Former tennis player Steffi Graf is one of the best players the game has ever seen. In her illustrious career, she won 22 Grand Slam titles. And was the only player to win all four Slams at least 4 times. Her dominance on the court is evident by the fact that she retired as world number 3 at 30. After her retirement from the game, the former world number 1 has dedicated a lot of her time to humanitarian work.

Notably, her foundation “Children for Tomorrow” is doing some exceptional work to help the victims of the Russian and Ukraine conflict. Speaking about the same in an interview with Vogue magazine, the former world number one stressed the role of media in portraying conflicts in a different light.

Steffi Graf credits new age media for better coverage of conflicts

In her interview with Vogue. The 52 years old replied to a question regarding the change in the way society reacts to conflict. She credited the change to the modern-day media. Which not only portrays the destruction caused by war but also draws the viewer’s attention to the suffering people go through mentally. Amidst the war, many families are separated, and it affects the people of the nation at war in the long-term aspect.

“Yes, absolutely. The media has changed that a lot–now things are documented differently. For me personally, that was sometimes even a bit much. But the openness to talk about mental well-being has grown significantly.” She said.

Further, she spoke about the way coverage has shown the plight of families affected by the conflict.

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“We all take part in the traumatic experiences there: women take this difficult path with their young children and leave their husbands, their city, their culture, for example, their language and their history. Due to the media presence in the crisis areas, you now have a completely different understanding.” She added.

Significance of connectivity in Graf’s work

The 52-year-old also spoke about modern-day connectivity. She said that it has made it easier for her organization to interact with the children affected and how it is crucial for the world to witness.

“We all got a little closer. In our work, it definitely helps to have a greater understanding from everyone. In addition, it is an advantage that we also work locally in schools; we can speak directly to the teachers and parents of refugee children and thus have a much closer relationship. A networked environment is extremely important for children.” She said.

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Notably, the former US Open champion founded the Children for Tomorrow foundation one year before her retirement in 1998. And has since dedicated her post tennis life to the service of humanity.