"She decided to have an operation, there was a 50% chance she'd end up paralysed" - When Steffi Graf revealed why her mother stopped playing tennis

Steffi Graf once disclosed that her mother, Heidi, had been a tennis player in her own right before her ability to play the sport was compromised. The former World No. 1 also expressed appreciation for her mother's nurturing and comforting presence in her life.

Graf's father played an instrumental role in her tennis journey, having introduced her to the sport when she was just three years old. He also coached his daughter and managed her career for most of her playing days. While her mother stayed more in the background, the German emphasized the warmth and care she provided.

In a 2000 interview with Sportstar, Steffi Graf credited her mother for being a pillar of support throughout her illustrious career. The 22-time Grand Slam champion also complimented Heidi's cooking skills, revealing that her favorite dishes included her mother's pancakes and schnitzel.

"My mother is extremely warm, caring, and loving. She has always been completely supportive," Steffi Graf said. "Mother also cooks very well. My favourite dish of hers is pancakes. Schnitzel dishes also."

Graf also spoke about her mother's love for sports, disclosing that Heidi had been a skilled club-level tennis player. However, she developed debilitating back problems after giving birth to the German's younger brother Michael.

The former World No. 1 shared that her mother was in such intense pain due to her vertebrae shifting downward that she made the difficult decision to undergo an operation, despite the alarming 50% risk of paralysis.

"She really likes sports, too. She was a good club-level tennis player. Unfortunately, after Michael was born, she developed back problems. Her vertebrae were shifting downward. It was so painful that she decided to have an operation, even though there was a 50 per cent chance she would end up paralysed," she added.

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Steffi Graf: "My mother can spend hours on the computer, chatting with friends, helping to operate my website"

Steffi Graf with her mother Heidi and father Peter - Source: Getty

During the same interview, Steffi Graf expressed admiration for her mother Heidi's practical skills, disclosing that she had the ability to disassemble and reassemble a recorder, something the German admitted she couldn't do herself.

"She can take this machine apart (Graf points at the tape recorder) and, without even looking at the service manual, put it back together again. I think I have two left hands when it comes to practical things like that, and if that's the case, then she has two right hands," Steffi Graf said.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion also shared that her mother enjoyed spending time on the computer, whether it was chatting with friends, helping operate her website, or reading fan mail.

"Apart from that, she can spend hours on the computer, chatting with friends, helping to operate my website (Stefanie-Graf.com). We're very conscientious about the website. My mother reads a lot of the mail that comes through on it and often shows it to me," she added.

Steffi Graf relocated to Las Vegas after tying the knot with fellow tennis legend Andre Agassi in 2001. Her mother, Heidi, and her brother, Michael, and his family later joined them to reside in the same community. Meanwhile, the former World No. 1's father, Peter, passed away in 2013 due to cancer.