“It’s hard really to describe the right feelings” - When Steffi Graf reacted to completing Calendar Year Grand Slam at 1988 US Open
Steffi Graf had a glittering tennis career, winning 22 singles Grand Slams and 107 titles overall. The German tennis legend had a breakthrough year in 1987, winning her first Major at the French Open and subsequently becoming the World No. 1 aged just 18.
Graf reached even greater heights in 1988, as she became only the third woman to win the Calendar Year Grand Slam - after Maureen Connolly Brinker in 1953 and Margaret Court in 1970.
During the trophy presentation at the US Open, the then 19-year-old maintained a modest demeanor as she expressed her feelings about achieving the Calendar Year Grand Slam.
“Well, I am very thrilled to be able to win the match today and it’s hard really to describe the right feelings in the moment, but I am very happy,” she said.
Graf also revealed the thoughts she went through before and after the match. She stated that she felt under pressure and exhausted at first, but was relieved at completing the monumental victory.
“Oh sure, everybody was talking about, now the last tournament, the US Open, how tough it’s going to be to win the last Grand Slam event. So, I was today, a little bit, not nervous, but I was very tired and ya, I was looking forward and how I can do. So, just very happy,” Graf confessed.
She went on to thank her father Peter Graf and her coach of the time Pavel Slozil, as well as all her fans around the world.
“My family, first of all, a special thanks to my father who really had been giving me everything I needed. And special thanks to Pavel Slozil and all my fans around the world, thank you,” she said.
Steffi Graf interviewed after winning the 1988 US Open and capturing the Calendar Year Grand Slam https://t.co/IQZbHqSKyZ
After her success at the 1988 Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open, Steffi Graf went on to win the 1988 Olympic gold too. That made her the first (and so far, only) player in history to complete the Calendar Year Golden Slam.
Steffi Graf’s 1988 run to capture Calendar Year Golden Slam
Steffi Graf won the second Grand Slam title of her career at the 1988 Australian Open, and she did so without dropping a single set. Graf defeated Chris Evert 6-1, 7-6(3) in the final to clinch the title.
She continued her impeccable run at the Majors, annihilating Natasha Zvereva 6-0, 6-0 to successfully defend her French Open title, again doing so without dropping a set throughout the tournament.
At Wimbledon, Martina Navratilova managed to win one set against Graf in the final. The formidable German, however, fought back to win 5–7, 6–2, 6–1 and take her fourth Grand Slam title.
In the US Open final, she faced her long-time doubles partner Gabriela Sabatini, who she defeated 6–3, 3–6, 6–1. At the age of 19, Graf had achieved the Calendar Year Grand Slam, a feat she made even sweeter just a few weeks later when she beat Sabatini 6–3, 6–3 to clinch Olympic gold in Seoul and thus complete the Calendar Year Golden Slam.