Fifteen matches, six Grand Slam finals, three wins each in the finals. The rivalry that might have been, and the rackets behind it.
Steffi Graf and Monica Seles met 15 times and Graf won 10. But in Grand Slam finals they were level at 3–3, and Seles won the first one at 16. Seles was absent from the tour for more than two years, from April 1993 until August 1995, and their rivalry had a gap in it that no statistic can fill.
The Rackets
Dunlop, then Wilson (Graf) — Graf played Dunlop from the beginning of her career until she signed with Wilson in 1994. The International Tennis Hall of Fame holds the Dunlop Max 200G she used to win the 1988 US Open and complete the Golden Slam. It is graphite, strung with clear gut. For the rivalry that came before this one, see Graf and Navratilova.
Yonex (Seles) — after returning to the tour in 1995, Seles played Yonex rackets. That covers the two US Open finals of 1995 and 1996 against Graf.
The Ball
The 1992 Wimbledon final between them was played with a yellow ball: Wimbledon had given up white in 1986. Here is the story of how white disappeared.
Six Finals
1990 French Open: Seles won 7–6, 6–4 for her first major, saving four set points in the first-set tiebreak.
1992 French Open: Seles won 6–2, 3–6, 10–8. Graf saved six championship points before Seles closed it out.
1992 Wimbledon: Graf won 6–2, 6–1.
1993 Australian Open: Seles won 4–6, 6–3, 6–2.
1995 US Open: Graf won 7–6, 0–6, 6–3 in Seles’s first match against her since returning.
1996 US Open: Graf won 7–5, 6–4.
The Verdict
Graf leads 10–5 overall and 6–4 in Grand Slam matches. Since Seles returned, Graf won four of their five meetings. In Grand Slam finals it finished level, 3–3.
On the record: Graf, 10–5.
On Grand Slam finals: level at 3–3.
Want to play the game the way they saw it? Join the waiting list for The White Ball, or get the free collector’s guide to start your own racket collection.
— The Editor, Court Privée
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