One of the greatest rivalries in the history of sport was the decade-long clash of tennis titans, Steffi Graf and Monica Seles. The two super champions, four years apart in age, utilized two totally distinct playing styles. Graf, of Germany, had the booming serve and explosive forehand combined with a lethal slice backhand and typically won the majority of her matches in well under an hour. Yugoslavian Seles was the perfect antithesis: a heavy hitting lefthander who could clout most opponents into quick submission by booming balls with her two handed grips off both wings. Seles could also create acute angles from the baseline and was a deceptively good mover.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s Steffi Graf was utterly dominant in tennis, having won eight of nine major titles before Seles won her first in Paris in 1990. Seles surpassed Graf as the No. 1 player in the world in 1991, and won seven of eight grand slam titles from 1991–1993. Graf ultimately did recapture the No. 1 ranking from Seles in June 1993, after Seles was forced out of the sport for two years because of a suspicious stabbing incident in Hamburg (in April 1993) by a crazed German lathe operator named Gunther Parche.
The two Hall of Famers played at least twice at all four majors.
Career highlights of Seles vs Graf Rivalry…
1989 First meeting was at Roland Garros semifinals, won by Graf 6-3 3-6 6-3.
1990 Berlin Final: Seles ended Graf’s 66-match win streak, winning the title in two sets. This was Seles’ first victory over Graf.
1990 French Open Final: Seles defeated Graf for her first major title. And Seles became the youngest-ever champion in French Open history.
1992 French Open Final: Graf saved six match points before losing 8–10 in the third set. And Seles became the first three-peat champion in women’s Singles in French Open history.
1992 Wimbledon Final: Graf bounced back after the heartbreak loss in Paris by easily defeated Seles 6–2 6–1. It’s the most one-sided final in Wimbledon history.
1993 Australian Open Final: Both played with few unforced errors. Seles came from a set behind to defeat Graf 4-6 6-3 6-2.
1995 US Open Final: Graf won in three sets after losing the second set by a bagel.
1998 Chase Championship quarterfinal: Graf won 1–6 6–4 6–4. It was Graf’s third straight win over Seles. This was the second three-match win streak by Graf over Seles, the first being the first three matches they played.
1999 Australian Open quarterfinal: Seles won by 7–5 6–1, it was to be her only post-stabbing victory over Graf.
1999 French Open Semi Final: Graf defeated Seles in a three-set match 6-7 6-3 6-4. This was their last ever head-to-head match.
Graf won the head to head vs Seles 10-5
1999 French Open SF Clay Steffi Graf 6-7(2) 6-3 6-4
1999 Australian Open QF Hard Monica Seles 7-5 6-1
1998 WTA Championships QF Carpet Steffi Graf 1-6 6-4 6-4
1996 US Open F Hard Steffi Graf 7-5 6-4
1995 US Open F Hard Steffi Graf 7-6 0-6 6-3
1993 Australian Open F Hard Monica Seles 4-6 6-3 6-2
1992 Wimbledon F Grass Steffi Graf 6-2 6-1
1992 French Open F Clay Monica Seles 6-2 3-6 10-8
1991 Hamburg F Clay Steffi Graf 7-5 6-7 6-3
1991 San Antonio F Hard Steffi Graf 6-4 6-3
1990 French Open F Clay Monica Seles 7-6(6) 6-4
1990 German Open F Clay Monica Seles 6-4 6-3
1989 Brighton F Carpet Steffi Graf 7-5 6-4
1989 Wimbledon R16 Grass Steffi Graf 6-0 6-1
1989 French Open SF Clay Steffi Graf 6-3 3-6 6-3
Graf and Seles had 15 duels in a decade
Scoop Malinowski · April 11, 2017 at 9:30 am
If only tennis had a rivalry like this one on the ladies side – Navratilova vs Evert was special but it was rather lopsided as Graf vs Seles was fascinatingly level or one would sense that Seles was on the verge of taking over the rivalry until the tragic stabbing by the lunatic – I’ve always wondered if that was a possible inside job –
catherine bell · April 11, 2017 at 10:16 am
No no Scoop – your conspiracy theories are showing again 🙂
Do you really think someone ordered Seles stabbed on Steffi’s behalf ?
And I wouldn’t have called Steffi’s serve exactly ‘booming’. It was good but not outstandingly fast. She had a rather high ball toss which she never changed.
My feeling is that Steffi would have ended ahead.
Chazz · April 11, 2017 at 10:24 am
Come on Scoop! We aren’t talking about Tonya Harding here!
Scoop Malinowski · April 11, 2017 at 10:26 am
Catherine; With all the wackiness in the world I do wonder about it – How that lunatic got off too without having to go to jail was very very very very VERY suspicious – How do you explain that? The whole world saw what the nut job did yet he did not go to jail? Perhaps the worst injustice in the history of civilization –
catherine bell · April 11, 2017 at 10:37 am
Probably in Germany they have different penalties for people who are mentally ill.
In Britain he very likely would not have gone to prison either. Instead to a forensic unit in a mental hospital.
And Seles wasn’t actually that badly hurt physically – the damage seemed to psychological – something from which she never really recovered.
I can think of worse injustices in the history of civilisation.
Scoop Malinowski · April 11, 2017 at 10:51 am
She could have died – As a Seles fan it is still frustrating and aggravating that she suffered this and lost the best years of her career – and who knows what else she lost? To stab a lady in the back in public and get away with it is insanity 🙁
Scoop Malinowski · April 11, 2017 at 10:54 am
Chazz; you are probably right but who really knows for sure? The Tonya Harding fiasco happened after this and it could have been inspired by it – But let’s stick to what a wonderful incredible thrilling rivalry it was –
Andrew Miller · April 11, 2017 at 6:46 pm
Will always be a Seles fan. She was something new out there, a lefty terminator of the ball with the world’s best angles. I had to turn off the volume often but nonetheless was glued to Seles unbelievable path. Seles considers Serena and Venus the best she ever faced. I don’t think this is a knock on any competitor, just Seles being honest.
Andrew Miller · April 11, 2017 at 6:49 pm
Yes one of few great rivalries on wta tour since early 1990s.
Scoop Malinowski · April 11, 2017 at 7:19 pm
But Seles never lost by double bagel to either Serena or Venus though she did to Hingis 🙂 Gosh what a drubbing that was during a hot afternoon blowout in Key Biscayne – Hingis sure was a destroyer for a while – no 1 in the world at sixteen is never gonna happen again –
Scoop Malinowski · April 11, 2017 at 7:21 pm
It was an incredibly interesting rivalry and I rank it up there with Ali vs Frazier and Fed vs Rafa and Yankees vs Red Sox – Sport at its very very best featuring two very great champions so evenly matched despite contrasting styles –
Andrew Miller · April 11, 2017 at 11:09 pm
Hingis, took me a while to appreciate her brilliance. A phenomenal strategist. I see so little evidence of her impact outside of the very top of the women’s game.
Bryan · April 15, 2017 at 2:32 pm
What a shame the stabbing took away Monica’s best years. She was great, but that no doubt too away a few majors. Like Eddy Merckx in cycling, who was attacked by a crazed fan during a mountain climb and never won a major Tour again.