“I can intimidate anyone. I’m not intimidated by Steffi Graf,” a teenage Serena Williams said in reference to facing the…
When Serena Williams faced Steffi Graf in the 1999 Indian Wells final, she had previously stated that she was not afraid of her.
The American, who started the competition as an underdog when it was still called the Evert Cup, defeated Jessica Steck, Lindsay Davenport, Cara Black, Mary Pierce, and Sandrine Testud to secure her spot in the championship match.
Williams told Sports Illustrated before the championship match that she wasn’t scared of Steffi Graf or anybody else unless the person on the other side of the net was 10 feet tall and green. Williams was waiting for a manicure at the tournament’s mobile salon. The American added that any player could be intimidated by her size and skill set.
The German came back to win the second set by the same score and send the match to a decider, but the American had won the first set 6-3 against Graf. With a 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 victory in the final set, Williams won the Evert Cup.
That year, she defeated Martina Hingis in the US Open final to earn her maiden Grand Slam singles championship.
At the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Serena Williams won two championships; her first was in 1999. In 2001, the American won her second title at the tournament after rallying from a set down to overcome a teenage Kim Clijsters 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the championship match.
Because of the discriminatory conduct they experienced at Indian Wells, Serena Williams and Venus Williams both boycotted the tournament for more than ten years. In 2015, both sisters participated in the competition once more; the elder sister advanced to the semifinals before having to withdraw due to an injury. In 2016, Serena made it to the championship match, but Victoria Azarenka triumphed.
