Steffi Graf: Top five biggest wins of the tennis legend's career

The German has won multiple honours, including all four grand slams and an Olympic Gold medal.

Stefanie Maria Graf or Steffi Graf is considered to be one of the greatest players in tennis history. The 22 times Grand Slam winner has every major trophy in her cabinet. Graf is also the only player to achieve the Golden Slam status. She has won all the four Grand Slams and the Olympic Gold medal in the same calendar year. Today we take the time to look into the former world no 1's biggest victories.

5. Steffi Graf vs Arantxa Sanchez Vicario ( Wimbledon final 1995)

Steffi Graf collided against Spain's Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the finals of the 1995 Wimbledon. Vicario was the no 2 seed while Graf was ranked no 1. Graf had already won 5 Wimbledon titles by then and was hunting for her 6th trophy.

But Vicario took the first set and Graf took the second. The match was poised for a final set to decide the winner. But Graf was able to keep her composure and use her championship experience to dig deep against the gritty Spaniard. Sanchez eventually succumbed to the pressure making uncharacteristic mistakes eventually which allowed Graf to win her 6th Wimbledon trophy. The match read the scoreline of 4-6,6-1 and 7-5.

4. Steffi Graf vs Monica Seles ( US Open final 1995)

The US Open 1995 finals was special for a number of reasons. For Graf winning the tournament meant she would equal Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova's 18 Grand Slam records. On the other hand for Seles it was her first return to a Grand Slam after her 1993 stabbing on the tennis court.

The first set was competitive and was decided through a tiebreaker with Graf taking a lead. Seles countered effectively in the second set. She held her serves and broke Graf to win it 6-0. Consequently it went to the third set but it was Graf who ultimately closed the show. The match ultimately ended with the result of 7-6,0-6, 6-3 with Graf touching another career milestone.

3. Steffi Graf vs Arantxa Sanchez Vicario ( French Open final 1996)

Another Grand Slam final between Graf and Vicario but this this time it was the Roland Garros. Between Graf and Vicario there are 6 French Open titles so fans were ready for some fireworks. Graf was the defending champion and was eager to retain her trophy. On the other hand Vicario was determined to avenge her last year's loss.

That match started and Graf took the first set. It was from the second set that the match became even more exciting. The second set went to a nail biting tiebreaker with Vicario coming out on top. The third set topped all off as it was a marathon with Graf finally getting the win at 10-8. "It was such a big joy.

I was standing there at 7-6 or 8-7, I almost didn't know what to do" recounted Graf on the match against a very game adversary. The final scoreline of the match read 6-3,6-7,10-8.

2. Steffi Graf vs Mary Joe Fernandez ( French Open final 1993)

Steffi Graf beat Mary Joe Fernandez in the finals of the 1993 French Open to lift her 3rd title from Roland Garros. Unlike her other matches Graf was sloppier in this exchange which cost her the first set. Her error prone serving and unforced errors of her forehand caused her problems.

But eventually it was Graf's experience of the big matches that got her through. Fernandez was leading 4-3 in the final set but let the match slip away. Graf knowing she had money and the trophy on line played some decisive tennis in the end. The match finally concluded with a score of 4-6,6-2,6-4 with Graf coming out victorious. This game definitely stands out as it showed the mental toughness of Graf.

1. Steffi Graf vs Martina Navratilova ( French Open final 1987)

Steffi Graf played some of her best tennis on the clay courts of Roland Garros as is evident from the list. Coincidentally this is exactly where her foray into Grand Slam success began. Her first major Grand Slam victory that too against the world no 1 Martina Navratilova.

The 17 year old challenger Graf went toe to toe with a champion like Navratilova and toppled her to taste her first Grand Slam success. Steffi was aggressive from the start and claimed the first set at 6-4. Navratilova took the second set in the exact same fashion. Navratilova made some critical errors in the final half which changed the complexion of the game.

The American made two double faults while leading 5-3 in the game. Graf capitalized on that to level the scoring. It was ironic that the match also ended on double faults with Graf throwing up her arms in victory shedding tears of joy. As the packed stadium clapped for the new champion the scoreline read 6-4,4-6, 8-6.

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