Editing Steffi Graf (section)

===Early career===
Graf played in her first professional tournament in October 1982 at [[1982 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix|Filderstadt]], Germany. She lost her first round match 6–4, 6–0 to [[Tracy Austin]], a two-time US Open champion and former world No. 1 player.

At the start of her first full professional year in 1983, Graf was 13 years old and ranked world No. 124. She won no titles during the next three years, but her ranking climbed steadily to world No. 98 in 1983, No. 22 in 1984, and No. 6 in 1985. In 1984, she first gained international attention when she almost upset the tenth seed, [[Jo Durie]] of the United Kingdom, in a fourth round [[Centre Court]] match at Wimbledon. In August as a 15-year-old (and youngest entrant) representing West Germany, she won the tennis demonstration event at the [[1984 Summer Olympics|1984 Olympic Games]] in Los Angeles. No medals were awarded as this was not an official Olympic event.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/profiles/bio_uk.asp?PAR_I_ID=64473 |title=Steffi Graf: The Golden Slam |publisher=Olympic.org |access-date=4 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090616133142/http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/profiles/bio_uk.asp?PAR_I_ID=64473 |archive-date=16 June 2009 |url-status=live  }}</ref>

Graf's schedule was closely controlled by her father Peter Graf, who limited her play so that she would not burn out.<ref name="latimes1987">{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-09-13-sp-7824-story.html |title=Both on and Off Court, Graf Has Come a Long Way in Past Year |work=Los Angeles Times |date=13 September 1987 |first=John |last=Feinstein |access-date=18 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150829210451/http://articles.latimes.com/1987-09-13/sports/sp-7824_1_peter-graf |archive-date=29 August 2015 |url-status=live  }}</ref> In 1985, for instance, she played only ten events leading up to the US Open, whereas another up-and-coming star, [[Gabriela Sabatini]], played 21. Peter Graf also kept a tight rein on his daughter's personal life. Social invitations on the tour were often declined as Graf's focus was kept on practicing and match play. Working with her father and then-coach [[Pavel Složil]], Graf typically practiced for up to four hours a day, often heading straight from airports to practice courts. This narrow focus meant that Graf, already shy and retiring by nature,<ref name="latimes1987"/> made few friends on the tour in her early years, but it led to a steady improvement in her play.

In 1985 and early 1986, Graf emerged as the top challenger to the dominance of [[Martina Navratilova]] and [[Chris Evert]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-06-08-sp-9730-story.html |title=Graf, 16, Can Handle Pressure |work=Los Angeles Times |date=8 June 1986 |first=John |last=Feinstein |access-date=18 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016223012/http://articles.latimes.com/1986-06-08/sports/sp-9730_1_peter-graf |archive-date=16 October 2015 |url-status=live  }}</ref> During that period, she lost six times to Evert and three times to Navratilova, all in straight sets. She did not win a tournament but consistently reached tournament finals, semifinals and quarterfinals, with the highlight being a semifinal defeat to Navratilova at the US Open.

On 13 April 1986, Graf won her first WTA tournament and beat Evert for the first time in the final of the [[Family Circle Cup]] in [[Hilton Head, South Carolina]] (she never lost to Evert again, beating her seven more times over the next three and a half years). Graf then won her next three tournaments at [[Bausch & Lomb Championships|Amelia Island]], Indianapolis, and [[Qatar Telecom German Open|Berlin]], culminating in a 6–2, 6–3 defeat of Navratilova in the final of the latter. Illness caused her to miss Wimbledon,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-06-17-sp-11677-story.html |title=Tennis Roundup : Mysterious Illness Forces Graf to Withdraw From Wimbledon |work=Los Angeles Times |date=17 June 1986 |access-date=18 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016223012/http://articles.latimes.com/1986-06-17/sports/sp-11677_1_steffi-graf |archive-date=16 October 2015 |url-status=live  }}</ref> and an accident where she broke a toe several weeks later also curtailed her play. She returned to win a small tournament at [[Mahwah, New Jersey|Mahwah]] just before the US Open where, in one of the most anticipated matches of the year, she encountered Navratilova in a semifinal. Navratilova prevailed over Graf in the semifinal 6–1, 6–7<sup>(7–3)</sup>, 7–6<sup>(10–8)</sup>, saving three match points in an epic spread over two days.<ref>[http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1986-09-07/sports/8602230305_1_third-set-tiebreaker-backhand-point Navratilova Pushed To Limit Before Ousting Upstart Graf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180801221235/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1986-09-07/sports/8602230305_1_third-set-tiebreaker-backhand-point|date=August 1, 2018}}, ''SunSentinel'' [Florida, U.S.], Jim Sarni, Sept. 7, 1986.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Marshall |first=Ashley |date=2020-04-17 |title=Turning Points: Martina Navratilova saves match points to edge Steffi Graf at 1986 US Open |url=https://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/articles/2020-04-17/turning_points_martina_navratilova_saves_match_points_to_edge_steffi_graf_at_1986_us_open.html |access-date=2023-09-08}}</ref> Graf then won three consecutive indoor titles at [[Toray Pan Pacific Open|Tokyo]], [[Zurich Open|Zurich]], and [[Brighton]], before once again contending with Navratilova at the season-ending [[1986 Virginia Slims Championships|Virginia Slims Championships]] in New York. This time, Navratilova beat Graf 7–6, 6–3, 6–2.