At the End, the Audience loved Steffi Graf

Paris- At the day after the first big win of her career, Steffi sat in a small room in the cellar of Roland Garros, where she was interviewed. She wore a white blouse and seemed to be totally relaxed. A little bit shy as usual but very confident. Her father, Peter Graf, took a seat at the background and nearly bursted with proud. Finally had happend what he had long foretold: that his daughter Stefanie, who everybody called Steffi, would mix up the tennisworld.

Everybody, who sat in the small room at the cellar at that time, knew that this first Grand-Slam-Title, a few days before her 18th birthday, wouldn`t be her last.

(...) I thought that this passages are less important

In the following twelve years till her retirement at August in 1999, she won 22 Grand-Slam-Singles-Titles and one Grand-Slam-Doubles-Title with Gabi Sabatini. Steffi won another 107 titles and was 377 weeks the number of the world.

Who the word `Graf` used knew what he had to expect, on the court as well as outside it. Steffi was admired for her uncompromising way of playing tennis right from the beginning of her career. But until the affection of the audience was as grat as its admiration, time passed.

First in her later carrer, when Steffi passed difficult times in her family, she was a little more outgoing and showed some emotions during her tennismatches. At the end, she couldn`t rescue herself of affection, especially in Paris. At her last participation there and at the last of her 22 titles, after her thoughtful win over the impudent Martina Hingis, Steffi was supported and loved by the Paris` audience.

And curious enough: At exactly this place, where Steffi at 6th June 1987 began the collection of her titles and finished it twelve years later, is the cut to her life after tennis. Everybody knows that a certain Andre Agassi won in Paris in 1999. As he was asked in the press conference after his win if Steffi`s triumph inspired him, Andre answered with a mysterious smile:

``Steffi`s win inspired me in many ways and because of many reasons...!`` Nobody knew at that time what Andre meant by that.You experienced it three months later, as Steffi surprisingly sat in the audience during the finals of the US-Open between Andre and Todd Martin. The happy end is known.
The way from Paris led Steffi to her aim!