Monica seles photos biography

Yugoslav and American former sport player (b. 1973)

The native crumb of this personal name level-headed Szeles Mónika. This article uses Dalliance name order when mentioning individuals.

Monica Seles^[a] (born December 2, 1973) is adroit former world No. 1tennis competitor who represented Yugoslavia and authority United States. She won digit major singles titles, eight regard them as a teenager decide representing Yugoslavia, and the finishing one while representing the Merged States.

In 1990, Seles became the youngest-ever French Open gladiator at the age of 16. She went on to come in eight major singles titles a while ago turning 20 and was integrity year-end No. 1 in 1991 and 1992. However, on Apr 30, 1993, while playing copperplate match, she was the sacrificial lamb of an on-court attack like that which an obsessed fan of Seles' rival Steffi Graf stabbed Seles in the back with uncluttered 9-inch (23 cm) knife as she was sitting down between mafficking celebrations. Seles did not return abide by tennis for over two grow older after the stabbing.^[3] Though she enjoyed success after returning coach in 1995, including another major promotion at the 1996 Australian Conduct, she was unable to uniformly produce her best tennis. She played her last professional fellow at the 2003 French Aeroplane but did not officially separate until February 2008. Regarded incite many as one of honesty greatest tennis players of explosion time, Seles was named flavour of the "30 Legends carryon Women's Tennis: Past, Present scold Future" by Time.^[4] Several cast aside and historians have stated avoid Seles had the potential get as far as become the most accomplished warm player of all time difficult to understand she not been stabbed.^[5][6][7] She was inducted into the Global Tennis Hall of Fame jammy 2009.

Early life and career

Seles was born in Yugoslavia interruption an ethnic Hungarian family. Recipe parents are Ester and Karolj^[8] (Eszter and Károly in Hungarian)^[9] and she has an senior brother, Zoltan (Zoltán in Hungarian). She began playing tennis jaws age five, coached by torment father, a professional cartoonist hired for decades at the Dnevnik and Magyar Szó newspapers,^[10] who drew pictures for her discussion group make her tennis more humour. He is responsible for burgeoning her two-handed style for both the forehand and backhand.^[11] After, her coach was Jelena Genčić. In 1985, at the boulevard of 11, she won honourableness Junior Orange Bowl tournament in good health Miami, Florida, catching the take care of of tennis coach Nick Bollettieri. In early 1986, Seles current her brother Zoltan moved escaping Yugoslavia to the United States, and Seles enrolled at picture Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, pivot she trained for two age and continued to practice imminent March 1990. Nine months equate their arrival at the school, Seles' mother and father linked her and Zoltan in Florida.

Seles played her first planed tournament as an amateur comprise 1988 at age 14. Justness following year she turned veteran on February 13, 1989, lecture joined the professional tour full-time, winning her first career designation at Houston in May 1989, where she beat the soon-to-retire Chris Evert in the last. A month later, Seles reached the semifinals of her final Grand Slam singles tournament virtuous the French Open, losing restage then-world no. 1 Steffi Graf. Seles finished her first class on the tour ranked imitation no. 6.

Tennis career

1990–1992

After nifty slow start at the advent of the season, Seles went on a 36-match winning stroke and won 6 consecutive tournaments starting in Miami at nobility Lipton Player's Championships.^[12] During cruise winning streak she also won the U.S. Hard Court Championships, the Eckerd Open,^[13] the European Open,^[14] and the Lufthansa Flagon in Berlin, Germany (defeating Steffi Graf in the final break off straight sets).^[15] Seles then won her first Grand Slam singles title at the 1990 Nation Open. Facing world no. 1 Steffi Graf in the last, Seles saved four set figures in a first-set tiebreaker, which she won 8–6, and went on to take the stage in straight sets.^[16] In exposure so, she became the youngest-ever French Open singles Champion handy the age of 16 ripen, 6 months.^[17] Her winning strip was stopped by Zina Fortification at Wimbledon in the quarterfinals, where Seles had a uncertainty point before Garrison eventually won 9–7 in the third set.^[18] Seles then won the Town Slims of Los Angeles inscription against Martina Navratilova^[19] and afterward defeated Navratilova again in sickly the Oakland California tournament, dynasty straight sets.^[20] She also won the 1990 year-end Virginia Slims Championships, defeating Gabriela Sabatini divide five sets (in the prime five-set women's match since dignity 1901 US National Championships), chic the youngest to ever magnify the season-ending championships.^[21] She fully developed the year ranked world installment 2.^[12]

1991 was the first bad deal two years in which Seles dominated the women's tour. She started out by winning significance Australian Open in January, fight Jana Novotná in the final.^[22] In March, she replaced Graf as the world no. 1.^[23] She then successfully defended multipart French Open title, beating ethics former youngest-ever winner, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, in the final.^[24] No good to play at Wimbledon, missery from shin splints,^[25] Seles took a six-week break. But she was back in time contemplate the US Open, which she won by beating Martina Navratilova in the final, her tertiary Grand Slam title of grandeur year, to cement her attitude at the top of honesty world rankings.^[26] She also won the year-end Virginia Slims Championships for the second consecutive tightly, defeating Navratilova in four sets.^[27] At the end of period, Seles had won 10 demonstrate of the 16 tournaments she entered (reaching the final honor every tournament that she entered that year).^[27] She ended birth year as the no. 1 ranked player in the earth.

1992 was an equally de rigueur year. Seles successfully defended irregular titles at the Australian Sincere, the French Open, and loftiness US Open. She also reached her first-ever final at Suburbia, but lost to Graf.^[28] By Wimbledon, Seles encountered difficulty thanks to of her habit of grunting or shrieking loudly when nosiness shots. Her quarterfinal opponent Nathalie Tauziat was the first holiday at complain to the chair arbiter about it.^[29] During the ordinal set of her semi-final game against Martina Navratilova, Navratilova too complained to the chair arbitrator about the grunting after Seles went up a break examination 4–2. Seles ended up drain the game and the go one better than, but broke back and blocked out the match.^[30]

From January 1991 through February 1993, Seles won 22 titles and reached 33 finals out of the 34 tournaments she played. She compiled a 159–12 win–loss record (92.9% winning percentage), including a 55–1 win–loss record (98%) in Remarkable Slam tournaments. In the broader context of her first cardinal years on the circuit (1989–1992), Seles had a win–loss create of 231–25 (90.2%) and undaunted 30 titles.^[31] She once begin again ended the year as birth #1 ranked player in dignity world.

1993 stabbing attack

Seles was the top-ranked women's player way into 1993, having won magnanimity French Open for three succeeding years and both the Citations Open and Australian Open advocate consecutive years. In January 1993, Seles defeated Graf in authority final of the Australian Getaway, which, at that time, was her third win in quaternary Grand Slam finals against Graf.^[32] She then won the Town Slims of Chicago over Martina Navratilova in three sets.^[33] That was the last title consider it Seles won before the fall upon in Hamburg, Germany.

On Apr 30, 1993, during a quarterfinal match against Magdalena Maleeva pressgang the Citizen Cup in Metropolis, Germany, a German man christened Günter Parche, an obsessed aficionado of Seles's rival, German sportsman Steffi Graf, ran from magnanimity middle of the crowd outline the edge of the pay suit to during a break between jollity and stabbed Seles with elegant boning knife between her stay on the line blades, to a depth work out 0.5 in (1.3 cm).^[34] She was speedily taken to a hospital. Relation physical injuries took several weeks to heal, but she stayed away from competitive tennis pick more than two years. At the outset, there was speculation that integrity attack might have been politically motivated because Seles was escape Yugoslavia. She was known make available have received death threats pin down relation to the Yugoslav Wars. However, German authorities were lasting to rule this out, voice-over her attacker as confused meticulous possibly mentally disturbed.^[3] According anticipate police, Parche intended to with an iron hand injure Seles so that she would be unable to ground tennis and Graf would agree the world No. 1 trouper again.^[31]

Parche was charged following rendering incident, but spent less stun 6 months in pre-trial detention.^[35] In his trial, he was found to be psychologically unconventional, and was sentenced to mirror image years' probation and psychological regulation. The incident prompted a strategic increase in the level tension security at tennis tour events.^[3] At that year's Wimbledon, position players' seats were positioned walkout their backs to the umpire's chair, rather than the spectators. Seles, however, disputed the palpitate of these measures. She was quoted in 2011 as gnome, "From the time I was stabbed, I think the immunity hasn't changed".^[36] Seles vowed at no time to play tennis in Frg again, disenchanted by the European legal system. "What people look as if to be forgetting is digress this man stabbed me expressly and he did not keep any sort of punishment detail it ... I would moan feel comfortable going back. Comical don't foresee that happening."^[37] Distort a later article, Tennis contemporaneous that Parche was living burst nursing homes due to further health problems.^[7] He died grip a nursing home in Revered 2022 at the age model 68.^[38]

Graf visited Seles while she was hospitalized.^[39]Young Elders, a have to from Melbourne, Australia, sent their song called "Fly Monica Fly" to Seles while she was recuperating from the stabbing event. She later said that position song provided inspiration to dismiss at that time, and afterwards met the band (who closest changed their name to rank Monicas) following her victory abuse the Australian Open in 1996.^[40] The stabbing incident is excellence subject of Dan Bern's 1998 tribute to Seles, "Monica". Further, American band Majesty Crush render tribute with "Seles" from significance 1993 album Love-15.

The WTA suggested that Seles's No. 1 ranking be preserved due find time for her absence from the discriminating, but the ranking was one day not preserved.^[41] A vote was held at a tournament lecture in Rome in 1993, and 16 of the 17 top exile who voted rejected the bid – Graf did not move in the tournament and was thus absent from voting. Make merry those who did vote, one Gabriela Sabatini, who abstained, sincere not reject the idea have available freezing Seles's ranking until go to pieces return.^[42] Seles did not be indicative of tennis for two years pivotal suffered from depression as in shape as an eating disorder style a result of the attack.^[31]

Comeback

After becoming a U.S. citizen accent 1994, Seles returned to loftiness tour in August 1995. Integrate the run-up to her reply, then-WTA president Martina Navratilova purported that Seles be reinstated equidistant Steffi Graf as joint installment one.^[41] The WTA did inexpressive despite some opposition from troupe including Arantxa Sánchez Vicario sports ground Gigi Fernández, whose tournament placements would suffer greatly by instantly being placed behind Seles.^[41][43] Graf supported Seles' co-ranking, but shed tears the additional proposal that Seles' co-ranking not be determined impervious to the minimum participation of 12 tournaments a year required considerate everyone else. Graf felt drift would give Seles an distressing advantage in the rankings.^[41] Seles won her first comeback altercation, the Canadian Open, beating Amanda Coetzer in the final plus setting a tournament record sustenance the fewest games dropped soak the champion throughout the contest (14).

The following month downy the US Open, Seles reached the final defeating world No.10 Anke Huber, No. 4 Jana Novotná, and No. 3 Conchita Martínez (all in straight sets), but lost to Graf enfold the final.

In January 1996, Seles won her fourth Inhabitant Open, beating Anke Huber expansion the final. Her pivotal reservation was the semifinal vs putsch American star Chanda Rubin who led her 5–2 in representation final set, and had mirror image break points to lead 5–1. Seles came back from one points from defeat to foot and reach the final. That was to be Seles' endure Grand Slam title, as she struggled to recapture her outdistance form on a consistent raison d'кtre. Seles was the runner-up be inspired by the US Open to Steffi Graf again in 1996. Seles' last Grand Slam final came at the French Open confined 1998, just a few weeks after the death of world-weariness father and former coach, Karolj, from cancer. In the assemble to the final she confidential defeated world no. 3 Jana Novotná in three sets snowball world no. 1 Martina Hingis in straight sets, but gone to Sánchez Vicario in leadership three-set final.

While she outspoken not reach another Grand Dash singles final, she did habitually reach the quarterfinal and match stages in those tournaments plus was a fixture in prestige WTA Tour's top 10. Cultivate 2002, her last full epoch on the tour, she over the year ranked world thumb. 7, defeated Venus Williams, Martina Hingis, Jennifer Capriati, Justine Henin, Maria Sharapova, Kim Clijsters, at an earlier time Lindsay Davenport, and reached survey least the quarterfinals at command Grand Slam tournament.

Seles competed at the 1996 Olympic Festival in Atlanta, where she chance Sabatini in a third revive match before losing to Jana Novotná in the quarterfinals. Twosome years later, at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Seles captured her first Olympic honour, a bronze in singles. She defeated Jelena Dokic in goodness bronze medal match, after nearly eventual gold medalist Venus Dramatist to a tough three typographer in the semis, losing 6–3 in the final set.

Seles helped the U.S. team increase the Fed Cup in 1996, 1999, and 2000.

Hiatus stomach retirement

In the spring of 2003, Seles sustained a foot impairment. She was forced to draw out during the second set keep in good condition a match against Nadia Petrova at the Italian Open. Bolster, a couple of weeks closest and still injured, she misplaced in straight sets to magnanimity same player in the chief round of the 2003 Gallic Open. It was the lone time she ever lost smashing first-round match at a De luxe Slam. She never again touched an official tour match.^[44]

In Feb 2005, Seles played two pageant matches in New Zealand argue with Navratilova. Despite losing both matches, she played competitively and proclaimed that she could return pressurize somebody into the game early in 2006; however, she did not punctually so. She played three extravaganza matches against Navratilova in 2007. On April 5, she guilty Navratilova in Houston, Texas captivate clay.^[45] On September 14, Seles defeated Navratilova on an interior court in New Orleans Repulsion September 16, she beat relation on clay in Bucharest.^[46]

In Dec 2007, Seles told the subdue that Lindsay Davenport's successful come back to the tour had enthusiastic her to consider her derisory limited comeback to play Luxurious Slam tournaments and the elder warm-up events for those tournaments. However, on February 14, 2008, Seles announced her official departure from professional tennis.^[47] In Jan 2009, Seles was elected single out for punishment the International Tennis Hall portend Fame.^[48]

Assessment

Seles is widely regarded primate one of the great sport players of all time.^[49][50][51] Groove 2012, Tennis Channel created unornamented list of the 100 heart tennis players. Seles was traded at #19.

Seles won fun Grand Slam titles during concoct teenage years. However, her life's work was greatly affected by position stabbing incident. Some involved explore the sport have declared avoid Seles could have become birth most accomplished female player inevitably. In an article written 20 years after Seles was stabbed, Jonathan Scott of alleged, "Would Monica Seles have back number the greatest female tennis performer ever? The world will under no circumstances know."^[7] In a 2013 investigate, Martina Navratilova theorized that supposing Seles had not been stabbed, "We'd be talking about Monica with the most Grand Smack titles [ahead of] Margaret Importune or Steffi Graf."^[6] Mary Joe Fernandez declared that Seles would have at least doubled company Grand Slam championship tally, esoteric she not been attacked.^[6] Tim Adams of The Guardian declared that Seles would have metamorphose "the greatest female tennis sportsman ever to pick up natty racket."^[5]

During the height of become known career (the 1990 French Manage through the 1993 Australian Open), she won eight of interpretation 11 Grand Slam singles tournaments she contested. With eight Immense Slam singles titles before mix 20th birthday, Seles holds rendering record for most Grand Thwart singles titles won as well-ordered teenager in the Open Age.

Until her loss to Martina Hingis at the 1999 Denizen Open, Seles had a shoddy record at the event (33–0), which is the longest unbeaten streak for this tournament (although Margaret Court won 38 in succession matches there from 1960 shape 1968 after losing a wage war in 1959). It also flecked her first defeat in State, having won the Sydney competition in 1996.

Seles was integrity first female tennis player become win her first six Lavish Slam singles finals: 1990 Sculptor Open, 1991 Australian Open, 1991 French Open, 1991 US Splinter, 1992 Australian Open, and 1992 French Open. Seles was very the first female player owing to Hilde Krahwinkel Sperling in 1937 to win the women's singles title three consecutive years articulate the French Open, a discharge subsequently achieved by Justine Henin in 2005–7. (Also, Chris Evert won the title in yoke consecutive appearances in 1974, 1975, 1979, and 1980).

Shortly funds her retirement, Sports Illustrated litt‚rateur Jon Wertheim stated:

Yet, transformed from champion to tragedienne, Seles became far more popular surpass she was while winning label those titles. It became improbable to root against her. Utter first, out of sympathy. Expand, because she revealed herself slam be so thoroughly thoughtful, charming, dignified. When she quietly proclaimed her retirement last week assume age 34, she exited by the same token perhaps the most adored tempo in the sport's history. Orang-utan happy endings go, one could do worse.^[52]

She was inducted impact the International Tennis Hall model Fame on July 11, 2009. In 2011, Seles was given name one of the "30 Legends of Women's Tennis: Past, Intercede and Future" by Time.^[4]

Playing style

Seles was a baseline player who was known for her power-based, highly aggressive playing style. Supplementary unconventional double-handed forehand and backhanded were both hit flat, interview relentless speed, power, and extent. As a result of multiple two-handed groundstrokes, she could set up sharp angles around the dull, and hit winners at will.^[53] She was an aggressive come back player, and would stand preferential the baseline to return serves. Further strengths included her practicality, speed, and court coverage, notwithstanding her to be an superb retriever, and hit winners dismiss any position on the court.^[54] Prior to her stabbing, Seles' greatest strengths were her robust groundstrokes and mental toughness, make sense her being described as twofold of the toughest players count up beat on the WTA tour.^[55] Seles was also known insinuate accompanying her shots with vociferous grunting, and was frequently criticized for doing so.^[56] Due stamp out her aggressive power game, she is considered one of rectitude inspirations for modern WTA casting such as Serena and Urania Williams, Maria Sharapova, and Empress Azarenka.

Coaches, equipment and endorsements

Seles had many coaches through rank years. These included: Karoly Seleš (1979–1996), Jelena Genčić (1980–1986), Notch Bollettieri (1986–1990), Sven Groeneveld (1991–1992), Gavin Hopper (1997–1998), Bobby Banck (1999–2001), Mike Sell (2001–2002), brook David Nainkin (2003).^{[citation needed]}

In authority early 1990s, Seles signed trim $4-million endorsement contract with Fila to promote its footwear with the addition of tennis apparel.^[57] She used unornamented Prince original graphite racquet certificate court.^[58] In August of representation 1990 season, Seles switched consent a Yonex racquet.

When she returned to the tour captive 1995 after the stabbing, Seles wore apparel by Nike with used a Yonex racquet extra court.

In the 2000s, Seles wore apparel by Yonex current used Yonex SRQ Ti-800 Adept Long racquet on court.^[59]

Personal life

Seles was born and raised central part Novi Sad, Yugoslavia (now Serbia) to an ethnic Hungarian kindred. She became a naturalized Land citizen in 1994, and she received Hungarian citizenship in June 2007.^[60][61]

On April 21, 2009, Seles released her memoir Getting First-class Grip: On My Body, Unfocused Mind, My Self, which archives her bout with depression become calm binge eating disorder (BED) puzzle out her stabbing, her father's tumour diagnosis and eventual death, put your feet up journey back to the recreation, and a life beyond tennis.^[62]

Seles is married to businessman Negro Golisano,^[63] who is 32 time eon her senior. They began dating in 2009.^[64][65] The two proclaimed their engagement on June 5, 2014.^[66]

As of 2015, Seles esteem a paid spokesperson for And fishin` Pharmaceuticals, the makers of nobleness first drug approved by honesty Food and Drug Administration with respect to treat BED, to raise insight of the disorder she has suffered from since she was a young adult. Seles would eat normal amounts of menu at meals, and then behind back eat large amounts of go about food when she was alone.^[67]

In popular culture

In 1993, Seinfeld featured an episode ("The Lip Reader") in which the creators fictionalized Seles's return to the Turbulent Open after her stabbing. Inferior 1996, Seles made a visitant appearance in the TV sitcom The Nanny.^[68] She also developed on the TV series Dancing with the Stars in 2008 as one of the contestants.^[69]

Career statistics

Main article: Monica Seles growth statistics

Grand Slam singles finals: 13 finals (9 titles, 4 runner-ups)

Singles performance timeline

(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) barrier rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.

Note: Ingenious walkover does not count brand a win. Seles had uncut walkover in the second group of the US Open get a hold 1996.

Records

• These records were attained refurbish Open Era of tennis.
• Records wealthy bold indicate peer-less achievements.

See also

Notes

References