The invincibility of Tennis called Steffi Graf !

Not so long ago, if you had asked any youngster who was his/her favorite celebrity female personality? The answer might have differed between various divas of Bollywood or Hollywood but beyond those names, it had to have an identical answer and who else? It was none other than the legendary Tennis player Steffi Graf.

Steffi came, played and conquered the imagination of a generation of youngsters across the globe. Those were the days when Tennis repeatedly presented a clash between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova and most of the times; it was Martina who took all the honors.

Tennis fans were eagerly looking forward for a new star, a kid of next-gen, a new style and youth icon who could break the monotony of age-old rivalry and breathe fresh air in the game of Tennis and boy! Steffi not only shattered the invincibility of Martina to rule the Tennis court but also made a place in history as one of the greatest ever to grace the game.

Media tried to recreate the Evert-Martina era between Steffi and Gabriela Sabatini but it could never match the aura of the earlier stalwarts. As Steffi ruled and demolished the dreams of her peers, came another lightening kid on the horizon, Yugoslav Monika Seles and the crown started crumbling for Steffi. An uneventful disguise to Tennis saw Monika being taken away from the game by an obsessed Steffi fan, Günter Parche who stabbed Monika during a Tennis match. It almost closed doors of Tennis stadium for Monika Seles for years and who knows we might have lost the greatest of them all due to an insane fan in a rush of blood.

Steffi went to win many hearts (with her game) but lost it to America’s youth icon Andre Agassi, a Casanova himself with many predicting a short fling. Both of them, however, proved the world wrong with their mixed double partnership still going strong as ever.

For the records and hall of fame, Steffi Graf is regarded as an all-time great and with her kitty full of 22 Grand Slam Singles titles, she is still sitting far ahead of her compatriots and next generation of players who follow and wish to imbibe her.

The teenage sensation is turning 50 today and the world is still waiting for a new Steffi Graf to rise. The fans will remain indebted to Steffi, for it was she who taught us professionalism of the game and also gave many memories to cherish with her superlative game of Tennis.

Disclaimer: The blog is an expression of a Steffi Graf fan and does not intend to comment on her peers and their combative Tennis during the same era as that of Steffi Graf.

Image courtesy: abc.net. au