How Steffi Graf humiliated a later legend

35 years ago today, Steffi Graf won the shortest and most one-sided Grand Slam final in history. Despite the bitter humiliation, her opponent also managed a Hall of Fame career.

Steffi Graf’s opponent fought back tears afterwards. And everyone could feel it.

Natalia “Natasha” Zvereva from the former Soviet Union went down 0: 6, 0: 6 against the German athlete of the century at the French Open. In just 32 minutes. And not as an overwhelmed underdog in round 1, 2 or 3. But in the tournament final.

The Belarusian was 17 years old when she was run over by the “Countess”, who was only 18 at the time. It was the shortest major final in history. And the ultimate demonstration of power by the young dominator, who was to end the year with the “Golden Slam” – historic wins at the Australian, French and US Opens, Wimbledon and the Olympics in Tokyo.

Zvereva, who was born in Minsk, went into the game on June 4, 1988 with a tailwind. On the way to the final, she eliminated the great Martina Navratilova, among others.

However, Graf, who had celebrated her first Grand Slam title in Paris the year before, was on a completely different level. Zvereva never found her game and only won 13 rallies in the whole game – only two of them on her own, the other 11 because of Graf’s mistakes. A roughly one-hour rain break during the game ended up being about twice as long as the match itself.

“After the first sentence, I thought about what I would eat later in the evening,” admitted Zvereva afterwards. While Graf turned to Zvereva and the viewers half apologetically: “What should I do? Losing 6-0, 6-0 in a Grand Slam final is hell. But I’m an athlete and I always try to get the best tennis out of me.”

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She not only succeeded in Paris with flying colors: Graf only gave up two sets in all four Grand Slam tournaments. In the Wimbledon final against Martina Navratilova and in the US Open final against Gabriela Sabatini. In the Olympic final, Graf dominated the Argentine 6-3, 6-3. (That’s what Gabriela Sabatini is doing today)

At the end of that legendary tennis year, Steffi Graf looked back on a record of 72:3 in singles. At the end of her career, which ended in 1999, the legend, who now lives in the USA with her husband Andre Agassi, had 22 major titles to her name.

The tragic heroine Zvereva, meanwhile, never again reached a Grand Slam final in singles, but instead had a Hall of Fame career with 18 major titles in doubles, most with the American Gigi Fernandez.

Zvereva was not able to advance that far to the top of the world in singles, as is her personal record against Graf: she lost 18 of a total of 21 duels.

Her biggest victory over Graf came with Zvereva (not related to Alexander Zverev’s family) ten years after the historic dismantling in Paris, in the third round of Wimbledon.

Zvereva made the rare achievement in London of knocking out Graf and Monica Seles in a tournament. In the semifinals it was against Nathalie Tauziat, who lost in the final to Jana Novotna, who died in 2017.