“All the attention I was getting, I wasn’t quite prepared for it”: When Steffi Graf rated her Olympic triumph as bigger than a Grand Slam
Steffi Graf once claimed that she considered her Olympic gold medal bigger than a Grand Slam victory. The German won gold at the 1988 Seoul Olympics by defeating Gabriela Sabatini in the final. This achievement helped her to become the only player to complete the Golden Slam, which is winning all four Majors and the Olympic gold in the same year. Graf recalled her victory in Seoul during an interview with CNN in 2012. The German said that it was bigger than a Grand Slam because of its uniqueness.
“To me this was bigger than a grand slam, it was more special. It’s a different feeling, it’s very unique and definitely more special,” she said. The 22-time Major champion also said that she wasn’t prepared for the attention she received after arriving at the airport. “I was a bit tired emotionally, probably physically as well. I just remember arriving at the airport and all the attention that I was getting, I just think I wasn’t quite prepared for it at that point,” Graf said. Steffi Graf won three Olympic medals throughout her career
Steffi Graf won three Olympic medals throughout her illustrating career. Apart from the singles gold at the 1988 Seoul Games, the German also clinched a bronze medal in the women’s doubles event. Graf partnered with Claudia Kohde-Kilsch in the tournament and they were seeded second. The pair defeated the Canadian duo of Carling Bassett-Seguso and Jill Hetherington to reach the semifinals, thus being assured of a medal. Here, they were beaten by the Czech pair of Jana Novotna and Helena Sukova.
Steffi Graf’s third and last Olympic medal came in Barcelona in 1992. She reached the final following straight-set wins over Lupita Novelo, Brenda Schulz, Magdalena Maleeva, Sabine Appelmans and Mary Joe Fernandez. She faced then 16-year-old Jennifer Capriati in the championship match and won the first set 6-3. However, the American bounced back to register a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win and clinch the gold medal.
Graf also competed in the women’s doubles event in Barcelona, teaming up with Anke Huber. However, the duo were ousted by eventual champions Gigi Fernandez and Mary Joe Fernandez in the second round. The German did not compete in another edition of the Olympics after 1992 as she missed the 1996 games in Atlanta due to a knee injury.
