What the papers said about . . . Steffi Graf

'Steffi Grief.' Mirror

'They must have heard the crash at the high-walled family compound all the way back in Bruhl. Steffi Graf, the unstoppable juggernaut of women's tennis, had just been run over by a Lori.' Sun

'It was torture. Five hours of slow, cruel ordeal by dark and rain that turned a tennis goddess into a mere mortal.' Star

'As against Pierce in Paris, her movement was laborious. At times, her feet seemed to be skewered to the turf.' Times

'What would normally be regarded as a formality became a painful and searching three-part examination of Graf's game - character, concentration and will. Incredibly, she failed.' Guardian

'McNeil has always known which of Graf's buttons to press, and the last time they met, at the 1992 Virginia Slims Championship first round in New York, the outcome was the same.' Mail

'When they built the Centre Court at Wimbledon, they did not expect the foundations to suffer shocks like Steffi Graf losing in the first round.' Express

'Shy Steffi never likes to reveal too much of her figure and has snapped at photographers who have taken pictures of her legs. She found the wind as much a bother as McNeil's tennis.' Mirror

'Has Steffi lost that hunger for victory?' London Evening Standard

'After a series of body blows, tennis could now be in danger of losing its queen with no sign of anyone coming through to claim the throne . . . Now the queen is dead. Long live someone - anyone.' Today

'Steffi stuffed in first round.' Sun

'The only German high fliers appear to be Lufthansa.' Independent