Graf Youngest To Win 500

On Oct. 2, 1991, women’s tennis player Steffi Graf becomes the youngest woman to win 500 pro tennis matches. During that run Graf was ranked the number one women’s tennis player for 186 consecutive weeks starts in Aug. 1987 and running until March 1991. Her record for 186 consecutive weeks as the number one player still is a record to this day.

Graf was one of the best tennis players of her era, and of all time. She recorded 902 wins in her 17-year career from 1982-1999. Those wins included 107 career titles which is third all-time behind only Chris Evert (157) of the United States and Martina Navratilova (167) Czech born then turned United States citizen.

Graf’s single’s accomplishments included four Australian Open Grand Slam victories in 1988,1989,1990 and 1994; six French Open Grand Slam victories in 1987, 1988, 1993, 1995, 1996 and 1999.; seven Wimbledon Grand Slam victories in 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996; five U.S. Open Grand Slam victories in 1988, 1989, 1993, 1995 and 1996. Graf also earned  an Olympic Gold Medal in 1988 at the Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, and a Silver Medal in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.

Graf is still one of the best women to play on a tennis court in history, and she is still fifth all-time in rankings of winnings with over $21,809,000 in winnings. Her amount of winnings was a record until Jan. 2008 when Lindsay Davenport passed her up.

Graf was elected into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004.