"I'm really disappointed, kind of sad... It really was just severe pain right away" - When Steffi Graf opened up about heartbreaking Indian Wells exit
Steffi Graf's campaign at the 1998 State Farm Evert Cup in Indian Wells ended in disappointment as she was forced to retire from her thrilling semifinal clash. The German later opened up about the reason behind her surprising mid-match withdrawal.
That year, Graf entered the prestigious tournament as the third seed and produced a dominant campaign, reaching the semifinals without dropping a set. The German squared off against second seed Lindsay Davenport in a closely contested battle for a spot in the final.
Davenport won the opening set 6-4, while Steffi Graf secured the second set 6-4 to keep her chances alive. The decider was similarly competitive until the German suffered an injury to her left hamstring and called for a medical timeout. Despite receiving treatment, Graf retired from the match, as the American led 6-4, 4-6, 4-2.
During her post-match press conference, Steffi Graf admitted to feeling "sad" and disappointed over her retirement. She explained that she had felt a sharp, severe pain in her leg which rendered her unable to continue, but expressed optimism about the injury not requiring too much recovery time.
"Yeah. I mean -- yeah, obviously I'm really disappointed, kind of sad right now. Hopefully it's going to be a quick recovery, it's not too severe. I stopped early enough, so hopefully it's not going to take too long," Graf said.
"Sudden movement. It just really was severe pain right away. I was hoping that it was something like a cramp, but it was too strong. I mean, I finished the game somehow. But, I mean, I knew that I probably strained something. Hopefully only a strain. I mean, I tried to continue, but there was no way. I couldn't move," she added.
Despite her unfortunate injury, Graf maintained an optimistic outlook regarding her run at the event. Meanwhile, Lindsay Davenport failed to clinch the title at Indian Wells after the German's retirement, as Martina Hingis claimed a 6-3, 6-4 victory in the final.
Steffi Graf after Indian Wells loss: "I'm worried about the injury but I was very happy about the way things were happening"
During the same press conference, Steffi Graf acknowledged her worries about the extent of the injury but expressed satisfaction with her campaign and high level of tennis.
"Yeah. I mean, that's -- it's difficult to look at it right now. I mean, obviously, I'm worried about the injury. But, you know, either way, the outcome tonight, I was very happy about the way things were happening, and hopefully I can keep up with that," Graf said.
Graf made her final appearance at Indian Wells the following year, defeating the likes of Jana Novotna and Chanda Rubin to set up an exciting title clash with Serena Williams, who was 17 years old at the time.
Although Steffi Graf had claimed a 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 victory in their only previous meeting at the Sydney International earlier that year, Williams defeated the German 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 in the 1999 final to clinch her maiden title at the event.