Steffi Graf and Serena Williams each owned an era of tennis. They’re not really considered contemporaries, more like distinct steps in the evolution of the women’s game. But! For a brief window in 1999, these two crossed paths. Serena was a teenage phenom on the verge of breaking out as a star. Steffi was approaching retirement, near ready to wrap up her storied career because of injuries and fatigue.
STEFFI ∩ SERENA
The future queen of tennis battled a retiring legend long before taking her crown.
At two tournaments two months apart, they faced off, and it was fascinating. At an Australian Open tune-up in January ‘99, Serena tested her game and pushed her limits against a baseline striker whose game she’d long emulated. At Indian Wells in March of that year, the much younger player gave her role model a very different battle.
The overlap between Steffi Graf and Serena Williams is a great lens through which to perceive these important junctures in their careers, so let’s dive in.
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