Steffi Graf is often hailed as one of the greatest tennis players in history, with 22 Grand Slam titles and a record-setting Golden Slam in 1988 — winning all four majors and Olympic gold in a single year. But behind the dazzling achievements and dominant performances lies a more complex and often overlooked chapter of her reign: the pressures, controversies, and personal struggles that cast a shadow on her historic career.
Graf’s rise to global stardom in the late 1980s came with extraordinary expectations. From a young age, she was molded into a tennis machine by her father and coach, Peter Graf, whose aggressive management style and off-court decisions would later become a source of scandal. In 1995, Peter was jailed for tax evasion, a legal battle that engulfed the Graf family and placed Steffi under intense media scrutiny at the peak of her career.
“It was a burden she never asked for,” said one former WTA official. “She handled it with grace, but that period clearly affected her emotionally and mentally.”
Additionally, Graf’s dominance — particularly during the absence or decline of key rivals like Monica Seles following her on-court stabbing in 1993 — has sparked debate about whether the competition during her reign was as strong as her statistics suggest. Seles had been on track to rival or surpass Graf’s Grand Slam count before the attack, which many believe shifted the balance of the women’s game for years.
Graf rarely spoke publicly about Seles’ trauma or the incident’s impact on the sport, leading to criticism from some corners. Others argue that she was simply trying to maintain focus and dignity in an era of constant turbulence.
Despite the controversy, Graf remains a beloved figure — but her reign was far from serene. The darker aspects of her legacy don’t diminish her greatness, but they offer a fuller understanding of the immense pressures she carried both on and off the court.
