"I did not just lose against Seles; I also lost against the German press" - When Steffi Graf slammed the media for focusing on her personal life
Steffi Graf once hit hard at the German media for speculating about her personal life and focusing on that rather than her on-court achievements. She blamed some members of the media from her home nation for her loss of focus during the finals of the Berlin Open and French Open in 1990, both of which she lost to Monica Seles.
The German tennis great stated back then that she would "never stop hating" some journalists.
Graf was dominating the WTA circuit in the 1990 season, riding the second-longest winning streak in WTA history with 66 consecutive match wins, when she headed into the Berlin Open final. But she ended up losing to Monica Seles, before going down to the same opponent in the French Open final too.
While neither of those tournaments was a failure for her given that she reached the final, the two losses came as shockers because of her dominance prior to them.
In a heartfelt and emotional interview shortly after the 1990 French Open, the 22-time Grand Slam singles champion stated that she lost not only to Seles but also to the German press.
''In Paris and Berlin, I indeed did not just lose against Monica Seles; I was defeated by an opponent that wasn't even on the court,'' Steffi Graf told German magazine Stern, according to The New York Times. ''Yes, I also lost the two finals against the German press."
Graf further reflected on her mindset during those matches, admitting that she could not focus entirely on tennis which rendered her unable to "fight as usual."
''I could not fight as usual. Tennis is won with the head, but my head was often not with the game,'' Graf said.
She blamed the tabloid Bild, in particular, for constantly reporting on a scandal involving her father which had come to light back in early 1990.
The usually calm and composed Graf broke down in tears after the French Open final. She also lost her cool after the Berlin Open final, smashing her racquet against a wall in the locker room.
At the time Graf expressed "hatred" for the media members who wrote about her family.
''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 said.
Steffi Graf also threatened to leave Germany (West Germany back then) and permanently take up residence in the United States if the newspapers continued to speculate about her personal life and "hurt" her and her family.
"She did nothing to deserve it" - When Martina Navratilova sympathized with Steffi Graf
The controversy and its impact on Steffi Graf caught a lot of attention back then, and even drew a reaction from another tennis legend, Martina Navratilova.
The American great lamented the situation and expressed her sympathy for Steffi Graf. She also expressed her hope to see the German player get through the controversy in which she herself was innocent. Navratilova called the entire situation "a real shame."
''I just hope that Steffi gets herself together and that she is able to overcome the incredible pressures that she's feeling and that she had nothing to do with,'' Martina Navratilova said in a press conference during Wimbledon, according to the New York Times.
''I feel sorry for that happening to her. She did nothing to deserve it and it's a real shame. I just hope she gets through it and can concentrate on tennis again 100 percent," Navratilova added.
Steffi Graf headed into the 1990 Wimbledon with a staggering record of having reached the final in each of her previous 13 Grand Slams. However, her streak was broken as she was stunned by Zina Garrison in the Wimbledon semifinals. She won a few tournaments towards the end of the season and ended the year as the World No. 1.