3 current tennis players whose mothers were defeated by Steffi Graf ft. Brandon Holt
Steffi Graf is one of the greatest players to ever set foot on a tennis court owing to a career that has been matched by only a handful.
Being the only player to have won a Golden Grand Slam (winning all four Grand Slams and an Olympic Gold medal in one year), even though it's been more than two decades since she bid adieu to tennis, she is still remembered and valued because of her contribution to the sport.
Graf won each of the four Grand Slams at least four times, being the only singles player, male or female, to attain this feat. The German married fellow tennis player Andre Agassi in 2001 and the couple have two kids together.
Graf faced a number of competitors throughout her career and some of them have children who are tennis professionals themselves.
So, without any further ado, let's take a look at three current tennis players whose mothers were beaten by Steffi Graf.
#1. Brandon Holt
25-year-old Brandon Holt is the son of former World No. 1 Tracy Austin and has had a rather modest tennis career compared to his mother.
Austin remains the youngest-ever US Open champion of all time as well as the youngest individual to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
The American faced Graf only two times, one being the German's first ever professional match at 13 years of age which she lost in the first round of the 1982 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
However, the two met once again after 12 years at the Evert Cup (now known as the BNP Paribas Open) in 1994 where Graf defeated Austin 6-0,6-0 within just 43 minutes.
#2. Elizabeth Mandlik
Steffi Graf has had an impressive career during which, she faced a number of quality players, including Hana Mandlikova. Mandlikova's daughter Elizabeth Mandlik is also a tennis player and has held a career high ranking of 97.
While the 22-year-old has had a very modest playing career, her mother won three Grand Slams and is the only woman since Tracy Austin to defeat both Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova in the same tournament.
However, when it came to facing Steffi Graf, Mandlikova came out on top just once out of nine meetings. They locked horns in two Grand Slam quarterfinals, with Mandlikova triumphing at the 1986 French Open while the German won at the 1988 Australian Open and went on to win the tournament.
#3. Nicholas Godsick
19-year-old Nicholas Godsick, who has played collegiate tennis for Stanford University is the son of Mary Joe Fernandez, who reached three Grand Slam singles finals throughout her career.
While Godisck is still in the early stages of his professional career, his mother has held a career-high ranking of World No.4.
Mary Joe Fernandez faced Steffi Graf 17 times during her playing days, including two Grand Slam finals at the 1990 Australian Open and the 1993 French Open. However, the German came out on top on each occasion.