"What was I supposed to do when I was 15, 16 or 17, besides trust my father?" - When Steffi Graf professed innocence in father's tax evasion scandal

Steffi Graf once professed her innocence in her father Peter's tax evasion scandal. As her father faced the threat of imprisonment, Graf was believed to have been aware of his actions.

Graf's father played an instrumental role in developing her tennis career at a young age, with the German even entrusting him with the role of her manager and financial investor. However, this decision backfired in 1995, when her father was implicated in a tax evasion scandal.

He was arrested on charges of evading over $7 million in taxes on his daughter's income. Their family's tax adviser was also jailed for his role in the scheme.

Steffi Graf herself was also implicated, with chief prosecutor Peter Wechsung alleging that the German was aware of the tax manipulation. However, he revealed that there was insufficient evidence to bring charges against the tennis star.

"The allegations against Steffi Graf, that she was aware of tax manipulation, have not changed. But thus far we have no evidence to justify bringing charges against her," Wechsung told The Washington Post.

However, Graf protested her innocence, questioning what she could have done other than trust her father with her income during her teenage years. She also argued that she had no reason to suspect anything nefarious when her finances appeared to be in order.

"What else was I supposed to do when I was 15, 16 or 17 years old, besides trust my father and his advisers? And later, why should I do anything differently, when everything appeared to be running well? There was no sign for me that everything wasn't in order," Graf said.

Steffi Graf's father Peter was eventually found guilty of tax evasion, receiving a three-year and nine-month prison sentence in January 1997. However, his sentence was later reduced, leading to his early release in April 1998.

Steffi Graf on the impact of her father's tax evasion scandal: "I couldn't escape into my work, because the press was always ready to remind me"

Steffi Graf

Steffi Graf opened up about the impact of her father Peter's tax evasion scandal in an interview with Sportstar in 2000, expressing frustration over not being able to process the issue in private due to the media's intrusive and incessant questions.

The German also lamented her inability to escape into tennis amid the "uncomfortable" reality of living in the spotlight.

"One of the most frustrating things is that when ever I had a big problem, like that one, I just wanted to step back from it so I could evaluate the situation objectively, but I couldn't do that," she said.

"I've lived, uncomfortably, in the spotlight. I couldn't escape into my work, because the press was always there, ready to remind me, wanting answers or comments, often before I was ready to give them," she added.

Despite her struggle to find solace in tennis, Graf continued to excel on tour, triumphing at the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open in both 1995 and 1996, amid her father's legal troubles.