Graf Shrugs Off Charges

Wimbledon champion Steffi Graf’s lawyers said investigators are ignorant of her tax situation, and the world’s top-ranked woman tennis player said she trusted her father’s management of her financial affairs.

Graf, and her father, Peter Graf, are suspected of tax evasion, German newspapers reported this week. Authorities confirm that investigators searched the Graf family villa in Bruehl May 23 and seized documents, but have not spelled out the nature of suspicions.

Graf, one of Germany’s most popular sports idols, said in a statement issued by her public relations agency, Advantage International, that she chose to keep her residence in Germany and understood her responsibility to pay German taxes.

Lawyers for the Graf family issued a statement accusing the authorities of improper behavior in the May 23 search and of causing Graf likely financial losses by making the investigation known.

Monica Seles, who hasn’t played a match since she was stabbed in the back in 1993, officially entered the U.S. Open, which she won in 1991 and 1992.