Comparing the remarkable feats of Serena Williams and Steffi Graf at Grand Slams
Steffi Graf and Serena Williams have dominated women’s tennis for considerable amounts of time, albeit in different time periods. With her recent Wimbledon victory, Williams is just one Slam short of completing the calendar Grand Slam, and could be the first woman to achieve this monumental feat since Graf managed it in 1988.
There are many aspects that are common between the two tennis greats.
Graf retired with 22 Grand Slams, and if Williams wins the US Open, it will be her 22nd Grand Slam. Both players won their first Grand Slam at the age of 17. And both had a powerful weapon which was feared by opponents: Graf’s forehand was a constant menace, and with Serena, it’s her serve that makes opponents tremble. Also, their head-to-head record reads 1-1.
In this article, we look at some of the most distinct similarities as well as differences between the two superstars.
The Similarities
| No. | Williams | Graf |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Williams is all but guaranteed the No.1 rank at the US Open, which means she would have been ranked No.1 at all the 4 Grand Slams. | At her peak in 1988, Graf was seeded No.1 at all the 4 Grand Slams. |
| 2. | If this is to be Serena’s Grand Slam year, she will be defending just one title: the US Open. | During her Grand Slam year, Graf was also defending just one title: the French Open. |
| 3. | Serena has defeated 3 different opponents so far in her 3 Grand Slam finals in 2015. | Steffi defeated 4 different opponents in her 4 Grand Slam finals in 1988. |
| 4. | Williams has lost just one match so far in 2015 to Petra Kvitova. | Prior to completing her Grand Slam in 1988, Graf had lost just one match, to Gabriela Sabatini. |
| 5. | Williams also won the 2014 US Open which means that if she wins this year’s US Open, it will be 5 straight Grand Slams for the American. | After completing the calendar Grand Slam in 1988, Graf won the 1989 Australian Open which made it 5 straight Grand Slams for the German. |
The Differences
| No. | Williams | Graf |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | If Serena wins the US Open to complete her calendar Grand Slam, it would be at the age of 33 (just a few days short of 34). | When Steffi completed her calendar Grand Slam in 1988, she was just 19 years old. |
| 2. | Before winning the first 3 Majors in 2015, Williams had already won 18 Grand Slams. | Before her historic run in 1988, Graf had won just one Grand Slam: the 1987 French Open. |
| 3. | Williams has already dropped 9 sets in Grand Slam matches heading into the US Open. | Graf had dropped just 2 sets while winning her Grand Slam. |
| 4. | Williams, who has already won the 2012 Olympics singles gold, won’t get the opportunity to achieve the Golden Slam in 2015. Her next chance will be at the 2016 Rio Olympics. | Graf completed the Golden Slam in 1988 by winning the singles gold at the Seoul Olympics, weeks after completing her Grand Slam. |
| 5. | The number of total Slams won by Serena’s opponents in her Grand Slam finals this year has been just 5. | Steffi’s opponents in her Grand Slam finals in 1988 had won a total of 37 Slams. This shows that her opponents were much tougher than Serena’s. |
Here is what contemporary players think of Graf’s achievement:
Let us take a look at Serena’s first three Major wins this year: