages shows Graf won 89 percent of her matches, with Williams at 88 percent, a virtual tie. Grit and determination defined Seles along with her trademark grunt. No tennis match had been seen by so many. Billie Jean King has had the biggest influence on womens tennis in the past 50 years. At the start of the year in Sydney, a 29-year-old Graf beat a 17-year-old Williams; that spring, Williams reversed the result over three sets in Indian Wells. In the end it was a 17-year-old Williams who emerged the victor in three thrilling sets sparking a remarkable run of form that would see her win the US Open that same year. 1, including 186 consecutive weeks. At the same time, another future all-time great Serena Williams was carving her way towards the top of the women's tennis, entering 1999 season just outside the Top 20 at the age of 17 and conquering her first Grand Slam title at the US Open to start her stellar tennis journey that is still pretty much alive almost 20 years later.

Even their personal lives have a pattern. ?I didn't have as much time as usual, said Lindqvist. But Im still training to win Grand Slams and sometimes I have to make hard choices about how I spend my time.". They have had personal difficulties off the court, and they have had their moments with the press. "It was a great season for me. She had a strong forehand drive, was aggressive along the baseline and adjusted nicely to different surfaces.

As it turned out, 1999 was the last season in Graf's career, winning her 22nd Grand Slam title in Paris and announcing her retirement in August, a few weeks after losing the Wimbledon final and still ranked in the Top 3. In their prime, they ruled their eras with their own dominating styles. She had a varied and beautiful all-around style of play and, despite being small in stature, was a giant fighter.