Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, July 9, 1995 TAG: 9507100091
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: E1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ROBIN FINN NEW YORK TIMES
DATELINE: WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND LENGTH: Long
Once again, just as it had been a month ago when she fought her way to the French Open championship, Graf's opponent was second-seeded Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, the plucky Spaniard with whom she has exchanged the No.1 ranking six times this year.
In an outstanding final that deserves to be remembered as much for the superior quality of play as for the daring and stamina of its contestants, the German outlasted Sanchez Vicario, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5, after first outlasting her in an epic 32-point game to break the Spaniard's serve in the penultimate game.
Graf, with a perfect 32-0 record that has brought her six titles in 1995, collected her sixth career Wimbledon championship and her 17th Grand Slam singles triumph overall. That leaves her just one title short of equaling the prodigious output of Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova.
But Graf doesn't concern herself with trophies and records and rivalries. It's only winning matches that counts. She plowed through this one and later laughed and called it ``ever in doubt,'' which is the reason she felt an impromptu urge to share her booty, the shiny silver Rosewater Dish with Sanchez Vicario.
Both were exhausted after the 2-hour, 2-minute match on Center Court, which was the 14th consecutive final in which the two have clashed. At the end, out of respect to each another's devotion to the game, they kissed at netside.
The victory improved Graf's record against Sanchez Vicario to 26-8 and marked the third time this year that the Spaniard emerged from a Grand Slam finale as the runner-up.
The last time Sanchez Vicario downed Graf was at the 1994 U.S. Open in a final in which Graf built up a commanding lead only to have her back seize up.
Although it looked to be a triumph of athleticism and sheer force, Graf earned this title as much out of sheer stubbornness and willpower as out of being bigger, stronger and more grass-court conscious than her opponent.
Physically unfit by her standards, Graf later admitted that she was ``held together by a few pieces of tape here and there,'' and that the troublesome ache in her back had been temporarily subdued by an injection of anti-inflammatories directly into the joint.
``I hate needles, so it was not a pleasant preparation to have to make,'' said Graf, who isn't afraid of much and has only been able to steel herself to accept these necessary medical ministrations out of her biggest fear: that of missing these Grand Slam tournaments. Despite her touchy back, Graf plucked innumerable overheads out of the sky with nary a miss throughout the entire match.
To Graf, who doesn't get this kind of test anywhere else on the circuit, prevailing under Grand Slam conditions is her best measure of herself.
``I think everything I've won has been exceptional and so does this one feel,'' she said when asked to compare this latest victory with her prior five Wimbledon titles. ``I mean, it's just a great, great feeling; I was a little bit tired out there today, but it still felt incredible,'' she said.
The most incredible moment of this hotly contested match actually was not a moment at all, unless it counted as a moment of truth in which the German's resolute pursuit of excellence finally paid off.
The final was deadlocked at 5 in the third set when Sanchez Vicario stepped into an other-worldly service game that wound up taking 20 minutes, reached 13 deuces, produced six break-point chances for Graf and eight unconverted game-point opportunities for the Spaniard.
When it was finally over, sealed by Graf's own signature kiss of death, a booming forehand drive into the corner where Sanchez Vicario was not, the crowd gave the players a standing ovation and Graf gave herself an invitation to serve for the match.
``It's never happened to me before in my career, and never probably ever meant as much at such a stage of a match,'' said Graf, who was so tired after getting the pivotal break that she could not even imagine stepping to the service line and ending things right away.
``I was so tired, I was like, wow. I mean, we both felt that this would be a crucial game, but still, I was really tired to go out there and serve and I really didn't have the feeling that this was going to be it.''
But it was.
Graf, who gave up just two break chances in the match, zipped through the final game of the match without losing a point. Triple match point found Graf, not noted for her voluntary visits to the net, galloping in on the heels of a powerful serve that set her up perfectly for a crisp, definitive backhand volley.
For Sanchez Vicario, this first Wimbledon final was a promise of finer matches to come instead of a setback.
``I have to be, you know, very proud because it was close and I played great tennis and I play maybe the best player in the world who plays on grass at this moment,'' she said. ``It was a matter of luck at the end with some passing shots really,'' Sanchez Vicario said of the final two games.
Graf admitted she was somewhat surprised by her opponent's aggressiveness in the first set; despite building a reputation as a tireless retriever and defender, Sanchez Vicario displayed the antithesis of that posture in the early going.
``She really in the first set played very aggressive, without any nervousness, and really went for it,'' said Graf, who not only lost her serve in the seventh game of the opening set but had to endure being beaten by a second serve ace that gave the underdog a 5-3 lead in the next game.
But Graf, just as she had in Paris when she fended off a furious and lengthy semifinal charge from Conchita Martinez, maintained her composure and eventually regained her edge on her favorite surface.
``I think again, it's like something I showed in Paris, that I never gave up,'' she said. ``I think that's probably what I'm most proud of.''
Keywords:
TENNIS
by CNB