Revisiting Steffi Graf's legendary 'Golden Slam' season

37 years ago, German tennis star Steffi Graf achieved a feat that remains unique in the sport: the "Golden Slam", winning all four major tournaments and an Olympic gold medal in a single calendar year.

The year 1988 was a season of near-perfect dominance for the 19-year-old from Brühl. By the time she reached the US Open final, she had lost only a single set all year – during her Wimbledon victory against Martina Navratilova. Her French Open win was particularly emphatic, as she defeated Natalia Zvereva of Russia 6-0, 6-0 in a mere 32 minutes.

At Flushing Meadows, Graf faced a sterner test from Argentina's Gabriela Sabatini but ultimately prevailed in three sets. The victory secured her place as only the fifth player in tennis history to achieve the "Grand Slam" – winning the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open in one season. Yet, her ambitions for the year extended even further.

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From fatigue to gold in Seoul

Graf had also committed to competing at the Summer Olympics in Seoul. The intense media scrutiny, however, forced her to relocate from the Olympic Village to a hotel. The accumulated stress and fatigue from her historic season began to show, and she admitted to feeling tired and less motivated.

She navigated the early rounds with relative ease, but her campaign nearly ended in the quarter-finals against the Soviet Union's Larisa Savchenko. Finding herself down 1-3 in the decisive third set, a switch flipped. Graf's weariness transformed into fierce determination, and she won the next five games without conceding another point to Savchenko. She then despatched the US' Zina Garrison in the semi-final with little trouble, setting the stage for the final piece of her unprecedented achievement.

A unique achievement cemented

In the Olympic final on 1 October, Graf faced a familiar opponent: Argentina's Gabriela Sabatini. While their US Open clash had gone to three sets, the match in Seoul was a demonstration of Graf's restored focus and dominance. She secured the Olympic gold medal for West Germany with a decisive 6-3, 6-3 victory.

With that win, Graf's unprecedented accomplishment was complete. The traditional "Grand Slam" was now a "Golden Slam", a feat that remains unmatched in professional tennis.

An imperfect end to a perfect season

Despite her historic year, Graf's 1988 season did not end with a victory. She was defeated by Pam Shriver from the US in the final of the WTA Championships that November.

Nevertheless, her achievements were globally recognised. She was named World Sportswoman of the Year and received honorary citizenship from her hometown of Brühl.

While Graf's Golden Slam has never been replicated in professional tennis, it was matched in a different discipline. Largely unnoticed by the mainstream media, Dutch wheelchair tennis champion Diede de Groot achieved her own Golden Slam in 2021.