Chris Evert has paid tribute to fellow tennis legend Steffi Graf on the anniversary of a legendary milestone the German set 36 years ago.

Graf's career spanned across 17 years and in that time, she set multiple records and became one of the best tennis players to ever grace the court.

In 1988, Graf became the first man or woman to achieve the Golden Slam and she remains the only player in history to do it all in the same year.

To become a Golden Slam winner, a player must claim the title of every Grand Slam tournament and an Olympic gold medal in the same calendar year.

Graf won all four major tournaments in 1988, and topped it off with the Olympic title at the Seoul Games.

Since the German became the first to boast the elusive achievement, three other players have won the Career Golden Slam. This means winning the four majors and an Olympic gold, but not in the same year.

Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams have all won the Career Golden Slam during their time on the court.

11 Mar 1996: Steffi Graf of Germany in action during her third round 6-3, 7-5 victory over Julie Halard-Decugis at the State Farm Evert Cup in Indian Wells, California. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Squire/ALLSPORT

What did Chris Evert say?

The US Open honoured Graf on Twitter for her historic achievement and Evert followed up with a heartwarming post of her own.

"Not enough credit is given to Steffi," the 18-time Grand Slam winner wrote. "She was relentless in her power game, her movement, her mental strength, and her competitiveness.

"Winning the Golden Slam will be almost impossible to replicate… and she achieved it with her trademark humility."

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE - OCTOBER 29: WTA Legend Ambassador Chris Evert of the United States attends a press conference during day 7 of the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore at Singapore Sports Hub on October 29, 2016 in Singapore. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

What else did Steffi Graf achieve?

While winning the only ever Golden Slam in tennis history is enough for Graf to go down as a legend, she achieved so much more during her glittering career.

The former world number one won a total of 22 Grand Slam tournaments and she is the only player to ever win each major at least four times.

She is also just one of two players — the other being Margaret Court — to win three major titles in a calendar year on five occasions.

Graf won 107 singles titles in total during her career, the third highest on the WTA all-time list. Only Evert (157) and Martina Navratilova (167) have won more on the tour.

INDIAN WELLS, CA - MARCH 12: Steffi Graf (R) of Germany hits a volley during at Hit for Haiti, a charity event during the BNP Paribas Open on March 12, 2010 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Graf's versatility on the court meant she dominated on every surface. In total, she won four Australian Open titles, five US Open titles, and seven at Wimbledon. Her six French Open titles are second only to Evert's record of seven at Roland-Garros.

Graf's astonishing results saw her claim the world number one spot for a mammoth 377 consecutive weeks. This remains the longest period any player, male or female, has held the number one status in tennis singles, since the WTA and ATP began their ranking system.

Graf has been applauded for popularising tennis in Germany and she is widely regarded as one of the best players in history according to both fans and fellow professionals.