Steffi Graf's Greatest Rival?.

[Mike68]

Steffi Graf is regarded by many to be the best womens' player of all time. Even though Steffi dominated the tour, there were 5 players who provided a challenge for Steffi: Monica Seles, Martina Navratilova, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Jana Novotna, & Gabriela Sabatini. Other players would occasionally beat Steffi, but these 5 proved to be Steffi's toughest competition by far. In your opinion, which of these 5 was Steffi's greatest rival?. Rank these 5 players, with #1 being Steffi's toughest rival, and #5 her weakest rival. Below are Steffi's head-to-head stats against each of these 5 players: Steffi vs Monica Seles: Steffi and Monica played 15 times, with Steffi holding a 10-5 advantage. However, 4 of Monica's wins against Steffi were in Grand Slams. Steffi vs Martina Navratilova: Steffi and Martina played 18 times, and are tied at 9 wins each. In Slam play, Martina beat Steffi 5 times. Steffi vs Arantxa Sanchez Vicario: Steffi and Arantxa played 36 times, with Steffi holding a 28-8 advantage. In Slam matches, Arantxa beat Steffi 4 times. Steffi vs Jana Novotna: Steffi and Jana played 33 times, with Steffi holding a 29-4 advantage. In Slam play, Jana beat Steffi once, at the 1991 Australian Open. Steffi vs Sabatini: Steffi and Sabatini played 40 times, with Steffi holding a 29-11 advantage. In Slam matches, Sabatini only beat Steffi once, at the 1990 US Open. To kick things off, I would rank these 5 as follows: #1 Martina - Martina and Steffi are tied in head to head at 9 wins apiece. Also, Martina beat Steffi in 5 Slam matches. #2 Monica - Even though Monica has a losing record against Steffi, Monica did beat Steffi in 4 Slams. #3 Arantxa - Just like Monica, Arantxa beat Steffi in 4 Slams. For that reason, Arantxa comes in third. #4 Sabatini - Sabatini has more wins over Steffi than any other player. However, Sabatini only defeated Steffi once in a Slam. #5 Jana - Jana only beat Steffi 4 times. But one of Jana's wins against Steffi came in a Slam. Rank these 5 former rivals, with #1 being Steffi's toughest opponent, and #5 her weakest opponent?. And please explain your rankings?.