[kati830728]

http://www.namecandy.com/celebrity-b...ssi?view=large

http://www.namecandy.com/celebrity-b...raf?view=large

[tennisfan2808]

Originally Posted by djul14

Yes thanks so much for the link, great read How lucky
I never met anyone while going to the bathroom
And to be honest if I had been this woman I probably would have suffered a heart attack
More seriously I don't know If I would have had the guts to ask her for a picture and an autograph, actually I think no words would have come out of my mouth so...

Muahahaha... you are so funny!
But yeah, if we bumped into Steffi one day, maybe we would get too shocked that we would just watch her pass by with our jaws dropping

[alfajeffster]

[quote=djul14;20170167... don't know If I would have had the guts to ask her for a picture and an autograph, actually I think no words would have come out of my mouth so...[/QUOTE]

You wouldn't have had time to think. I met her twice, and I've never seen a tennis player move so quickly! After a match in Philadelphia, I was talking to Janella Rachelle (Steffi's photographer), and suddenly there was Graf in front of me. I had 2 seconds (literally) to shove my coffee table book in front of her, which she signed, but the whole thing was almost like a blur, that's how fast she moves. I know this because of a similar incident a few years earlier after another Steffi match win. She came out of the little press tent on her way to the locker room, and it was all I could do to stick my program out for her to scribble on- the people standing next to me didn't even realize it was her- expecting some kind of entourage to emerge, but zing- she was nearly running, and poof! she was gone. That's how fast she walks!

[djul14]

Originally Posted by alfajeffster

You wouldn't have had time to think. I met her twice, and I've never seen a tennis player move so quickly! After a match in Philadelphia, I was talking to Janella Rachelle (Steffi's photographer), and suddenly there was Graf in front of me. I had 2 seconds (literally) to shove my coffee table book in front of her, which she signed, but the whole thing was almost like a blur, that's how fast she moves. I know this because of a similar incident a few years earlier after another Steffi match win. She came out of the little press tent on her way to the locker room, and it was all I could do to stick my program out for her to scribble on- the people standing next to me didn't even realize it was her- expecting some kind of entourage to emerge, but zing- she was nearly running, and poof! she was gone. That's how fast she walks!

Too fast ! But you ve met her twice ?
And this woman had the time to talk to her and take a picture.

Gasquet bumped into me in Metz (during the tournament), I almost shout at him, but he looked so sorry and said "pardon" so I let him go

[alfajeffster]

[quote=djul14;20191963]Too fast ! But you ve met her twice ? ...QUOTE]

Well, maybe "met" is the wrong term. She graced me with her presence for a fleeting moment or two. It's not like we had a conversation or anything! It was interesting to speak with Janella before Steffi showed up, though. She had taken the photo of Graf with her German Shepherd (beautiful pic). If I'd have it to do all over, I'd ask Steffi to sign the dog's name as well on the pic!

[XTN]

Did you guys see this link? http://m.yahoo.com/w/sports/home/blo...tl=US&.lang=en

If you scroll all the way down, you see this:

"On the day Connors beat Krickstein, Steffi Graf was set to play the next match. Twice she was asked if she wanted to move her match to Grandstand so she wouldn't have to wait. Both times she declined, saying she wanted to see Connors play."

I think it's cool that Steffi was really interested to watch the Connors match even if it meant her own match was delayed. (It does make me wonder though if the delay of her match had any impact on her overall fitness in the tournament and thus her eventual semifinal loss to Navratilova in the semis LOL)

[Stef-fan]

Originally Posted by XTN

Did you guys see this link? http://m.yahoo.com/w/sports/home/blo...tl=US&.lang=en

If you scroll all the way down, you see this:

"On the day Connors beat Krickstein, Steffi Graf was set to play the next match. Twice she was asked if she wanted to move her match to Grandstand so she wouldn't have to wait. Both times she declined, saying she wanted to see Connors play."

I think it's cool that Steffi was really interested to watch the Connors match even if it meant her own match was delayed. (It does make me wonder though if the delay of her match had any impact on her overall fitness in the tournament and thus her eventual semifinal loss to Navratilova in the semis LOL)

I was reminded of that SF loss too when I read that. But no excuses though as Martina had to wait as well.
Remember reading soemwhere that Steffi said that as a kid she loved watching Connors and Mc Enroe play (what a contrast to her shy, reserved self).

[Stef-fan]

Originally Posted by djul14

Yes thanks so much for the link, great read How lucky
I never met anyone while going to the bathroom
And to be honest if I had been this woman I probably would have suffered a heart attack
More seriously I don't know If I would have had the guts to ask her for a picture and an autograph, actually I think no words would have come out of my mouth so...

I would have literally frozen like a statue and by the time I recovered, Steffi would have disappeared. But I agree, don't think I would have walked up to her and asked for anything (imagining that no words would have come out and Steffi would have wondered if I am dumb and or mad or both)

[djul14]

Steffi did a clinic today. I can see a link from the NY times but I can't read the article (I already read too much free articles for this month), if someone can copy&paste pleaaase.

[karen poon]

At Clinic for Young Players, Graf Emphasizes the Fun
By KAREN CROUSE
At the Harlem Tennis Center, the Hall of Fame tennis player Steffi Graf was trading shots Thursday morning with a scrawny boy using a scaled-down racket. They were playing on the backcourt of a regulation-size court, with a net stretched from the service line to the baseline, and using oversize foam balls.

The tennis clinic, sponsored by the watchmaker Longines, was part of the QuickStart program, a United States Tennis Association initiative to introduce the game to children 10 and younger. Graf, 42, and her husband, Andre Agassi, also a Hall of Famer, are spokespersons for QuickStart, which is based on the premise that the effort required to hit a ball over the net shouldn’t outweigh the fun of it.

Graf, whose earliest memories of tennis are of hitting balls in her family’ s house in Germany with a sawed-down racket over a leather couch at the age of 3, said, “With tennis at a young age, it is really overwhelming. It’s intimidating. To have a chance to play on a smaller court with a lighter racket, you have a much better chance early on to have success by connecting.”

The children of Graf and Agassi have not formed a strong attachment to tennis, their parents’ 30 combined Grand Slam singles titles notwithstanding. Given that both Graf and Agassi were pushed in tennis by overbearing fathers, it might not be so surprising that they are keen to let their children find and follow their own passions.

Jaden Gil, 9, plays baseball but has become passionate about golf since recently picking up a club he found in the family’s garage.

“He’s been crazy about it every day,” Graf said.

Jaz Elle, 7, takes piano lessons (as does her brother), and has taken an interest in hip-hop dancing and horseback riding.

Graf said, “We’re constantly saying, the best thing tennis has given us apart from finding each other is we have the chance to spend time with our kids as they grow up and be there for the baseball tournaments and the dance recitals.” She added, “Andre and I both want to learn from them more than we’re trying to teach them, because we both believe a lot of what they learn is by watching more than by anything you say.”

Of Graf’s 22 Grand Slam singles titles, five came at the United States Open. One of her most impressive fortnights at Flushing Meadows was in 1988 when she lost only 13 games in her first five matches (excluding a walkover) and then defeated Gabriela Sabatini in the final, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

Asked about the play at this year’s tournament of Serena Williams, who has lost 23 games en route to the semifinals, Graf said, “To me she is the clear favorite. She misses almost a year and then comes back and wins her second tournament? To me that shows what a great athlete she is and how much talent she has. Her power and her ball-striking and athleticism is great to watch.”

http://straightsets.blogs.nytimes.co...sizes-the-fun/

[djul14]

THANKS Karen

[Stef-fan]

Found this photo on twitter:
At Harlem Tennis Center with @sloanetweets and Steffi Graf. Soaking up the advice. http://yfrog.com/ke3o0gxcj

Read a story about Sloane and her father and was impressed by the young woman after watching her at US Open this year.

[Stef-fan]

Video of Steffi's Longiness events:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JddT0uyN4q4

[Steffistian]

Originally Posted by Stef-fan

Video of Steffi's Longiness events:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JddT0uyN4q4

Stefanie Graff?

[Anthony.]

CBS showed a few highlights of Steffi beating Gabi in 1988.
And what's really annoying is that they clearly have a great catalogue of decent quality tennis matches that they'll never release.