WTA · Retired · Germany

Steffi Graf

Career-high ranking: 1

Player at a glance

For Steffi Graf, this snapshot records 1,008 matches and 898 wins from 1982 through 1999. The highest verified singles ranking is world No. 1. The data records 22 Grand Slam singles titles and 108 tour titles. On Hard, the snapshot shows a 90.0% win rate across 399 matches.

Status: Retired
Age: Age 57
Height: 175 cm
Playing hand: Right-handed
Tour wins: 898 / 1008
Tour titles: 108
Grand Slam titles: 22
Career win rate: 89.1%

Results by surface

Read each win rate together with its recorded match sample.

Hard: 90.0%399 matches
Clay: 89.5%306 matches
Carpet: 87.9%198 matches
Grass: 85.7%98 matches

Player at a glance

How they play

Steffi Graf won 22 Grand Slam singles titles and 107 WTA singles titles. She remains the only calendar Golden Slam champion, having won all four majors and Olympic singles gold in 1988.

Explosive movement creates space for the forehand, especially the inside-out forehand that opens the court. Her backhand slice stays low and acts as a bridge to the next forehand attack.

Featured video

US Open Tennis Championships · Aug 21, 2026Graf completes the 1988 calendar Grand Slam

This look back traces Graf’s historic season: the US Open completed the calendar Grand Slam, followed by Olympic gold later that year.

Watch on YouTube ↗

What to watch

If you are new to this player

Before she runs around a ball on the backhand side to strike a forehand, watch how her feet create the necessary space.
Notice when slice prepares the next attack with a low ball instead of serving only as defense.

For a closer look

After an inside-out forehand, track when she selects the newly opened down-the-line route.
Follow how the depth and height of her slice restrict the opponent’s next contact point.

Career timeline by age

Jun 21, 1982 · Age 13
First recorded tour match
The first main-draw tour match covered by the current data set.
Aug 6, 1984 · Age 15
First tour title
A verified tour-title milestone in this player’s career.
May 25, 1987 · Age 17
First Grand Slam singles title
A verified Grand Slam milestone in this player’s career.
Aug 17, 1987 · Age 18
Career-high ranking: No. 1
The highest position found in the available weekly singles rankings.
1988 · Age 19
The only calendar Golden Slam
She won all four major singles titles and Olympic singles gold in Seoul within the same year.
Aug 2, 1999 · Age 30
Most recent recorded match
The latest tour match included in the current snapshot.

Racquet and string history

RacquetVerified use

Wilson Pro Staff pro setup

Playing career · manufacturer historical record

The official source confirms use of the Pro Staff family but does not identify the exact year-by-year model or custom specification.

Aug 21, 2026 · Confidence: High

Worth knowing

At 13, Graf set the then-record as the youngest player in the Roland-Garros main draw.
In 1988, she won all four Grand Slam titles and the Seoul Olympic gold medal.

Verified sources

WTA Legends profileChecked Aug 21, 2026 · Confidence: High

What to borrow for your game

Copy the sequence of preparation, contact point, and recovery rather than only the final shot.
On Hard, identify the repeated starting position and purpose of the first two shots before borrowing the pattern.
Compare footage from different career stages to see how positioning and shot selection evolved.

Notable numbers

Reached a verified career-high singles ranking of world No. 1.
This page uses 1,008 recorded matches from the 1982–1999 seasons.
The snapshot records 31 Grand Slam finals and 22 titles.

Reviewed sources

A result-based profile built from surface results, rankings, titles, and playing hand. Missing shot-speed, spin-rate, and point-pattern data are not invented.

Player reference page ↗