Editing Steffi Graf (section)

==Legacy==
In December 1999, Graf was named the greatest female tennis player of the 20th century by a panel of experts assembled by the [[Associated Press]].<ref name="AP Century">{{cite web|url=http://augustasports.com/stories/121299/oth_tennis.shtml|work=AugustaSports.com|title=Tennis Players of the Century.|access-date=24 April 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070521071150/http://augustasports.com/stories/121299/oth_tennis.shtml|archive-date=21 May 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> Graf was ranked as the world No. 1 in women's singles by the WTA for a record 377 weeks, and finished as the year-end No. 1 a record eight times,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://grove.ufl.edu/~cwarner/people/SGraf.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961230142243/http://grove.ufl.edu/~cwarner/people/SGraf.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 December 1996 |title=Steffi Graf |publisher=Grove.ufl.edu |access-date=17 May 2011}}</ref> and she won 22 [[Grand Slam (tennis)#Tournaments|major]] women's singles titles.<ref name="Steffi Graf WTA Year In Detail">{{cite web|title=Steffi Graf Year In Detail|url=http://www.wtatennis.com/players/player/2718/title/steffi-graf#yearindetail|access-date=24 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130722183123/http://www.wtatennis.com/players/player/2718/title/steffi-graf#yearindetail|archive-date=22 July 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Graf's athletic ability and aggressive power game played from the baseline have been credited with developing the modern style of play that has come to dominate today's game.<ref>{{cite web |author=Australian Tennis Magazine |title=The 10 most influential players in the history of tennis |url=https://tennismash.com/2016/09/15/10-influential-players-history-tennis/ |url-status=live |publisher=Suzi Petkovski |date=15 September 2016 |access-date=6 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924073958/http://tennismash.com/2016/09/15/10-influential-players-history-tennis/ |archive-date=24 September 2016 |via=Tennismash}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Robin Finn |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/18/sports/on-tennis-graf-is-best-right-just-don-t-ask-her.html |title=ON TENNIS; Graf Is Best, Right? Just Don't Ask Her |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=18 August 1999 |access-date=15 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709103457/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/18/sports/on-tennis-graf-is-best-right-just-don-t-ask-her.html |archive-date=9 July 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="grantland1">{{cite web |url=http://grantland.com/the-triangle/steffi-graf-serena-williams/ |title=The Shadow of Steffi Graf: Before Serena, Women's Tennis Had Another Unconquerable Force « |website=Grantland.com |date=27 August 2015 |access-date=15 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170507173757/http://grantland.com/the-triangle/steffi-graf-serena-williams/ |archive-date=7 May 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="bleacherreport1">{{cite web |author=Jeremy Eckstein |url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2651802-remember-what-made-steffi-graf-a-tennis-legend |title=Remembering What Made Steffi Graf a Tennis Legend |website=[[Bleacher Report]] |date=13 July 2016 |access-date=15 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170823062206/http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2651802-remember-what-made-steffi-graf-a-tennis-legend |archive-date=23 August 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In the year of Graf's retirement, [[Billie Jean King]] said, "Steffi [Graf] is definitely the greatest women's tennis player of all time."<ref name="King">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/18/sports/on-tennis-graf-is-best-right-just-don-t-ask-her.html |title=ON TENNIS; Graf Is Best, Right? Just Don't Ask Her |work=The New York Times |date=18 August 1999 |access-date=17 May 2011 |first=Robin |last=Finn |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714100700/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/18/sports/on-tennis-graf-is-best-right-just-don-t-ask-her.html |archive-date=14 July 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> In March 2012, Tennis Channel picked Graf as the greatest female tennis player ever in their list of 100 greatest tennis players of all time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tennischannel.com/goat/71.aspx |work=tennischannel.com |title=The list |access-date=24 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120605022801/http://www.tennischannel.com/goat/71.aspx |archive-date= 5 June 2012 }}</ref> In November 2018, Tennis.com polled its readers to choose the greatest women's tennis player of all time and Graf came in first.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2018/11/goat-vote-steffi-or-serena-ten-went-one-way-you-went-another/78127/|title=GOAT Vote: Steffi or Serena? 'The Ten' went one way; you went another.|website=Tennis.com|access-date=5 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181205193729/http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2018/11/goat-vote-steffi-or-serena-ten-went-one-way-you-went-another/78127/|archive-date=5 December 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> In December 1999, Graf was named the greatest female tennis player of the 20th century by a panel of experts assembled by the [[Associated Press]].<ref name="AP Century"/> When asked in a 2016 interview to name the greatest players of all time, [[Serena Williams]] answered Graf and [[Roger Federer]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gpu_st4ynLc&t=353s |title=73 Questions with Serena Williams &#124; Vogue |website=YouTube |date=28 July 2016 |access-date=2 October 2022 |archive-date=2 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002162055/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gpu_st4ynLc&t=353s |url-status=live }}</ref>

In July 2020, ''The Guardian'' polled its readers to determine the greatest female tennis player of the past 50 years, and Graf was the clear favorite, picking up nearly twice as many votes as any other player.<ref>{{Cite web|date=4 July 2020|title=The greatest female tennis player of the last 50 years: the fans' verdict|url=http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/jul/04/greatest-female-tennis-player-graf-evert-williams-seles-navratilova|access-date=13 June 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en|archive-date=13 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210613121922/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/jul/04/greatest-female-tennis-player-graf-evert-williams-seles-navratilova|url-status=live}}</ref> Along with [[Boris Becker]], Graf is considered instrumental in popularizing tennis in Germany, where it remains one of the foremost national sports.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bernstein |first=Eckhard |title=Culture and Customs of Germany |date=2004 |publisher=Greenwood Press|location=Westport, Connecticut|isbn=0-313-32203-1|page=47}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=René Denfeld |url=https://thetennisisland.com/2015/10/04/tennis-in-reunified-germany-then-and-now/ |title=Tennis in Reunified Germany: Then and Now – The Tennis Island |website=Thetennisisland.com |date=4 October 2015 |access-date=15 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180811230802/https://thetennisisland.com/2015/10/04/tennis-in-reunified-germany-then-and-now/ |archive-date=11 August 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1989/06/26/serving-her-country-a-grand-slam-may-have-brought-west-germanys-steffi-graf-fame-and-fortune-but-to-the-delight-of-her-countrymen-whove-watched-her-climb-to-the-top-she-remains-one-of-them|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140919064430/http://www.si.com/vault/1989/06/26/120093/serving-her-country-a-grand-slam-may-have-brought-west-germanys-steffi-graf-fame-and-fortune-but-to-the-delight-of-her-countrymen-whove-watched-her-climb-to-the-top-she-remains-one-of-them|archive-date=19 September 2014|title=Serving Her Country A Grand Slam May Have Brought West Germany's Steffi Graf Fame And Fortune, But To The Delight Of Her Countrymen Who've Watched Her Climb To The Top, She Remains 'one Of Them'|first=Curry|last=Kirkpatrick|magazine=Sports Illustrated|access-date=16 October 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> Tennis writer Steve Flink, in his book ''The Greatest Tennis Matches of the Twentieth Century'', named Graf as the best female player of the 20th century.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chrisevert.net/flink.html|work=ChrisEvert.net|title=Exclusive Interview with Steve Flink about the career of Chris Evert|access-date=23 April 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070405170700/http://www.chrisevert.net/flink.html|archive-date=5 April 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> Flink said in 2020 that the jury was still out on (Serena) Williams as the greatest ever, but Williams' consistency over the long span did not match that of Graf or Navratilova.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2020/04/celebration-navratilovas-multifaceted-legacy-no-simple-task/88211/|title=A celebration of Martina Navratilova's multifaceted legacy|website=Tennis.com|access-date=11 April 2020|archive-date=11 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200411103218/https://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2020/04/celebration-navratilovas-multifaceted-legacy-no-simple-task/88211/|url-status=live}}</ref>