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In 1988, she became only the third woman and fifth tennis player to win the Grand Slam – claiming the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open in the same calendar year. On top of that, she traveled to Seoul, Korea and won an Olympic Gold Medal, accomplishing an unprecedented "Golden Slam." Just how impressive was that feat? Only Graf and some guy named Agassi have won all four individual Grand Slams and a Gold Medal in a career. She did it in one year. The closest to duplicating that feat is Belgium's Justine Henin-Hardenne, who is still searching for a Wimbledon championship to complete a career Golden Slam. The amazing Graf, who also won a Gold Medal in Los Angeles in 1984 when tennis was a demonstration sport, will remain the only answer to the Golden Slam trivia question for quite some time. The fact is, Graf's entire career is clearly standing the test of time. She's the only player to have won all four Grand Slams at least four times, continuously showcasing her skills on any and all surfaces, whether grass, clay or hard-court. Now a mother of two who puts the same work ethic into charity work as she once did tennis, Graf is a long forgotten standard in a sport that boasts a different top seed upon every other Grand Slam's draw. With the release of this year's Wimbledon seedings, Australian Open champion Amelie Mauesmo, US Open titlist Kim Clijsters and French Open winner Henin-Hardenne were the top three draws, with only the latter having reached a Wimbledon final. The likes of Serena and Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova continue successful careers in terms of name recognition and endorsements, but the days of extended domination of the tennis court have long since expired. Seven years have passed since last Graf showcased a hint of that dominance on a Grand Slam stage. As of late, the closest she's been to a Grand Slam title has been cheering for Agassi. Soon, he'll be gone, and he'll likely walk away arm in arm with arguably the greatest tennis player of all time. Grant Gordon is a former sports editor at The Signal, a daily newspaper located in his hometown of Santa Clarita, California. He is currently a sports writer for the Glendale News-Press, a subsidiary of the Los Angeles Times, where he writes a weekly column entitled Second String. You can contact him at
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