Steffi Graf keeps low profile as legacy grows

MELBOURNE, Australia – In an Australian Open weekend when Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber have loomed large, another name has been mentioned almost as much: the great Steffi Graf.

Or Stefanie Graf, as she likes to be called these days. On Saturday night, Kerber denied Williams her 22nd Grand Slam title, an Open era record that still safely belongs to her German countrywoman Graf.

Kerber received a good-luck message from Graf prior to the final as she attempted to pull off what many thought was the unthinkable: Beating Serena. But she did, and in the aftermath she got a congratulations from Graf, as well, who is a rare sight in tennis these days.

With her name in the headlines again, it begs the question: Where is Graf these days?

Now 46, Graf lives in Las Vegas with her husband Andre Agassi and two kids, Jaden, 14, and Jaz, 12. She is seldom spotted at tennis’ biggest events, making a rare appearance for a sponsor or her charity, the Children of Tomorrow.

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“She made it very clear that once her career was over, she would leave tennis,” said Doris Henkel, a freelance journalist in Germany who covered 19 of Graf’s 22 major titles. “She loved the competition, but all the rest was a burden for her. She didn’t like press conferences or the PR stuff, so it’s no surprise to me we don’t really see her.”

Tennis is filled with its greats in varying capacities around the sport: They’re commentators, coaches, tournament directors and agents. They make appearances at legends’ luncheons, play charity events and take selfies with fans. Theirs is a public life, followed by achievements from the past.

But for Graf, the private life is where she’s found most of her joy. She told espnW as much in an interview last April.

“I just don't think of my career much,” she said in the interview. “I think [it's because] I had such peace of mind that I felt I gave my sport everything. I know I was obviously aware that I achieved a lot, but I think the comfort was that I felt like I gave everything to it and it gave me a lot in return. It gave me what I have now –  Andre, my family and the time to spend with them. I'm extremely grateful."

Graf declined comment for this story.

She is far from a total ghost in tennis, however. In 2009, she handed over the Roland Garros trophy – 10 years after she won a sixth and final one herself – to Svetlana Kuznetsova.

That year she also helped break in the Centre Court roof at Wimbledon, playing a mixed doubles match alongside husband Agassi, Kim Clijsters and Tim Henman.

Her absence at most events is accepted. “Stefanie has always been a private person,” said Barbara Schett, a former world No. 7 who now serves as an analyst for Eurosport. “She doesn’t need to come back and work the tournaments – she has her thing with her family and Andre, where she found the perfect match. It’s up to her if she wants to be involved. We have to respect that.”

Graf’s connection to Kerber has been a focal point in light of the 28-year-old’s maiden title. In 2012, when Kerber made the Wimbledon semifinals, Graf chatted to her in the locker room, and last March, Kerber, as part of an adidas player development program, spent time with Graf at her home in Las Vegas on the practice courts.

“That was a special moment for me, but I am not in touch with her in every tournament or every week,” Kerber told a small group of reporters here Saturday night. “I have my team around me. Steffi told me two or three sentences [before the match], which means a lot because it was Steffi.”

Kerber becomes the first German woman to win a major since Graf did so at that 1999 French Open, and the first here since Graf’s victory in 1994.

But does Kerber’s success mean a more present Graf on tour? Probably not.

“I believe everyone has the right to do what they want,” Pete Sampras told USA TODAY Sports in an interview last September. “Steffi is a little more on the reserved side. She doesn’t do many interviews. I have a lot respect for her. “

“She gave the game so much, she was such a great champion,” added Henkel, the German journalist. “She brought joy to so many people. She did her duty on that.”

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