Steffi Graf's top-five rivals in tennis

Former world number one Steffi Graff had a fabulous career where she was unstoppable at times. The 55-year-old is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of women’s tennis in the singles category, having won as many as 22 Grand Slam titles.

Graff’s most successful competition was Wimbledon, where she won the title seven times. Her first Grand Slam was the French Open in 1987 where she defeated where she defeated America’s Martina Navratilova in the final with a score of 6-4, 4-6, 8-6. Her last major title was the US Open in 1996, where she got the better of another American, Monica Sales, in straight sets with a score of 7-5, 6-4.

During her career, Graff faced some tough opponents who made it difficult for her to produce impressive performances on the court. We are bringing you a list of five such players who proved to be the fiercest rivals of the German tennis star during her playing days.

Fifth on the list features Argentina’s Gabriela Sabatini. The two faced each other 40 times in professional tennis, where Graf overcame 29 times and suffered just 11 defeats. Their last meeting was in the final of the US Open in 1995, where Graf came out on top in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 7-6.

Fourth on the list features America’s Lindsay Davenport. The two faced each other 14 times, where Graf has a slight edge with eight wins and suffered six defeats. Their last meeting was in the final of Wimbledon in 1999 where Devenport came out on top in straight sets with a score of 4-6, 7-5.

Third on the list is America’s Monica Sales. The two players faced off 15 times, where Graf came out on top on 10 occasions and suffered five defeats. Their last meeting was in the final of the French Open in 1999.

Second on the list is the former world number one Chris Evert. The two players faced 14 times, where Graf has a slight edge with eight wins and six defeats. Their last meeting was in the 1989 Wimbledon final,l where Graf came out on top in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-1.

First on the list features former world number one Martina Navratilova. Both players faced each other 18 times and won nine times each. Their last meeting was in the Tokyo Olympics in 1994, where Graf came out on top in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-4.