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Ep254: Steffi Graf · Kidcast Daily

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  Spin the wheel, let's take a ride.
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  Sports and science bursting from inside a world of wonder open
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  wide. Come on kids, let's amplify kid
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  cats. Daily starts your day.
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  Fun and laughter come your way. Sports and trivia games galore.
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  Welcome to Kick Ass Daily, where we bring news, trivia, fun
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  facts, and more just for curious kids like you.
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  Today we're talking about an amazing athlete who changed the
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  world of sports with her speed, skill, and determination.
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  Her name is Steffi Graf, and she is one of the greatest tennis
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  players of all time. Maybe you have heard of tennis,
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  or maybe you've even played it yourself.
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  Whether you know a lot or just a little, get ready to discover
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  some awesome facts about Steffi Graf and her incredible journey.
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  First, let's talk about tennis itself.
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  Tennis is a sport where two players, or two pairs of players
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  hit a small ball back and forth over a net using rackets.
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  The goal is to hit the ball in a way that your pony can't return
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  it. Tennis matches can be played on
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  different types of courts like grass, clay, or hard surfaces.
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  You might have seen tennis courts at a park, a school, or
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  on TV during big tournaments like Wimbledon or the US Open.
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  Steffi Graf was born on June 14th, 1969 in a city called
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  Mannheim in Germany. Her full name is Stephanie Maria
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  Graf, but everyone calls her Steffi.
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  She grew up in a sporty family. Her dad, Peter, was a tennis
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  coach, and he started teaching Stephie how to play when she was
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  just three years old. Imagine being able to hit tennis
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  balls when you were only a preschooler.
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  By the time Stephie was 6, she was already entering junior
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  tournaments, which are competitions for kids and
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  teenagers. As she got older, Stephie
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  practiced for hours every day. She worked on her speed, her
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  strength and her skills with the racket.
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  This hard work really paid off. When Steffi was only 13 years
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  old, she played in her first professional tennis tournament.
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  That means she was competing against adults who are much
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  older and more experienced than she was.
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  Even though it was challenging, Steffi didn't give up.
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  She kept playing and learning with every match.
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  One of the things that made Steffi Graf stand out was her
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  powerful forehand. In tennis, a forehand is a type
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  of shot where you swing the racket across your body with
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  your palm facing forward. Steffi's forehand was so fast
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  and accurate that it was hard for her opponents to keep up.
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  She also moved very quickly around the court, running to
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  reach even the trickiest shots. In fact, many tennis fans and
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  experts still talk about how athletic she was.
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  Now let's talk about Steffies biggest achievements.
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  In tennis. There are four major tournaments
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  called Grand Slams. These are the Australian Open,
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  the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.
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  Winning even 1 Grand Slam is a huge accomplishment, but Stuffy
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  did something truly incredible in 1988, when she was just 19
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  years old. She won all four Grand Slam
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  tournaments in a single calendar year.
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  She also won a gold medal in tennis at the Olympic Games in
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  Seoul, South Korea that same year.
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  No other tennis player has ever won all four Grand Slams and an
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  Olympic gold medal in a single year.
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  That's why people call it the Golden Slam.
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  It's one of the rarest achievements in sports.
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  Did you know that Steffi Graf won a total of 22 Grand Slam
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  singles titles during her career?
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  That means she won 22 of the biggest tennis tournaments in
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  the world. For a long time, this was the
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  most Grand Slam singles titles won by any player in the modern
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  era. Only a few players have ever
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  come close to breaking her record.
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  Steffi also spent 377 weeks as the number one ranked player in
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  women's tennis. That's more than seven years at
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  the top. Imagine being the best in the
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  world at something for that long.
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  Steffi was known for being focused and calm during her
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  matches. She didn't get distracted easily
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  and she always tried her best even when things were tough.
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  Off the court. She is known for being friendly
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  and modest. She likes to help others and has
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  supported many charities and good causes.
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  In 1998, she started a charity organization called Children for
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  Tomorrow, which helps children who are affected by war and
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  violence to have a better future.
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  Even though Stuffy was such a great athlete, she also had
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  hobbies outside of tennis. She likes to play piano, go
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  hiking, and spend time with her family.
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  In 2001, Steffi married another famous tennis player, Andre
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  Agassi, from the United States. They have two children together.
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  Steffi and her family still love sports, but now she spends most
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  of her time helping others and enjoying life away from the
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  tennis court. Let's take a closer look at some
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  of Steffi's most famous moments on the tennis court.
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  One of the most exciting matches she ever played was the 1988
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  French Open final, where she won the match in just 32 minutes.
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  That's less time than it takes to watch an episode of your
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  favorite TV show. Another amazing moment came at
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  Wimbledon in 1993 when she came back from being behind in the
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  match to win the championship. These moments show how
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  determined and talented Stuffy was.
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  You might wonder what it takes to become a champion like Steffi
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  Graf. She practiced almost every day,
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  listened to her coaches and never gave up, even when she
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  lost matches or made mistakes. Steffi once said you can't
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  measure success if you have never failed.
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  This means that everyone makes mistakes sometimes, but it's
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  important to keep trying and learning from them.
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  Steffi's story is a great example of how hard work,
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  discipline, and a positive attitude can help you reach your
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  goals. Here's another fun fact.
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  Steffi Graf was so popular that she had her own line of tennis
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  shoes and sports clothes. Many young athletes looked up to
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  her and wanted to be just like her.
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  Today, even though she doesn't play in professional tournaments
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  anymore, Stuffy is still remembered as a legend in the
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  sport of tennis. Stuffy also showed good
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  sportsmanship, which means being fair, respectful and kind to
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  others whether you win or lose. She always shook hands with her
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  opponents after matches and never bragged about her
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  victories. She believed that being a good
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  person was just as important as being a good athlete.
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  Now let's recap some of the main things we learned about Stuffy
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  Graf today. Stuffy Graf is from Germany and
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  started playing tennis when she was just three years old.
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  She became one of the youngest players to enter professional
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  tournaments and won her first big title as a teenager.
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  Steffi had a powerful forehand and was known for her speed and
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  determination. She achieved the rare Golden
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  Slam in 1988 by winning all four Grand Slam tournaments and an
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  Olympic gold medal in the same year.
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  Throughout her career, Steffi won 22 Grand Slam singles titles
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  and spent 377 weeks as the world's number one player.
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  She is also famous for her kindness, charity work, and good
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  sportsmanship. Steffi Graf's story teaches us
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  that with hard work, practice, and a positive attitude, you can
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  achieve amazing things. Whether you love sports, music,
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  art, or anything else, remember did your best and treat others
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  kindly, just like Steffi did. Thanks for listening to Kick Ass
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  Daily, where we bring you news, trivia, fun facts, and more just
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  for curious kids like you. We hope you enjoyed learning
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  about Steffi Graf and her incredible achievements.
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  TuneIn next time for more amazing stories and fun facts
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  from around the world. Until then, keep being curious
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  and never stop learning. Grab your breakfast.
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