Steffi Graf vs Gabriela Sabatini

Some sporting rivalries are built on dislike.

Others become memorable because two athletes bring completely different personalities and styles to the same stage.

Steffi Graf and Gabriela Sabatini belonged to the second category.

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, they repeatedly met in some of women's tennis's biggest matches. Graf was the relentless German champion with extraordinary footwork and one of the most devastating forehands the sport had seen. Sabatini was the elegant Argentine with a beautiful one-handed backhand, heavy topspin and a naturally graceful style.

On paper, Graf's career was far greater.

On court, however, Sabatini was one of the players capable of making her uncomfortable.

Steffi Graf: Relentless Excellence

Graf's numbers place her among the greatest tennis players in history.

She won 22 Grand Slam singles championships and 107 WTA singles titles. She also spent a remarkable 377 weeks as the world's No. 1 player. (wtatennis.com)

But one season separates her even from most other legends.

Graf won the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open in the same calendar year.

Then she travelled to the Seoul Olympics and won the singles gold medal.

No other singles player has completed that combination in a single year, an achievement now known as the Golden Slam. (usopen.org)

Ironically, Sabatini was involved in two of the most important matches of that historic season.

Graf defeated her in the 1988 US Open final to complete the calendar Grand Slam and then beat her again in the Olympic gold-medal match.

That perfectly demonstrates the difficulty Sabatini faced during her career.

She was an exceptional player.

Unfortunately for her, she happened to play during the prime of one of the greatest players ever.

Gabriela Sabatini: Elegance With Power

Sabatini's achievements sometimes become underrated because of the era in which she competed.

She reached a career-high ranking of world No. 3 and won 27 singles titles. She also won two season-ending WTA Championships and an Olympic silver medal. (wtatennis.com)

Her game was immediately recognizable.

Where Graf frequently used a sliced backhand before looking to attack with her forehand, Sabatini possessed a flowing one-handed topspin backhand that could generate both angle and power.

She was comfortable constructing points patiently.

She could use spin to move opponents around the court before attacking.

And unlike many players facing Graf during her dominant years, Sabatini genuinely believed she could beat her.

Eventually, she proved it on the biggest stage.

The 1990 US Open Final

If there is one match that defines Sabatini's career, it is the 1990 US Open final.

Two years earlier, Graf had beaten her in New York while completing her historic Grand Slam.

This time the roles were reversed.

Sabatini played aggressively, moved forward when opportunities appeared and prevented Graf from controlling the match with her forehand.

She won 6-2, 7-6.

It became Sabatini's only Grand Slam singles championship and made her the first—and still the only—Argentine woman to win a Grand Slam singles title. (usopen.org)

For Sabatini, the opponent made the victory even more meaningful.

She had not simply won a major.

She had defeated Steffi Graf in the final.

The Overall Rivalry

Graf and Sabatini met 40 times between 1985 and 1995.

Graf won 29.

Sabatini won 11. (tennisnet.com)

That looks heavily one-sided, and ultimately it was.

But the story becomes more interesting when looking at individual periods.

Graf won their first 11 meetings.

Sabatini then became significantly more competitive and, between 1988 and 1992, repeatedly defeated Graf—including a five-match winning streak.

At Grand Slam tournaments, however, Graf's superiority became overwhelming.

They met 12 times at majors, and Graf won 11 of those encounters. Sabatini's only Grand Slam victory over her was that famous 1990 US Open final. (usopen.org)

Then came another painful near-miss.

Wimbledon 1991.

Sabatini reached the final and came extremely close to winning a second Grand Slam title.

Graf eventually won 6-4, 3-6, 8-6.

Sabatini had been within two points of the championship.

That match probably represents the rivalry better than almost any statistic.

Graf usually found a way.

Friends, Rivals and Even Doubles Partners

Perhaps the most unusual part of their relationship is that Graf and Sabatini were not only opponents.

They also played doubles together.

And they were extremely successful.

In 1988, while competing fiercely against each other in singles, they teamed up to win the Wimbledon women's doubles championship. (wtatennis.com)

That would be difficult to imagine in many intense sporting rivalries.

One day you are trying desperately to defeat someone.

Another day you are standing beside her, trying to win together.

Their personalities were different too.

Graf was intensely focused and generally private.

Sabatini was quieter and sometimes appeared almost uncomfortable with the enormous attention surrounding her.

Neither needed controversy to make their matches interesting.

The tennis was enough.

Who Was Better?

There is little real argument when judging the entire careers.

Steffi Graf was the greater player.

Twenty-two Grand Slam singles titles against Sabatini's one, 377 weeks at No. 1 compared with Sabatini's career-high ranking of No. 3, and the unique Golden Slam make the difference enormous.

But that does not make Sabatini an ordinary rival.

She competed in an era containing Graf, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and later Monica Seles—and still built a Hall of Fame career.

More importantly, she occasionally did what most players could not.

She made Steffi Graf look vulnerable.

Graf represents dominance.

Sabatini represents elegance and persistence.

And their rivalry reminds us that the most memorable opponent is not always the one who defeats you most often.

Sometimes it is the player who forces you to produce your best tennis every time she walks onto the other side of the net.