"I hate these people, I will never stop hating these people" - When Steffi Graf lashed out at the German media for attempting to 'destroy her family'
Steffi Graf once lashed out at the German press for intruding into her personal life, particularly with their sensationalized reporting of her father Peter's paternity scandal. Graf expressed frustration with the media's apparent disregard for the emotional toll on her family during the difficult ordeal.
In 1990, Graf was blindsided when German publication Bild reported that her father Peter had an extramarital affair with model Nicole Meissner, who claimed she was pregnant with his child. The then-World No. 1 was competing at the German Open at the time, riding an impressive 66-match winning streak heading into the final.
The scandal quickly took its toll on Steffi Graf's performance, as Monica Seles snapped her winning streak with a 6-4, 6-3 victory in the title clash in Berlin. The German's struggles continued, with Seles beating her again in the French Open final, winning 7-6(6), 6-4.
Speaking to German magazine Stern following her loss at Roland Garros, Graf admitted that she was not only defeated by Monica Seles but also the relentless German press. She acknowledged that the media circus surrounding her father's controversy had negatively impacted her performance on the court.
"Yes, I also lost the two finals against the German press," Steffi Graf said (via the New York Times). "I could not fight as usual. Tennis is won with the head, but my head was often not with the game."
Steffi Graf also vehemently expressed her hatred for the invasive press, condemning their efforts to "destroy their family" simply for the sake of selling more newspapers.
"I hate these people. I will never stop hating these people, who wanted to destroy my family only because of the circulation of their newspapers," she added.
Steffi Graf: "It's very hard for me to be in Germany, every day the story is in the headlines; it's disgusting"
Following her loss to Monica Seles in the German Open final, Steffi Graf expressed frustration with the shocking manner in which the news of her father Peter's paternity scandal broke out, questioning why the media appeared intent on hurting her family.
"The way that they came out with the story was the biggest shock to me. You ask yourself, 'Is it true?' and you wonder why the press is trying to hurt you and your family as much as they can," Graf said (via The New York Times).
"It's on your mind constantly: you see people reading the papers and you want to rip them out of their hands. I never should have tried to play that final against Seles because really, I was not even there," she added.
Graf also admitted that it was very difficult for her to be back home in Germany due to the "disgusting" coverage from the local media.
"It's very hard for me to be in Germany right now. Every day the story is in the headlines, headlines you couldn't believe. It's been disgusting," she said.
Although Steffi Graf's father Peter was eventually cleared of the paternity allegations after blood tests confirmed that he wasn't the father of Nicole Meissner's child, he later admitted to having an affair with the model.