When Iga Swiatek walked off Centre Court after delivering a ruthless 6-0, 6-0 demolition of Amanda Anisimova in the Wimbledon final, the record books made us look to a familiar page. Only one woman in the Open Era had ever achieved a “double bagel” in a Grand Slam final before.Her name?Steffi Graf.In 1988, Graf dismantled Natasha Zvereva with the same scoreline in the French Open final. That year, she didn’t just win Paris, she won everything. All four Grand Slams and Olympic gold. The only tennis player in history, male or female, to capture a Golden Slam in a single calendar year.While this glorious moment belongs to Swiatek, it also makes this a perfect moment to look back on a legend whose career redefined dominance.
Golden career and hard work
Credit: Instagram/ Steffi Graf
Steffi Graf was born on June 14, 1969, in Mannheim, West Germany. Her father, Peter Graf, who was a car and insurance salesman, was also an ambitious tennis coach. He famously began training his daughter in their living room before she ever set foot on a court.
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By the age of 4, Graf was already on the ground swinging rackets. At five, she entered her first tournament. At six, she was taking formal lessons. And by 13 years and four months, she turned professional, ranking 124 in her debut season. She became the second youngest player ever to earn an international ranking. She climbed to No. 6 by 1985 and all this without a single tour-level title to her name. In 1987 she won her first Grand Slam event, defeating Czech-born American Martina Navratilova at the French Open.Unlike most teen phenoms, Graf’s schedule was tightly controlled. Peter Graf limited her tournament entries, shielding her from burnout. In 1985, she played 10 events leading up to the U.S. Open. For comparison, her rival Gabriela Sabatini, one year younger, played 21.
Grand slams and more
As per an ESPN report, Graf’s training regimen was merciless: four hours a day, sometimes right off a plane. It was this hard work that prepared her for every situation. Her crowning achievement came in 1988—the year of the Golden Slam. In winning the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open, and Olympic gold in Seoul, Graf joined Margaret Court and Maureen Connolly as the only women to sweep the Slams—but she remains the only one to add Olympic gold.
Credit: Instagram/ Steffi Graf
Over her career, she claimed 22 Grand Slam singles titles and, for a long time, held the record for the most Grand Slams in the Open Era, until Serena Williams surpassed it in 2017.
Net worth
Steffi Graf’s financial legacy matches her sporting one. As of 2024, her net worth stands at approximately $145 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Combined with her husband, fellow tennis icon Andre Agassi, their joint fortune edges close to the $300 million mark. Beyond prize money, she built a savvy business portfolio anchored by a long-standing relationship with Adidas, where she launched her line of signature sneakers. She also appeared in high-profile commercials for Opel in Germany, reinforcing her status as a national icon. Off-camera, Graf and her husband, Andre Agassi, co-manage a diversified investment portfolio that includes stakes in tech firms, wellness brands, and fitness ventures
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