Steffi Graf once reflected on the toll her injury issues had taken on her tennis career. Despite acknowledging the difficult times, the German managed to find humor in her situation by amusingly lamenting the sheer number of medical visits she had made over the years.
Amid all her success on tour, Graf also dealt with significant physical challenges, undergoing multiple operations to remove recurring bone spurs on her back and both feet. But the biggest setback arose when she injured her patellar tendon and underwent surgery on her left knee in June 1997, after playing through pain for a year. As a result, the German had to miss four Majors between 1997 and 1998, marking a rare period where she didn’t win any Slams.
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Nevertheless, Graf overcame her injury struggles and produced a fairytale run at the 1999 French Open, beating Martina Hingis 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 in the final to win her 22nd Grand Slam title. After her victory, the German made the surprising announcement that this would be her final appearance at the claycourt Major. However, she said she was very excited to compete at Wimbledon, having gained a lot of confidence from her triumph in Paris.
In an interview with the Independent before her campaign, Steffi Graf reflected on her battle with injuries and humorously declared that she knew which doctors to recommend in every big city around the world.
"If you go to a big city anywhere in the world and you need a doctor, just ask me. I can tell you who's good and who's bad. I've even considered writing a guidebook," Steffi Graf said.
The German also said her career had been tumultuous since her knee surgery, shedding light on the difficult times she had to endure. However, Graf took solace in her "incredible" victory at the French Open ahead of her campaign at Wimbledon.
"Ever since my knee operation my career has been up and down. At the beginning of this year things didn't go so well. I've had some good times, some strange times. It's been a difficult road. Now I've been able to turn things around again, it has been incredible," she added.
Steffi Graf did continue her stellar run of form at Wimbledon, beating the likes of Kim Clijsters, Venus Williams and Mirjana Lucic to reach the final. However, the German failed to clinch the title, as Lindsay Davenport claimed a 6-4, 7-5 victory to triumph at the grasscourt Major for the first time in her career.
"When I went home after Wimbledon, I felt empty toward tennis" - Steffi Graf on her shocking decision to retire
In a 2020 interview with Sportstar, Steffi Graf revealed that her loss to Lindsay Davenport in the 1999 Wimbledon Championships marked a turning point when it came to her career.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion opened up about coming to the realization that she had lost her motivation and no longer felt the need to chase after achievements because of how satisfied she felt.
"I suppose people were surprised when I said I wouldn't be back after I lost to Lindsay (Davenport) in the Wimbledon final. But to me that definitely was the end of something. I felt so much joy after expecting so little. I was so satisfied," Steffi Graf said.
"That's probably why my motivation finally left me for good when that great run ended. When I went home after Wimbledon, I felt empty toward tennis, and that sensation didn't change," she added.
After her Wimbledon campaign, Steffi Graf competed at the San Diego Open, where she was forced to retire from her quarterfinal clash against Amy Frazier because of an injury to her left thigh. The clash marked the final match of the German's career, as she unexpectedly announced her decision to end her career at the age of 30 a few weeks later on August 30, 1999.
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