Early Life and Career Beginnings
Stefanie Maria Graf was born on June 14, 1969 in Mannheim, West Germany, the daughter of Heidi Schalk and Peter Graf. Her father was an aspiring tennis coach, introducing Graf to the game by teaching her how to wield a wooden racket at the age of three. At the age of four, she began practicing on court, and entered her first tournament when she was five. Soon enough, she was winning the top prize at numerous junior tournaments.
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Graf began 1988 by defeating Chris Evert and winning the Australian Open, not losing a single set during the tournament. She then won the tournament in Berlin, defended her title at the French Open, and conquered Wimbledon by coming from behind to defeat Navratilova. Finally, upon winning the US Open, Graf took the Grand Slam title, the only such title in history completed across three surfaces: clay, hard court, and grass. The cherry on top of this honor came during the summer Olympic Games in Seoul, where Graf beat Gabriela Sabatini in the gold medal match, and became the first and only Golden Slam winner in history.
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NOTHING BEATS THE SLAM
THE PICKLEBALL SLAM
Get ready to witness the electrifying sequel of the century, The Pickleball Slam 2! Four World #1 ranked players and multi-Slam Champions will compete for a 200m purse. John McEnroe and Maria Sharapova will team up to take on Andre Agassi and Stefanie Graf. They have combined for 42 Grand Slam titles – but who will take home the Pickleball Slam 2?
Join us live, and in primetime to be a part of the excitement!