Steffi Graf has remained one of the most popular tennis stars, and the seven-time Wimbledon champion encountered a crazy fan in the 1998 semifinal. Check the viral moment here.
Steffi Graf and Wimbledon are quite synonymous. The former German tennis star lifted the women’s Wimbledon singles title seven times, only after Martina Navratilova in the all-time winners list.
When Steffi Graf Answered To A Marriage Proposal At Wimbledon
Graf remains one of the most iconic tennis stars of all time, and back in her days, she emerged as one of the most popular players both on and off the court. The 56-year-old had a funny encounter with a fan during the 1996 Wimbledon semifinal against Kimiko Date. Steffi was aiming for her 7th Wimbledon title and when she was about to serve a fan said to him, “Steffi, will you marry me?”
The German tennis star couldn’t control his laugh and she replied after a moment, “How much money do you have?”
The entire centre court burst into laughter and it etched a memory forever in the history books of Wimbledon. Steffi apparently went on to lose the game but came back stronger to defeat Date on her way to her 7th Wimbledon title at the All England Club.
As quoted by the New York Times, she said after the game, “I lost the game, so I think I’ll ask for a divorce now.”
What’s New At 2025 Wimbledon
For the first time, there will be no line judges at Wimbledon. The electronic line calling system will replace the line judges who have been ever-present at the All England Club for the last 148 years. The electronic system will monitor all the line calls in real-time, and the chair umpire will have access to the data. Wimbledon became the last grand slam to ditch the human element to the game and it remains to be seen how the fans react to it.
The total prize pool of Wimbledon has also witnessed a massive hike as both men and women winners will get 3 million pounds for winning the title while the overall prize money has crossed the 50 million pound barrier making it one of the most lucrative competitions.
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