1988 marks an epochal passage at Wimbledon. It is the year of the last confrontation at the Championships between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, who wins 7-5 in the third, and of the first triumph of Steffi Graf who risks losing against Navratilova but then sails towards triumph. It is the third chapter of her Golden Slam: in 1988 she wins all the Slams and the Olympic gold. “I don’t think many will succeed after me” she said at the time. So far, no one has succeeded.
Graf also won in 1989, then in 1990 it was Navratilova’s turn to make history. In fact, she won her ninth Wimbledon singles title and beat Helen Wills Moody’s record, setting a new record that still stands today. The domination of “Fraulein Forehand”, Graf’s nickname, resumed in 1991, 1992 and 1993 in the final over Jana Novotna who was also ahead 4-1 in the third set. However, the Czech lost the last five games of the match and, in one of the symbolic images of the tournament, during the awards ceremony she burst into tears on the shoulder of the Duchess of Kent. “Don’t cry, I know you can win here” she tells her. Novotna lost again in the final in 1997 to Martina Hingis, the youngest Wimbledon champion, but she managed to lift the trophy in 1998.
In 1994, Graf arrived at Wimbledon as the odds-on favorite, but lost to Lori McNeil in the first round. On a cold, wet and windy Tuesday, she became the first defending champion to be defeated in the first round in the history of the Championships. In the final, Conchita Martinez, the first Spaniard to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish, prevailed over 37-year-old Navratilova. Despite her disappointment, Steffi Graf won two more Wimbledon titles in 1995 and 1996.
