Peter Graf had mismanaged Steffi Graf’s finances and was arrested on the charges of committing tax fraud. He allegedly evaded 12.3 million Deutsche Marks in taxes. In January 1997, he was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison, though he was released early in April 1998.
In an interview in 2000, Steffi opened up about the moment she found out about her father’s arrest.
“I don’t think you’re ever prepared for those kinds of things. I got the news when I got off a plane from Atlanta, en route to getting some physical therapy for a knee injury. This guy travelling with me said, ‘Look, there’s your brother Michael.’ I had this terrible feeling, because at the time Michael was living in New York, with his pregnant wife, Elaine. My first reaction was that something went wrong with the pregnancy. I went right over to him and he just said. ‘Father’s in jail. It has something to do with taxes.’ So it started all over again,” Steffi Graf said.
Even after so many distractions during the peak of her career, Steffi Graf was one of the most decorated women’s singles players in the world. She won a total of 22 Grand Slam titles, ranked only behind Serena Williams‘ 23 in the Open Era.
