Steffi Graf proved her point - again and again. And when the match was over, she had erased all doubts, if any still existed.
"Sorry about that," Graf told Martina Navratilova after capturing the Virginia Slims Championships on Sunday with a decisive 6-4, 7-5, 2-6, 6-2 victory.It was Graf's first title at Madison Square Garden since 1987 and effectively ended any thoughts that Navratilova, playing on one of her favorite surfaces and before a vocal friendly crowd, could triumph with one last hurrah.
"People forget that it's just a game," said Navratilova. Then she added: "When you leave your heart and soul out there, it's more than that."
For Navratilova, 1989 is the second straight year that she has failed to win a major title, falling at three of the four Grand Slam tournaments and skipping the French Open. Yet she said she would try again, evoking the old Brooklyn Dodgers' cry.
"As I said at the (U.S.) Open, I'll keep coming back," she said. "I guess I'll have to wait until next year. Thirty-something ain't that bad."
This year, like 1988, belonged to Graf, who won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open. And, at age 20 - 13 years younger than Navratilova, Graf appears ready to hang on to her crown for a long time.
"For me to win the tournament is amazing," said Graf, who severely twisted her ankle a few days before the season-ending event began. "It's the best tournament I could have won. This one, I didn't expect it at all. The others I did."
Navratilova also came into the title match with an injury, having pulled her right hamstring while winning the doubles title on Saturday.
But the injuries weren't apparent as the two put on a display of power tennis; Navratilova always on the attack, Graf firing away from the baseline.
When it was over, it was the firepower unleashed by Graf's forehand and her return of serve that was dominant.
Graf won 21 points on return of service; Navratilova only one. And while Navratilova took her accustomed spot at the net, Graf came to the net more than usual.
"It's what you usually have to do against Martina," Graf said of her forays to the net. "You have to take the chance and come to the net earlier than she does to take the advantage from her."
Graf ran her winning streak to 38 matches. She hasn't lost since the final of the French Open in June. It was the West German's 14th tournament title of 1989 and ran her match record to 83-2.
It was a battle of champions: the old and the new. And Graf showed she not only belonged, but dominated.
It was only the third time a women's tournament has gone more than third sets. And, unlike the first time, in March 1986 when she won, Navratilova was the loser.