"I'm not that kind of person, when I'm on court, I'm very serious" - When Steffi Graf compared her attitude to Andre Agassi and Boris Becker
Steffi Graf once said that she did not lighten up on court during matches because it wasn't in her character.
Graf's comments came after the final of the 1994 Lipton Championships. She reached the final of the tournament following five straight-set wins. In the title clash, Graf came back from a set down to defeat Natasha Zvereva 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.
In the post-match press conference, Graf was asked if she would lighten up the court and play with the ball girl like Andre Agassi or Boris Becker. However, she said that was not possible as she wasn't that kind of person. Graf said that she was very serious on court despite being relaxed and 'easy'.
"No, I'm not that kind of person. It's just when I'm on the court I'm very serious and I'm out there to do well and to perform. It's not my character, really, to do these things. You know, sometimes I'm really relaxed and I'm easy about it, but, no, it's just not me," Steffi Graf said.
Steffi Graf was the World No. 1 for 377 weeks
Steffi Graf is among the greatest tennis players of all time and was the World No. 1 for a total of 377 weeks. This was a record until being broken by Novak Djokovic in 2023.
The German first reached the top of the WTA rankings in 1987 and held the position for 186 consecutive weeks. All in all, she was the World No. 1 across seven spells from 1987-1997.
Graf won 22 Grand Slams during her glittering career. The German's first Major title came at the French Open in 1987 when she was only 17 years old.
1988 was perhaps the most memorable year of Graf's career as she won all four Majors as well as the Olympic gold medal in Seoul. She thus became the first and till date, the only player to complete the Golden Slam in a single year.
There have been an addtional four years when Graf won three of the four Majors. She is the only player in tennis history to win all four Grand Slams at least four times.
The German won four titles at the Australian Open, five at the US Open, six at the French Open and seven at Wimbledon. She retired from tennis in 1999, months after winning that year's Roland Garros Championships by beating Martina Hingis in the final.