Travel back to the pivotal months of early 1988, when women’s tennis was on the brink of transformation. Still only 18, Steffi Graf was on the verge of rewriting the record books, while a teen prodigy named Monica Seles was about to explode onto the scene. Gabriela Sabatini was about to make a major breakthrough as legends like Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert watched the rise of a new generation. The game itself was changing—new surfaces, new rivalries, and new expectations.

In this episode, we dive into Steffi Graf’s historic triumph at the 1988 Australian Open—a tournament that redefined the sport, crowned Graf as Germany’s first singles champion in Melbourne, and set the stage for her legendary Golden Slam. We explore the drama on and off the court, the new era of Australian tennis, and the shifting rivalries that marked the end of one dynasty and the rise of another.

In 1987, women’s tennis was transformed as Steffi Graf dethroned legends, seized the No. 1 ranking, and ignited a fierce season-long debate: Does greatness mean dominating all year, or winning the biggest titles? As Martina Navratilova fights to defend her crown, a generational showdown unfolds—culminating in one of the sport’s most dramatic years and the ultimate question: Who really deserves to be number one?