"I kind of knew already on the way there" - When Steffi Graf went to her final event to gauge whether she wanted to retire
Steffi Graf once stated that she traveled to her final tournament just to gauge whether she wanted to play tennis anymore.
Graf retired from the sport in 1999, the year she won her last Grand Slam at the French Open. The TIG Classic in San Diego was the German player's last tournament, and she was forced to retire from her opening match against Amy Frazier due to an injury.
Graf eventually announced her retirement from tennis during that year's US Open. Speaking at a press conference in New York that year, she claimed that her initial plan after Wimbledon was to carry on playing till the end of the season.
"You know, for myself, I made kind of the decision that I wanted to play till the end of the year. So as things started happening, you know, after Wimbledon, I was at home and I was a little sick, then I was supposed to go to New York and had a commercial," Graf said.
Graf added that she knew while applying for a visa for the US Open that she did not have a strong desire to play tennis.
"I kind of knew already then that my desire to play wasn't as strong anymore. Also the way I set up the following weeks, for a little while I had a practice partner, then I decided not to have one because I felt I wanted to go home and not continue playing," Steffi Graf said.
The German remarked that she wondered whether she was tired in general or tired of playing tennis when she had bronchitis, and eventually decided to go to the TIG Classic to be sure of her intention to retire. Graf said that she already knew about her future in tennis on her way to San Diego as she did not feel like going to another tournament.
"But also during that period, like I said, I had bronchitis, it was a tough few weeks. I wasn't sure where that came from, if I was just tired in general or am I really tired of playing? Then I made the decision to go to San Diego to really be sure about it. I kind of knew already on the way there because I didn't feel like going to another tournament," Graf said.
Steffi Graf won 107 singles titles throughout her career
Steffi Graf had one of the greatest tennis careers a player could ask for, winning a total of 107 singles titles. That included 22 Grand Slams, which was an Open Era record until Serena Williams won her 23rd Major at the 2017 Australian Open.
Graf is the only tennis player in history to win at least four titles at each of the four Majors. She won the Australian Open four times, the French Open six times, Wimbledon seven times and the US Open five times.
The German's 1988 season is one of the most iconic in the history of the game, as she completed the Golden Slam - winning each of the four Majors and the Olympic gold.