German Engineering

Say what you will about the brilliance of Roger, Rafael and Serena, but none of them ever came close to accomplishing what Steffi Graf did in 1988. (Talk about pressure!) Novak still has a shot at the Grand Slam, but even he couldn’t match Steffi’s mettle. 

P.S. What Djokovic’s loss to Alexander Zverev showed more than anything is just how different men's tennis would likely be if the majors were best of 3 instead of best of 5.

49 Candles

From HERE.

Chrissie and Tracy were my first loves. But from the late '80s on, I only had eyes for Stefanie Maria Graf. There will never be another ...

Remains of the Day (05/25)

Boy Culture: I never bought the "George Takei story," but has he been officially vindicated?

The Orange County Register: Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher says refusing to sell your home to a gay person is a right

Towleroad: David Sedaris has a creepy message for college graduates

Instagram: Roger Federer is the meat between two of the hottest athletes of all time

Daily Intel: Trump's pick to run refugee program is a fellow at an anti-immigrant group

BosGuy: This is more like "lightly furry" Friday

Tennis: Remembering Steffi Graf's epic 1996 French Open win over Arantx Sanchez Vicario

The Daily News: Michael Cohen reportedly met with sanctioned Russian oligarch at Trump Tower shortly before inauguration

TPM: Graham breaks with Trump, says an "informant is NOT a spy"

Baseline: Nicole Vaidisova and Radek Stepanek get married, again, as they await the birth of their child together

The Arizona Republic: Man sentenced to 90 days of house arrest in rape of 5-year-old girl, doesn't have to register as sex offender

Dlisted: Don't let his power-bottom status fool you, Kelly Preston wears the Scientology pants in her marriage to John Travolta

PinkNews: H&M to release its first-ever Pride collection

Metrosource: Kathleen Turner offers a thrilling musical autobiography at Cafe Carlyle

Greg in Hollywood: Get ready for "Hair" as a live musical on NBC

The Associated Press: Amazon blames creepy Alexa incident on ‘unlikely’ string of events

Outsports: French Open has three openly gay women, zero (as usual) men

NewNowNext: A history of the word "gay"

📽 from @kitten_puchi 😄😄😄😄😄 ~ double tap ❤❤❤ #sweetcatclub

A post shared by Sweet Cat Club (@sweetcatclub) on May 21, 2018 at 3:54am PDT

Hot Cat of the Day: I'll have that to go!

Love and Love

When a lovesick Saudi prince sent Chris Evert and Steffi Graf diamond-studded brooches in the shape of a tennis racket, guess whose was twice as big? Read HERE.

Serena Williams Named Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of 2015

Well deserved. The Queen became the first female tennis player to achieve this honor since Chris Evert in 1976, and first (solo) female athlete since Mary Decker in 1983 (despite Steffi Graf's winning a Golden Slam in 1988). Kind of surprising that the two most dominating athletes this year came from tennis -- as Novak Djokovic could have just as easily been selected.

Back in '88, SI deemed Orel Hershiser's season more impressive than Steffi Graf's, yet no one has been able to duplicate Fraulein Forehead's achievement in the nearly three decades since -- not even the woman most agree is the greatest player of all time. #hmm 

Viva Las Vegas?

Nobody detests Las Vegas more than I do. But with Steffi and Tracy on the same team, is there any hope of my avoiding it?!!!

Serena Williams’ Slam Run Ends at U.S. Open

 Roberta Vinci deserves a lot of credit, but clearly winning the Grand Slam is extremely difficult even for someone of Serena Williams' stature.

Which is why I stand by Steffi Graf as GOAT. Chris, Martina, Monica, Martina H. all had years where they were also untouchable, yet none of them could do it, either.

It's almost like you'd have to be the greatest player of all time to pull it off.

Remembering Steffi Graf's Golden Slam

With Serena Williams' Grand Slam seeming increasingly likely, Steve Tigor does a nice job recapping the greatest year in the history of professional tennis HERE. (One minor quibble: Has he forgotten the three previous Grand Slam finals Graf had played against Martina Navratilova?)

Here's a Lego preview of Serena's big moment!

Soda Graft

Found this at my local bodega, yet not a Steffi to be found.

From HERE.

Virginia Wades In

I was just saying "fantasy" sports were for idiots -- and you'd have to be an idiot to pick Chris Evert over Steffi Graf in a tournament of champions! (Sorry, Chris ... and Ginny -- but come on!) Join the "fun" HERE.

USA Defeats Germany 0-1 to Advance in World Cup

Or as Steffi Graf said, "Everybody's happy."

Double Fault

6 Top Women’s Tennis Players of All Time

I love Chris Evert more than most people -- incuding her parents -- but ranking her above Martina Navratilova and Serena Williams on an all-time best list? Come on! Totally cool with Steffi Graf on top, though. Read HERE.

Bell Bottom Blues

Just found these on Chris Evert's official Facebook page. How I miss the Golden Age of women's tennis ...

Steffi, Martina, Chris and Tracy: Simply the Best!

From Elle magazine

Classic Ellesse ad

Steffi Graf's Awful Father Dies at 75

Tennis legend Steffi Graf's emotional journey to say goodbye to the dying father she was estranged from for years 

The pair had fallen out when he was sentenced to more than three years in jail in 1997 for tax evasion 

The fact that Steffi returned from America to say goodbye is seen as proof of a total reconciliation 

She credited him with driving her to the top of world tennis

Seeing this a couple days late, but it sounds like Steffi Graf made peace with her tax-evading, prostitute-loving embarrassment of a father before he died. There have been many terrible tennis parents in history. But I don't think anyone could have handled Peter Graf with the poise and dignity and that his legendary daughter did. So long, farewell.

Happy Birthday, Steffi Graf!

 The tennis legend turns 44 today. 

Trouble Brewing Down Under

 This is the match that drove an(other) obsessed Steffi Graf fan to stab Monica Seles. We could only take so much!!!!

Monica Seles Was Stabbed 20 Years Ago Today

Jonathan Scott remembers the day that changed the course of women's tennis history, when a deranged Steffi Graf fan set out to stop the woman who had supplanted his idol as the world's number one tennis player -- and succeeded, by sticking a knife in her back during a changeover in Hamburg. I remember this like it was yesterday. I was sitting in my friend Ken's apartment on Q Street in Dupont Circle when the news came on the radio. It was horrifying. When Seles finally returned two and a half years later -- winning her first tournament back, then capturing her ninth Grand Slam in Melbourne -- it seemed like there might be as happy an ending as one could possibly hope for. But Seles was never the same, suffering from anxiety, depression, eating disorders and a other health issues, and she never won another major ... when it seemed she might win more than anyone ever had. Read HERE.

BTW: Her attacker, Gunter Parche, merely got a slap on the wrist by the German courts.

No Way, San Jose!

Would have loved to have been in San Jose for these two surprising matches: Tommy Haas reached his 25th career final at the SAP Open, knocking out John Isner, 6-3, 6-4. (He'll face top-seeded Milos Raonic in the final, who downed third-seeded Sam Querrey, 6-4, 6-2 in the other semifinal.) 

  Earlier in the night, Steffi Graf paired with Andy Roddick -- my mixed dream team -- to defeat Lindsay Davenport and Justin Gimelstob, 6-4, 7-5! 

Andre Agassi: The Machine

From my girl Steffi Graf's Facebook page. Seems this Andre Agassi/Gil Reyes line of gym equipment is happening:.

Steffi writes:

Andre and I stopped by the BILT by Agassi & Reyes warehouse. The equipment has arrived and the first orders are already being shipped out. The machines, which are modeled after the custom machines Andre and Gil Reyes built and used during Andre’s career, are not only innovative and designed to be safer they are also really beautiful. Unfortunately my career had ended before I started working out on the equipment. I’m looking forward to everyone getting the opportunity to use these great machines.

Steffi Graf Shows Steely Determination at Age 4

 

 I see Steffi Graf had a two-handed(ish) backhand in her youth, too. And a few tricks shots!