VIRGINIA SLIMS CHAMPIONSHIPS

November 15, 1994

Steffi Graf

STEFFI GRAF: I didn't really think too much about it because I just thought about it as Martina's night, so, I never really felt like it wasn't supposed to be like that.

STEFFI GRAF: Yes, because it wasn't easy for me, it was the first match I played for quite a while and I didn't have an easy opponent, I knew I won't get a lot of rallies and I had to be on my toes constantly and, so, I felt good concentrating the way I did and maybe not having that much pressure on myself.

STEFFI GRAF: Okay, could be a little bit longer. To make it short, I didn't play for more than three weeks. I didn't do anything other than special gymnastic and special weight training. I tried to play for a couple of days, it hurt so much that I couldn't continue then. I got injections for like two weeks which I hoped it would help and through that period, I constantly worked on my back, a lot of weight training and special gymnastics and special therapy and I started again, it started to hurt again, so, I stopped again for a couple days. Then I started again, I was taking different medication and so I've been able not to play for maybe -- to play -- I mean, playing hard, I've been able to play now for a week, less than a week. So it's been a very difficult time.

STEFFI GRAF: Anti-inflammations.

STEFFI GRAF: No, it is not a disc problem. It is a really strong inflammation in my back, the sacroiliac and lower lumbar and I haven't been able to get inflammation out of there so far.

STEFFI GRAF: No, that doesn't have anything to do with it.

STEFFI GRAF: No, it has nothing to do with the disc. It has to do with the bone.

STEFFI GRAF: No, that's not correct. It wasn't the right diagnosis. It -- just leave it with inflamed. Stress reaction in the back, I think that's a lot easier.

STEFFI GRAF: Excuse me?

STEFFI GRAF: I have no idea. I have to see a different doctor, a specialist on inflammation after the tournament.

STEFFI GRAF: Chronic inflammation, that's what they've told me and it's at a very difficult spot, so, it is very difficult to tell right now. It could be staying there for a long time.

STEFFI GRAF: No, actually, I didn't feel like it tightened up or anything or like it started to hurt, none at all. It's been really good for the past week or so.

STEFFI GRAF: It's my first match since, so I didn't really have that problem at all.

STEFFI GRAF: Obviously. You know, if you try different thing for eight or nine weeks and nothing works, you get, you know, you worry about it and you think about it and you get depressed at certain times because you work for hours at a day and different therapies and nothing works.

STEFFI GRAF: You know, I think I was very patient the last two months and I didn't play a lot of tennis at all. I mean, in eight weeks, I played three days which isn't much, but, you know, it's something that doesn't help. It is not going to help if you're not going to play. That's one thing I found out --

STEFFI GRAF: No, it cannot, no.

STEFFI GRAF: Yes. I've been to a lot of doctors and I've been made very sure of that.

STEFFI GRAF: The thing is, it's difficult for me to tell because I was able to do a lot of weight training, a lot of special gymnastics for it every day, so I didn't really miss it too much because I was really busy doing different things, but now that I've been able to play, you know, I missed it. But I think at that time it was -- I didn't miss it too much because it frustrated me a little bit.

STEFFI GRAF: No, I mean, I really have to get another opinion on it, but it shouldn't. I mean, it shouldn't.

STEFFI GRAF: Has it what?

STEFFI GRAF: Well, you always, you know, I feel my career is not at the end and I think there are things that I would like to continue to do and like to reach, and it would disappoint me a lot if I would have to stop, but I don't think it's at that point at all.

STEFFI GRAF: Yes, it's overuse and the thing is that my back bones are not as strong as they -- as a usual person would have and I think I have that a little bit from my mother. She had a lot of back problems and lot of back operations and my bones are not quite as strong as other persons would have it.

STEFFI GRAF: I don't think it is a special stroke. I think it's the tennis itself. There are a lot of stokes and a lot of quick movements which make it difficult.

STEFFI GRAF: That's another long answer I could give.

STEFFI GRAF: I try. I think I can -- I'm going to start with what she meant to all of us. I think by just beinging here tonight, you could see what she means to tennis, to the spectators, to all the players and that doesn't happen very often I think in any sport, that all the players show so much respect to a person, and she had such a long career, and at such a high level. There are not many athletes you can find around in any sport in completed at any certain level like that and the way she did was a lot -- she gave a lot to the sport. She was always there with her whole heart and I think all that together has just made her so special.

STEFFI GRAF: She was always special to me. I think I have a lot of memories, and a lot of things that happened between us and always some great matches. I think we had a lot of things that were-- that we liked the same, for example, our passion towards Wimbledon or about competing, just playing tennis, and I think we are similar in this way. And so, I think there are a lot of things that make such passion.

STEFFI GRAF: I think it is a combination of both of it. I think it felt great having to play the first match and not having -- because I haven't really played a lot of matches or a lot of points or a lot of games. And just to go out and know I'm not going to have an easy match you have to concentrate and I was happy that I was able to play point after point, and like you said, without having any pain, and I think that all together made it a great night.

STEFFI GRAF: I started that. I started saying that. That's something that I always felt doing. And I think I was like -- I think the story has been around. Last year I was trying to find her after the singles finals and I wanted to play just for fun and this year we have been able to practice in Wimbledon together. Just hadn't had fun playing games and the last week we played a couple times together so we have been having fun and hopefully once in a while she'll play doubles.

STEFFI GRAF: Who cares?

STEFFI GRAF: For me? It would be the one, the first Wimbledon one when she was leading 7-5 and 2-Love and I came back to win the match 6-2, 6-1. I think that's the one that I -- for myself I would count the most important, but I think 1986, played the-- played the Open and I had three match points-- I was quite young at the time, so, it was memorable as well.

STEFFI GRAF: Not all the time. I think the first three weeks after U.S. Open, it was really painful, and after that it got better time after time, but then it didn't bother me.