"It doesn't hurt to lose my crown, it hurts to lose"- When Steffi Graf suffered opening-round defeat at Wimbledon

Steffi Graf is among the greatest players in tennis history and has enjoyed a glittering career that saw her win 22 Grand Slam singles titles.

Like any great sportsperson, Graf had her forgettable moments and one such moment came in the 1994 Wimbledon Championships.

The German entered the tournament with three consecutive Wimbledon singles titles but suffered a 7-5, 7-6(6) defeat to Lori McNeil in the first round. This was her first opening-round loss at a Grand Slam since the 1984 US Open.

Steffi Graf said after the match that she was more disappointed with the defeat than the fact that her title defense ended.

"It doesn't hurt to lose my crown, it hurts to lose. Right now I am very disappointed. She played better than me. She served much better than me. I had trouble with my serve. I can't think about what I am going to do right now, it's too soon after the game," Graf said.

"I will think about it over the next couple of days, but I am not going to kill myself. I have not lost my hunger to win. I would not be here if I had lost that," she added.

McNeil went on to reach the semifinals of the 1994 Wimbledon Championships where she lost 3-6, 6-2, 10-8 to eventual champion Conchita Martinez. Steffi Graf did not endure another first-round defeat at a Grand Slam for the rest of her career.

Steffi Graf won seven Wimbledon titles

Steffi Graf at the 1995 Wimbledon Championships

Steffi Graf is one of the greatest players to have graced Wimbledon, with seven singles titles to her name. Only Martina Navratilova and Helen Wills have lifted the Venus Rosewater Dish more times than her.

The German's first title at the grass-court Major came in 1988 by beating Martina Navratilova 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 in the final. That year, she also won her only women's doubles Major with Gabriela Sabatini as her partner.

Graf successfully defended her women's singles title in 1989 by defeating Navratilova 6-2, 6-7(1), 6-1 in the title clash. After losing in the semifinals in 1990, she won a hattrick of titles at Wimbledon from 1991-1993 before her disappointing first-round exit in 1994.

Graf bounced back by winning the grass-court Major in 1995 and 1996, beating Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the final in both years. Her final appearance at Wimbledon came in 1999 when she reached the final before losing 6-4, 7-5 to Lindsay Davenport.