Everyone has their own vision of what exactly greatness is. To some it is the accomplishment of monumentous goals; the achievement of extraordinary dreams. Others define greatness as the overcoming of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Still others believe it to be an intangible inner quality; a regality and dignity. To my way of thinking greatness is a combination of all these things, and greatness is Steffi Graf. What she has accomplished within the 27 years of her life has been nothing short of amazing.

Tennis records shatter in her presence, and yet she has maintained a humble demeanor. Through countless injuries and well publicized heartaches, Steffi Graf has not only survived, she has triumphed.

In my life I have never witnessed a more awesome amount of strength and determination than that which survives in Steffi Graf. Her near flawless game and steely will has brought her 21 Grand Slam singles titles and an unimagineable number of tournament wins. Though plagued with injuries throughout much of her career, Graf has played and she has won. Her tennis resume is complete, yet she continues to push herself. She continues to strive for perfection and is never satisfied when it is reached. She is forever improving herself, both on and off the court.

The 1995 tennis season stands out in my mind as one of the greatest in tennis history. Not only was Graf facing tremendous off-court pressures, she was also dealing with the return of Monica Seles and the much improved game of Arantxa Sanchez Vicario. The latter has proved herself to be more than a worthy adversary and the Wimbledon final of that year (with "the" nearly 20 min- ute, 32 point, 11 deuce game)

is one that will live forever in the record books. It was in 1995 that the world got to see what Steffi Graf was really made of, and she did not disappoint.

In 1997 Graf's presence, or lack thereof, on the women's tour has been hard felt. Her genuine excitement and love for tennis is a rarity in this age of big pay checks and even bigger egos. Her modesty and strength of character reflect not only a deep respect for the game, but for those that play it as well. Unfortunatey this is not a mind set readily shared with the new crop of tennis prodigies. While there may be those that grow to be more flamboyant or perhaps even more talented, Steffi Graf's place in tennis immortality has been reserved as much for her success on the court as for her demeanor off of it.

From the stand point of a Graf fan, the 1997 tennis season has not gotten off to a particularly successful start. There should be no doubt, however, that the lady champion will return with flying colors. She has triumphed through too much for anyone to think otherwise. For now, the tennis world waits patiently for the return of Steffi Graf; for the return of greatness.