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Don't you just miss Steffi Graf? Yea, she won an awful lot, but her game was the perfect combination of power, finesse, athleticism, precision, and speed. She wasn't just a boom, boom, big-babe player (thanks, Mary Carillo). She was a boom, boom, cut, cut, BOOM player. And now, seven years after her retirement, we're still waiting for another just like her.
One of the best un-Steffi...Steffi moments, comes from her 1996 Wimbledon semifinal match against Japan's Kimiko Date. In the middle of a tight, pressure-filled match, Graf was about to serve when a rather enthusiastic male fan broke the Centre Court silence screaming, "Steffi, will you marry me?". Her response was unexpectedly off-the-cuff, humorous, and tension breaking, and it made the already pro-Graf, British crowd love her even more. Watching that video also makes you wonder if that's the first question Steffi asked Andre when he first asked her out in NYC after the 1999 U.S. Open -- although, I'm pretty sure she had a good idea about his Benjamins.
Quick note on Graf: While doing research for this clip, I came across Graf's career Grand Slam record. Starting at Roland Garros in 1987 and finishing at Roland Garros in 1990, Graf reached an astonishing 13 Grand Slam finals, winning nine of them. Anyone know if that's a record or not? Federer is almost halfway there.
Dan
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