25 years ago today, Steffi Graf played her last Grand Slam match in Wimbledon – without even realizing it herself. A few days earlier, Boris Becker had also said goodbye to the stage.
It was the end of an era in German sport – even if it wasn’t yet clear that day.
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On July 3, 1999, 25 years ago today, Steffi Graf, the long-time tennis dominator, stepped onto the center court of Wimbledon for the last time as a player. The eighth triumph in London, the 23rd Grand Slam title was the goal that the player of the century from Brühl had in mind that day and ultimately missed – the American Lindsay Davenport celebrated her first and only triumph on the hallowed grass with 6:4, 7:5.
For her opponent Graf, it was her last Grand Slam appearance, without her even knowing it. Six weeks later, she unexpectedly announced a decision that had matured in her mind in the weeks that followed: immediate retirement from active sport.
The 1999 Wimbledon tournament proved to be the end of the golden years in German tennis: a few days before Graf’s final, Boris Becker had also announced the end of his career after his clear round of 16 defeat against Patrick Rafter.
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Steffi Graf and Boris Becker resigned shortly after each other
The two retirements took place under completely different circumstances: Becker, who was far from the form of his best years at the end, had actually wanted to stop in 1997 and then came back again – it was clear to all fans that this would be his farewell performance, even if he only made it official afterwards.
Boris Becker after his last Wimbledon match in 1999 against Patrick Rafter
The case was different for the second major pillar of the German tennis boom: Graf had just come through the most emotional months of her career: in Paris she had celebrated her 22nd and most beautiful Grand Slam triumph against the young Martina Hingis, followed shortly afterwards by the final at Wimbledon.
Graf also found happiness in her private life during this time through the budding romance with colleague Andre Agassi – but at the same time her body took its toll after 17 years on the grind of the professional tour.
For a long time, Graf had only been able to endure the strain with painkillers, and she did not even finish her last match. At the beginning of August in San Diego, she gave up against the American Amy Frazier with the score at 6:4, 5:7, 1:2 due to a pulled thigh.
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After Wimbledon, “fun and joy” were suddenly missing
“The weeks after Wimbledon were not easy because for the first time I missed the fun and joy of tennis. It was a strange feeling for me, something I had never experienced before,” said Graf when she announced her retirement at a press conference in a hotel in Heidelberg on August 13. Even the approaching US Open, where she would have started as one of the favorites and which would have offered a special stage for her farewell, had lost its appeal.
What she experienced in Paris and Wimbledon was “so intense,” Graf said: “Afterwards, I perhaps had the feeling that there was nothing more I could achieve.”
Steffi Graf lost the 1999 Wimbledon final against Lindsay Davenport
With tears in her eyes, Graf whispered: “Tennis has determined my whole life, it’s hard to let go.” Once she had regained her composure, however, she also described her “relief” that followed the irrevocable decision.
Within a few weeks, the tennis nation lost its two role models, whose legacy remains unmatched to this day: With six Grand Slam titles, Becker is still by far the most successful German player in history. With her 22 major successes, Graf is even among the top 3 worldwide – only Margaret Court (24) and Serene Williams (23) are ahead of her in the all-time rankings.
2024-07-03 10:58:19
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