Graf–Sabatini rivalry
Steffi Graf and Gabriela Sabatini are retired professional tennis players who played each other on 40 occasions between 1985 and 1995. Steffi Graf was the world #1, whilst Sabatini reached a career high of #3. They are both Grand Slam Champions, the German winning 22 titles whilst Sabatini won her only Grand Slam title against Graf. The pair also teamed up to reach three French Open finals and won the 1988 Wimbledon crown.[1]
In Grand Slam tournament play the pair met 12 times, three of them being finals. Graf leads by 11 matches to one. In 1988, Steffi beat Sabatini in the semifinal of the French Open and the US Open final to complete the calendar year Grand Slam. Graf then made it a Golden Grand Slam by defeating the Argentine in the Olympic final as well.[2] The pair's most famous match undoubtably came in 1991 at Wimbledon. Sabatini was two points away from capturing her Wimbledon singles crown only for Graf to fight back and take the match 8–6 in the deciding set.[1][3]
Graf and Sabatini first met in 1985 and by the end of 1987 the pair had met a total of eleven times, Graf winning all of them. Then Sabatini went on to beat Steffi 11 in the next 21 matches they played between 1988 and 1992, with the Argentine going on a 5 match winning streak and Graf on a four match winning streak. Sabatini then lost the final eight matches they played between 1992 and 1995, and for the first three matches Sabatini struggled to win 6 games. According to Sabatini, the pair had a good relationship and would share things off the court, but they were never close friends.[1]
The individual rivalry between them became so huge that, at some matches, whenever momentum seemed to be swinging in Steffi's favor, some of her fans would break into a derisive chant parodying the Van Halen single, Jamie's Cryin'. It went, "Oh...Oh...Oh! Gabby's Dyin' " (as in Sabatini's "running out of gas").
Head to head
Graf—Sabatini (29-11)
| No.[4] | Year | Tournament | Surface | Round | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1985 | Mahwah | Hard | SF | Graf | 4–6, 6–0, 6–3 |
| 2 | 1986 | Virginia Slims Championships | Carpet | R16 | Graf | 6–0, 6–7, 6–2 |
| 3 | 1986 | Indianapolis | Clay | F | Graf | 2–6, 7–6(5), 6–4 |
| 4 | 1987 | Hilton Head | Clay | SF | Graf | 6–3, 2–6, 7–6(5) |
| 5 | 1987 | Amelia Island | Clay | SF | Graf | 6–2, 6–2 |
| 6 | 1987 | Rome | Clay | F | Graf | 7–5, 4–6, 6–0 |
| 7 | 1987 | French Open | Clay | SF | Graf | 6–4, 4–6, 7–5 |
| 8 | 1987 | Wimbledon | Grass | QF | Graf | 4–6, 6–1, 6–1 |
| 9 | 1987 | Fed Cup | Hard | Graf | 6–4, 6–4 | |
| 10 | 1987 | Los Angeles | Hard | SF | Graf | 7–5, 7–5 |
| 11 | 1987 | Virginia Slims Championships (2) | Carpet | F | Graf | 4–6, 6–4, 6–0, 6–4 |
| 12 | 1988 | Boca Raton | Hard | F | Sabatini | 2–6, 6–3, 6–1 |
| 13 | 1988 | Amelia Island (2) | Clay | SF | Sabatini | 6–3, 4–6, 7–5 |
| 14 | 1988 | French Open (2) | Clay | SF | Graf | 6–3, 7–6(3) |
| 15 | 1988 | US Open | Hard | F | Graf | 6–3, 3–6, 6–1 |
| 16 | 1988 | Olympic Games | Hard | F | Graf | 6–3, 6–3 |
| 17 | 1989 | Australian Open | Hard | SF | Graf | 6–3, 6–0 |
| 18 | 1989 | Amelia Island (3) | Clay | F | Sabatini | 3–6, 6–3, 7–5 |
| 19 | 1989 | Berlin | Clay | F | Graf | 6–3, 6–1 |
| 20 | 1989 | US Open (2) | Hard | SF | Graf | 3–6, 6–4, 6–2 |
| 21 | 1989 | Virginia Slims Championships (3) | Carpet | SF | Graf | 6–3, 5–7, 6–1 |
| 22 | 1990 | US Open (3) | Hard | F | Sabatini | 6–2, 7–6(4) |
| 23 | 1990 | Zurich | Carpet | F | Graf | 6–3, 6–2 |
| 24 | 1990 | Worcester | Carpet | F | Graf | 7–6(5), 6–3 |
| 25 | 1990 | Virginia Slims Championships (4) | Carpet | SF | Sabatini | 6–4, 6–4 |
| 26 | 1991 | Tokyo | Carpet | QF | Sabatini | 4–6, 6–4, 7–6(6) |
| 27 | 1991 | Boca Raton (2) | Hard | F | Sabatini | 6–4, 7–6(6) |
| 28 | 1991 | Miami | Hard | SF | Sabatini | 0–6, 7–6(6), 6–1 |
| 29 | 1991 | Amelia Island (4) | Clay | F | Sabatini | 7-5, 7-6(3) |
| 30 | 1991 | Wimbledon (2) | Grass | F | Graf | 6–4, 3–6, 8–6 |
| 31 | 1992 | Miami (2) | Hard | SF | Sabatini | 3–6, 7–6(5), 6–1 |
| 32 | 1992 | Amelia Island (5) | Clay | F | Sabatini | 6–2, 1–6, 6–3 |
| 33 | 1992 | Wimbledon (3) | Grass | SF | Graf | 6–3, 6–3 |
| 34 | 1993 | Miami (3) | Hard | SF | Graf | 6–0, 6–2 |
| 35 | 1993 | Hilton Head (2) | Clay | SF | Graf | 6–0, 7–6(3) |
| 36 | 1993 | Berlin (2) | Clay | F | Graf | 7–6(3), 2–6, 6–4 |
| 37 | 1993 | US Open (4) | Hard | QF | Graf | 6–2, 5–7, 6–1 |
| 38 | 1994 | Montreal | Hard | QF | Graf | 7–5, 6–0 |
| 39 | 1995 | French Open (4) | Clay | QF | Graf | 6–1, 6–0 |
| 40 | 1995 | US Open (5) | Hard | SF | Graf | 6–4, 7–6(5) |
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Breakdown of the rivalry
- Hard courts: Graf, 11–5
- Clay courts: Graf, 10–4
- Grass courts: Graf, 3–0
- Carpet courts: Graf, 5–2
- Grand Slam matches: Graf, 11–1
- Grand Slam finals: Graf, 2–1
- Year-End Championships matches: Graf, 3–1
- Year-End Championships finals: Graf, 1–0
- Fed Cup matches: Graf, 1–0
- All finals: Graf, 10–6
- All matches: Graf, 29–11
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Philip, Robert. (2003-06-16) Philip on Monday: Sabatini smiles again after tennis misery. Telegraph. Retrieved on 2010-12-14.
- ↑ Athlete – Steffi Graf. Olympic.org. Retrieved on 2010-12-14.
- ↑ Finn, Robin. (1991-07-07) Tennis – Graf Reclaims Her Grit And Title – NYTimes.com. Select.nytimes.com. Retrieved on 2010-12-14.
- ↑ Graf-Sabatini Head to Head