Steffi Graf vs. Conchita Martinez Indian Wells 1996 F 💖

One of my all-time favourite matches

Steffi, who had foot surgery in December, took a 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5) victory over Martinez as temperatures hit 117 degrees courtside at the desert resort.

A young ball boy fainted five games into the match, but he was fine after being taken out of the heat.

Then sharing the world No. 1 ranking with Monica Seles, Steffi trailed Martinez 4-2 in the first-set tiebreaker before winning five of the next six points.

In the second set, when the heat contributed to five straight service breaks at one stretch, Graf fell behind 5-2 in the tiebreaker. But she then served an ace, one of only five for her in the match.

"I certainly had many chances," said Martinez. "I was up in the tiebreakers and I was up pretty much the whole match. But she was hitting unbelievable shots when I had the chances. She is always good. That's why she is number one in the world."

Graf made 53 unforced errors to 42 by Martinez. However, Steffi was able to turn it up a notch after she fell behind in the tiebreakers.

"I think we both didn't play our best tennis. That was pretty obvious," Graf said. "Obviously the heat was a big factor, but still. . . .

"I felt tentative on quite a few points and also the way I started the tiebreak. I was not going for the shots. When I was down 5-2 {in the second tiebreaker}, I just relaxed and hit an ace. I started to be more offensive and she helped me on the last points."

Steffi 💖
Enjoy!