Steffi Graf: Chris Evert pays tribute to tennis legend for historic achievement

Chris Evert has paid tribute to fellow tennis legend Steffi Graf on the anniversary of a legendary milestone the German set 36 years ago.

Graf’s career spanned across 17 years and in that time, she set multiple records and became one of the best tennis players to ever grace the court.

In 1988, Graf became the first man or woman to achieve the Golden Slam and she remains the only player in history to do it all in the same year.

To become a Golden Slam winner, a player must claim the title of every Grand Slam tournament and an Olympic gold medal in the same calendar year.

Graf won all four major tournaments in 1988, and topped it off with the Olympic title at the Seoul Games.

Since the German became the first to boast the elusive achievement, three other players have won the Career Golden Slam. This means winning the four majors and an Olympic gold, but not in the same year.

Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams have all won the Career Golden Slam during their time on the court.

The US Open honoured Graf on Twitter for her historic achievement and Evert followed up with a heartwarming post of her own.

“Not enough credit is given to Steffi,” the 18-time Grand Slam winner wrote. “She was relentless in her power game, her movement, her mental strength, and her competitiveness.

“Winning the Golden Slam will be almost impossible to replicate… and she achieved it with her trademark humility.”

While winning the only ever Golden Slam in tennis history is enough for Graf to go down as a legend, she achieved so much more during her glittering career.

The former world number one won a total of 22 Grand Slam tournaments and she is the only player to ever win each major at least four times.

She is also just one of two