5 youngest women's tennis gold medalists in Olympic History
Winning a gold medal at the Olympics is a dream for any sportsperson and in tennis, it’s no different. Tennis had an on-and-off time in the Olympic program before becoming a regular in 1988.
Over the years, many notable players have made it to the podium as have several unknown players who later gained worldwide recognition courtesy of their Olympic performances. There have been a couple of players who have shone on the Olympic stage at a very young age.
Here is a look at five of the youngest tennis gold medalists in Olympic history.
#5 Steffi Graf - 19 years, 109 days
Stefanie Maria Graf is considered to be one of the greatest tennis players of all-time and has won a total of 22 Grand Slam titles which includes winning all the four majors at least four times.
When tennis was re-introduced to the Olympic program at the 1988 Seoul Games, Graf was a heavy favourite coming into the tournament as she had a brilliant year so far, having already won all four Grand Slam titles which included a 6-0, 6-0 thrashing of Natasha Zvereva in a 32-minute final at the French Open.
The top seed had a brilliant outing at her maiden Olympics, beating Zina Garrison 6-2, 6-0 in the semi-final before defeating Argentina’s Gabriela Sabatini 6-3, 6-3 in the final which was a rematch of the US Open final. By winning the gold at the Seoul Olympics, Graf achieved the feat of a “Golden Slam” which no player has achieved to date. Undoubtedly, a great exponent of tennis.