"I'm trying to think about what's up next" - When Steffi Graf spoke about why she, unlike Martina Navratilova, didn't smile a lot on court
Steffi Graf once shared that she chose not to smile much on the court or cater to the crowd's expectations as she was too preoccupied with strategizing for the match. The German also claimed this was in contrast to Martina Navratilova, who was known for smiling a lot during her matches.
Graf made these remarks during the 1993 Virginia Slims Championships, which is now known as the WTA Finals. She went on to clinch the title by defeating Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the final, winning in four sets.
Before her opening-round match against Natasha Zvereva at the last tournament of the year, Graf was asked in a press conference why she didn't smile much or play for the crowd on the court. The German replied:
"Who does? Martina, yes. Who else? I'm concentrating. I'm trying to do my best out there and that's how I really am."
"I mean, I'm trying to think about what's up next and-- I mean-- it's just whenever you do something different or at least I do something different it just gets me a win, so I just try to take it as it is," she added.
Steffi Graf then attributed her success to a combination of factors - her eagerness to win, her innate talent for playing tennis, her proficiency at executing good shots, and her aggressive playing style.
"The key to my success? It is a long way back. I think it is a combination of a lot of things. It's being very eager, being-- having the talent to play, obviously having the shots, having a strong, aggressive game, I think that was very necessary the last few years," Graf said.
Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova met 18 times on the WTA Tour
Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova had a thrilling rivalry during their playing days, reminiscent of the latter's legendary rivalry with Chris Evert.
Graf and Navratilova faced each other 18 times on the WTA Tour with their head-to-head record evenly balanced at 9-9. Their first encounter was in the semifinals of the 1985 US Open, which Navratilova won. Their last meeting took place at the 1994 Toray Pan Pacific Open final, where Graf took home the trophy.
Graf holds a 4-2 advantage over Navratilova in Grand Slam finals. However, the 18-time Grand Slam champion has a 5-4 record in overall Major matches, winning their last encounter at such a tournament in the semifinals of the 1991 US Open.
Some of their most memorable matches were the 1987 French Open final, where Steffi Graf won her first Grand Slam, and the semifinals at Flushing Meadows in 1986 and 1991. Both of the latter matches went to three sets, with Martina Navratilova emerging victorious each time.