Even Champions Choke

Steffi combined shot making with remarkable grace under pressure.

I have tremendous admiration for Steffi Graf. Her character was so strong, so practical, and so perfectly competitive that I am in awe of the way she played the game.

Even though Steffi has been retired for several years, her famous husband still judges his achievements in comparison to hers. If we look back at a few of her memorable matches we can all learn some basic lessons about how to compete.

It is not simply the fact that Steffi won so many Grand Slam titles that intrigues me; it is the way she won them. Her shots are, of course, wonderful as well, but it is her grace under pressure that brought me to the edge of my seat.

The French Open final Steffi played against Aranxta Sanchez Vicario toward the end of her career is a good example Graf won the first set 6-4 and held a commanding 4-1 lead in the second set tiebreaker. She was so close to her fifth French singles Championship that she could taste it.

Then the incredible happened. Graf made a couple of easy errors, started to think, develop doubts, choke, yes, choke….