"To see myself in a place of history, I think that's too early for me to do": When Steffi Graf beat Arantxa Sanchez Vicario to win her 20th Grand Slam
Steffi Graf once said that seeing herself making history was something that came early to her.
The German won her 20th Grand Slam singles title at the 1996 Wimbledon Championships. She entered the tournament after winning a record 19th Major at that year's French Open.
Seeded first, Steffi Graf did not drop a single set till the semifinals, beating Ludmila Richterova, Nathalie Baudone, Nicole Arendt, 16th seed Martina Hingis, and sixth seed Jana Novotna.
Graf then beat 12th seed Kimiko Date 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 to reach the final, where she triumphed 6-3, 7-5 over her rival and fourth seed Arantxa Sanchez Vicario to win her seventh Wimbledon crown and 20th Grand Slam singles title, the very first player to attain this feat.
Speaking after the match, Graf said that winning 20 Majors is something she never expected. The German also said that it was a "little too early" to see herself make history.
"It's something that I've never imagined I would be able to do. It's just incredible to me how the last few years have been going on, and how I've always been able to rise to the occasion. But to see myself in a place of history, I think that's a little too early for me to do," Graf said as quoted by the New York Times.
The German went on to win the US Open in 1996 and ended the year winning three Grand Slams. That season, Graf won 54 out of 58 matches with seven titles to her name.
Graf did not win another Major for almost three years before her final Grand Slam triumph at the French Open in 1999, beating Martina Hingis in the final.
Steffi Graf and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario locked horns thrice at Wimbledon
Steffi Graf and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario locked horns on 36 occasions, three of which came at Wimbledon.
Their first encounter at the grass-court Major came in the quarterfinals in 1989, with Graf winning 7-5, 6-1. The German went on to win the tournament by beating Martina Navratilova in the final.
Their second Wimbledon encounter came in the 1995 final. This time, Sanchez Vicario started well and won the opening set 6-4. However, Graf bounced back to register a 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 win. The 1996 Wimbledon final turned out to be the last encounter between the two.