Chris Evert once made a surprising admission about Steffi Graf’s dominance on the WTA Tour, revealing that many players were so overwhelmed by her success that they secretly hoped she would get married and start a family believing it might slow her down. Evert’s comments came after their 1989 showdown in Boca Raton.
Graf had an extraordinary 1988 season, winning all four Grand Slam titles Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open along with Olympic gold in Seoul, completing the historic Golden Slam, a feat unmatched to this day. Riding that momentum, she entered 1989 with unstoppable confidence.
In the final of the Virginia Slims Championships (now the WTA Finals), Graf faced Evert and secured a hard-fought 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory. Notably, Evert became the first player in 22 matches to take a set off Graf, a testament to the German’s dominance.
After the match, Evert openly praised Graf’s skill, calling her “head and shoulders above everyone else.” She acknowledged the challenge of facing Graf, saying, “I knew I had to hit out because any soft ball she just kills. In the third set, the angles on her shots got sharper and sharper. It’s tough to know what to do against her, but for this one match, I almost played to her standards.”
Evert then jokingly added, “The players all wish she’d fall in love, get married, and get pregnant. To get a set off Steffi when she’s playing this great is something.”
Years later, Graf did find her perfect match in fellow tennis legend Andre Agassi. The two began dating in 1999 and married in 2001. Now together for 24 years, they share two children Jaden, 23, a baseball player, and Jaz, 21, a dancer and fitness trainer. Their love story, which began after years of admiration from Agassi’s side, remains one of tennis’ most iconic romances.
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