"I lost the game, so I think I'll ask for a divorce now" - When Steffi Graf joked about fan proposing to her during Wimbledon semifinal
Steffi Graf is one of the greatest tennis players of all time. She had a glittering career in which she won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, among several other accolades.
The German had several iconic moments on the court, and those include her response to a fan proposing to her during one of her matches.
The year was 1996, with Graf entering Wimbledon as the title favorite. The German booked her place in the semifinals with straight-sets wins over Ludmila Richterova, Nathalie Baudone, Nicole Arendt, Martina Hingis, and Jana Novotna.
Going up against Kimiko Date, Steffi Graf won the match 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 to reach the final. However, the match will always be remembered for a hilarious interaction between Graf and a fan, who shouted out from the stands asking her to marry him.
The German responded by saying:
"How much money do you have?"
The crowd burst into laughter at hearing that. Graf, who was serving at 2-4 at the time, went on to lose the game, but she rebounded to win the match.
After her victory, the German jokingly said that she would take a divorce since she lost that particular game.
"I lost the game, so I think I'll ask for a divorce now," Graf said, as quoted by the New York Times.
The German also praised Kimiko Date for her performance in the semifinal.
"She's come up with some great tennis against me. She loves the way I play, very flat and with pace, and she just takes my power and knows pretty early where I'm going to hit it. If we played a little slower, it would be much more difficult for her, but it's just not my game," Graf said.
The German faced Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the final and beat her 6-3, 7-5 to win her 20th Grand Slam singles title.
Steffi Graf won seven singles titles at Wimbledon
Steffi Graf had an extraordinary record at Wimbledon, winning 74 out of 81 matches with seven titles to her name. She had a win percentage of 91.36, which is a personal best for her at any Major.
Graf's first Wimbledon crown came in 1988, and she successfully defended it in 1989. The German won three consecutive titles at the grass-court Major from 1990 to 1992, before winning another two in 1995 and 1996.
Her final appearance at Wimbledon came in 1999, when she reached the final before losing 6-4, 7-5 to Lindsay Davenport.