Steffi Graf - The Perfect One
TENNIS - 22x GRAND SLAM CHAMP
ARCHETYPE: THE PERFECT ONE
Day 3/135
Athletic Accomplishments
Steffi Graf was a household name and the face of women's tennis from the late 1980s through most of the 1990s. She won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, and to this day, she is the only athlete to ever win a Golden Slam—winning all 4 Grand Slam singles titles and the Olympic gold in 1988. If that's not enough, Graf was ranked No. 1 for a record 377 weeks, including 186 consecutive weeks. Y'all, that is more than 3-and-a-half YEARS straight.
You might also remember Graf because when she lost her top ranking, a mentally ill fan of Graf stabbed the new No. 1 player, Monica Seles, between the shoulder blades. This is a strange subplot in the story of Steffi Graf's career, but it would be pretty weird to leave it out, no?
Graf was known for her strong forehand, which earned the German a nickame of Fraulein Forehand. Before retiring at age 30, Graf had won each Grand Slam title at least four times. Again, she's the only tennis player in history to have done that.
Character Archetype: The Perfect One
Try as I might, there really aren't any scintillating stories about Steffi Graf in which she is the exciting protagonist, full of intrigue. Perhaps it was simply a reflection of the times, when women athletes were not expected, encouraged, or "allowed" to have strong public personalities. Perhaps it was that she was actually shy and reserved. Perhaps she didn't enjoy the spotlight. Perhaps she just wanted to play tennis. Perhaps it's none of my business. Or, perhaps the coverage of women athletes in the 1980s and 1990s was the way it is now—simple, superficial, and surface-level—and without social media as a direct means to communicate outwardly, Graf never really got the chance to establish herself as a more dynamic character.
No matter the reason, I'm left guessing what Steffi Graf was really like. I know her game on the court and I know her name in the record books. But there is no legend or folklore behind Steffi Graf, and in my opinion, that's a tremendous failing of the coverage.