Monica Seles had the joy to play.
She was never to go out of style.
And was always guaranteed to raise a smile.
So may I introduce to you,
the player you've known for all these years...
the one who was almost the best ever.
Even with the bulk of her Hall of Fame career having taken place before the start of Backspin, I've managed to go on quite a few flights of memory-filled fancy in this space about Monica Seles through the years. For good reason, too, as she'll forever be a compelling tennis figure, both for what the younger version of herself accomplished on the court in a such a short period of time -- she blazed an incredible path, making "best-of-her-generation" Steffi Graf seem almost "ordinary" for a few seasons -- as well as for what might have been had her career not been interrupted and forever altered by her on-court stabbing in Hamburg in April 1993.
If not for the resulting two-years-plus absence from the tour following the incident, and the never-the-same big match mentality and fitness questions that dogged her "second" career from 1995-03, Seles might very well have put together the most storied career, well, EVER.
If things had gone differently, while Serena Williams may not have spent the last few years chasing her on the all-time slam list rather than Margaret Court, a *full and complete* Seles career would have surely meant that Graf's significantly-downgraded career totals (some total slam number less than than the former Open era standard of 22 that the German ultimately claimed) would surely have been surpassed by Serena far earlier than it was, and Williams' most recent feat might very well have been the topping of the career mark of *Seles*, not Steffi, to assume sole possession of second place on the all-time list.
Not only that, but in an alternate (non-stabbing) universe, Seles' star crossed efforts to master the grass courts of the All-England Club and win an elusive Wimbledon crown -- and complete her Career Slam -- likely would have proven to have a different ending, with her quest resembling how Roger Federer's triumphant path to his one and only Roland Garros crown in 2009 (the same year Seles was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame) closed the one remaining open door on *his* legacy.
In many ways, the beginnings of the Graf/Seles rivalry was much like that of Federer's with Rafael Nadal. Just as we saw with those two on the ATP Tour in the late 2000's, Seles challenged (and eventually usurped) Graf's power position in the sport and seemed to have taken up residence inside the German's psyche. Federer persevered through Nadal's big-match mastery, returned to the #1 ranking and eventually won in Paris (yes, when Rafa had lost early... but still); but we never really got to see how Graf would have had to persist before managing to find a path (or fail to maneuver her way) around the obstacle to major title runs that Seles had become for her everywhere but in London.
Graf never HAD to improve and learn how to take down the only true equal she ever encountered in the prime of her career. She never had to develop a new gameplan to break the stranglehold the unblinking Seles had on the slams (she'd won 7 of 9 majors -- only failing to win Wimbledon in 1991-92 -- prior to her stabbing less than two months before Roland Garros, where she'd won three straight titles). What would Steffi have done in her attempt to gain control of the rivalry? Abandon her baseline game to put more forward pressure on Seles by utilizing her passable-but-generally-unnecessary net skills, go for more winners with her backhand rather than be content with the series of slice shots she usually employed on the wing, or simply continue to emphasize her baseline game and hope that she'd start to win out on the slam stage once again and eventually break Seles' tight mental grip on the competition? Either way, it would have provided an opportunity for Graf to definitively prove that she was indeed a *complete* champion, and not "just" an all-time great with a killer forehand against which most opponents couldn't compete, at least not in any consistent way.
As much as a "What If?" as Seles' career became, the same could be said about that of Graf.
After having lost the ranking to Seles in 1991, Graf returned to #1 because a crazed German lathe operator desired that it happen, then did all he could to make it so during a fateful changeover. After rising back to the top of the sport by default, Graf continued to go mostly unchallenged (though Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario had her moments) on her way to her 22 career majors until age and injuries finally brought her back to the WTA pack just as Martina Hingis, and soon after that the Williamses, Belgians and Russians, stepped into the void.
Left to her (and Seles') own natural devices, Graf might have produced remarkably similar career numbers to that of Seles (ala Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, who both won 18 while competing in an era in which they dominated). But we never got to see that storyline play out, and Graf was never forced to raise her game to yet another, otherwordly level. It's a great "lost chapter" in tennis history. It would have been a fascinating, push-and-pull battle to witness... and one that may have seen Graf prove to be an even *greater* champion than the one she turned out to be.
Oh, well. Too bad there isn't an alternate tennis universe out there somewhere where that "unwritten" history actually played out in front of millions of fans. If only to be able to visit it and see.
Here's a look back, in real time and words, at Seles' historic first slam title at age 16 in Paris in 1990, as well as her win in Melbourne, the last before the course of her career was so suddenly changed...
On Saturday, the match that everyone had been hoping for finally became a reality.
Steffi Graf and Monica Seles had met in the 1989 French semis, where then 5-foot-5 15-year old Seles gave Graf a surprisingly stiff battle which the West German ultimately won in three sets. Since 1987, Graf had compiled a record of 265-8, was appearing in her thirteenth consecutive slam final (having won nine of twelve, and eight of nine) and her fourth straight in Paris. She'd been the dominant women's player by far until she lost to Sanchez last year and showed that she was vulnerable (at least to illness in the French).
Much had happened since the '89 loss to the Spaniard, though. For both players. Graf went on a 66-match winning streak (second only to Navratilova's record 74) while Seles grew four inches and became a wiry double-handed (from both sides), double-grunter who was starting to make good on the promise that she had shown in Paris. Graf endured a two-month absence from tennis after breaking her right thumb in a skiing accident while fleeing paparazzi, and rumors of an illegitimate child parented by her father, Peter. Then, Seles stung her for the first time, with an easy 6-4/6-3 victory over Graf in the German Open three weeks ago, as the Yugoslav won her fifth straight title and stopped Graf's winning streak cold (and maybe allowed some doubt to seep into her already convoluted mind). Add to this a victory over #2 Navratilova in Italy and one could see that that 16-year old was a young lady on fire.
In the past two weeks, Graf's French allergies acted up once again, and Seles struggled through her early matches to eventually stretch her winning streak to 31 with an impressive win over another tennis whirlwind, 14-year old Jennifer Capriati, in the semis. But the final proved to be the real benchmark for where this one woman and single girl are at this point in their respective tennis careers.
Seles' 7-6(6)/6-4 victory proved that she was no fluke in Germany and that she may be, at least for now, the new "best player in the world." For Graf, it opened a new can of worms even though she still remains a dominant force in the game. Are the other players catching up to her power game? Can she get better and remain on top? Has she lost her confidence in her shots, as she hinted after the match? Only time will tell.
But on the first point of the match there was no question -- it was an easy Seles return winner. For that matter, it was the same with the first game, as Graf's serve was broken. In fact, Seles broke Graf's first three service games after the German has been broken only six times the entire tournament coming into the final. Graf seemed to come alive a bit when, down 0-3, she broke Seles at love. But after a 55-minute rain delay, Seles returned to break back to go up 4-1. Graf's champion's heart brought her back to 6-6 and a tie-breaker for the 1st set. Basically, it was where the championship would be decided.
Graf rattled off five straight points to build a seemingly insurmountable 5-0 lead in the breaker. But, then again, it seemed as if a 5-3 3rd set Graf lead versus Sanchez in 1989 looked insurmountable, too, and the end result there wrote a new page in the tennis history book.
So will this one.
Playing points one at a time, Seles drew to within 5-2. But Graf would get to 6-2, and had numerous chances to lock away the 1st set and probably put the match nearly on ice. But Seles' youthful vigor and menacingly-angled powerful two-fisted shots continued to land inside the court's boundaries. When Graf double-faulted at 6-6, the end definitely looked near. And, indeed it was. Seles won the tie-break 8-6 (just like Sanchez did in '89) to take the opening set and spur herself to even better championship play the rest of the match.
The Yugoslav again went up 3-0 in the 2nd set before Graf managed to catch her at 4-4. But it wouldn't matter, as Graf continued to look like a paper lion on serve as Seles converted a break point successfully for the fifth time to take the title with her second straight win over the #1-ranked Graf (only Gabriela Sabatini in '88 had ever achieved that feat).
Graf admitted after the match that she is "lacking confidence" in her shots and that she is now doing things that she is not accustomed to doing (like blowing leads and being broken five times in a match). With two consecutive losses to teenagers in the French final, either Graf has a mental block in Paris or the rest of the field is starting to recognize her weaknesses and exploit them by hitting the ball back at her as fast as she hits it at them. Sabatini, Sanchez and Seles have all found ways, at times, to control Graf and emerge in triumph. Who's to say that Graf isn't starting to feel the pressure of four years at the top of her sport without question or legitimate challenge? How she handles that pressure at Wimbledon could determine whether or not she will continue to be ranked #1 in the world at the end of the U.S. Open in September.
For now, though, Seles is unquestionably at the top of her sport, as the nemesis to Graf that Sabatini is turning out NOT to be. Graf said, "She's not a nightmare yet... I hope she's not becoming one." Maybe not, but she certainly has been a daymare in the past month -- and a dayDREAM for women's tennis.
The game is riding a surprising high even though Evert has left the game as Graf, Seles, Navratilova, Sanchez, Sabatini and Capriati are all proving to be able to contend for prominence. Of that group, two can't get a driver's license (though Seles wants a Lamborghini), one is 18, one is 19, one 20, while only 30-plus Navratilova's years are numbered. The 1990's should be quite something as the youth movement continues to ride high.
Let's see, a 17-year old won the French in 1989, then a 16-year old did it in 1990. What's next, a 15-year old? Well, guess who'll be 15 in 1991. Oh, Jennifer?
...Seles soon ended Graf's record 186-week run in the top ranking, rising to #1 in March 1991 to become the youngest-ever top-ranked player in women's tennis (until Martina Hingis broke Seles' record in March '97, just as the Swiss Miss had by becoming the youngest slam winner at the AO that same year) and held the spot for ninety-one consecutive weeks beginning that September until her absence from the tour following the Hamburg attack finally allowed Graf to return to #1, where she stayed for the next eighty-seven weeks (and held the spot for 187 of 199).
Two years after her maiden win in Paris, while Seles was winning her third consecutive Roland Garros crown, the crowd on Chatrier Court included an inspired young Belgian named Justine Henin, who watched from the stands with her mother and said that one day it might be HER holding up the Coupe de Suzanne Lenglen. That story, though it also had a few unique twists and turns, turned out pretty well. Henin went on to win Roland Garros four times from 2003-07.
"Seles is within range of the Grand Slam which eluded her the last two years. Only Graf and Wimbledon truly stand in her way. And even those two potent forces may not be able to stop her in 1993." - Me (January 1993)
On occasion, you can be both entirely correct and horrifically wrong... at the same time. Unfortunately, this was one of those times.
In 1993, Seles won her third straight Australian Open title in what turned out to be her last grand slam appearance before her career was sidetracked by the Hamburg stabbing incident in April. But, at the time of the pre-Backspin writing of this "Time Capsule" segment, all things great seemed possible -- inevitable, actually -- for the career of the nineteen year old.
She'd surpassed Graf to become the top player in the women's game, and had such a lethal stranglehold on the sport (winning eight of eleven majors starting with her maiden title in Paris in '90) that she seemed well on her way to shattering all sorts of long-held marks. As Seles had stolen away Graf's throne, everyone was waiting to see what the German's response was going to be. A great, longstanding rivalry seemed to be ready to unfold before our eyes.
Then came Gunther Parche.
In January '93 in Melbourne, though, he hadn't yet become part of her story. So, here's what would be a final slam event look back at the truly *great* Monica Seles... trapped in amber, as the very best player in the world:
Is it just me, or is this just a tad bit familiar? Monica Seles vs. Steffi Graf. Jim Courier vs. Stefan Edberg. Oh, well. Maybe it's just me.
The first grand slam to fall into the college bowl game mindset, the FORD Australian Open, was without Andre Agassi and Martina Navratilova, Boris Becker and Ivan Lendl bowed out in the 1st Round, and the oppressive heat threatened to wilt even the hardiest of competitors. Still, the same thing happened at Flinders Park in Melbourne that has happened in recent slams in Paris, London and New York. For all the talk of the great tennis being played nowadays on the pro level, it still seems as if the same four players appear on a regular basis in most grand slam finals.
#1-seed Monica Seles' 4-6/6-3/6-2 triumph over #2 Steffi Graf was the third slam final between the two in the last four (and they've combined to win the last nine majors, and 18 of 21); while #1 Jim Courier's 6-2/6-1/2-6/7-5 demolition of #2 Stefan Edberg was their third final in the last six majors, and sixth slam won by one or the other man in the last eight.
At least in Seles' case, the events are THIS CLOSE to becoming monotonous. But, in the process, THE new Great Tennis Rivalry may have been born.
In the mid-1980's, tennis gurus were touting Graf and Gabriela Sabatini as the duo which would inevitably replace Navratilova and Chris Evert's dominating matchups. Navratilova and Evert met in fourteen grand slam finals (with Martina holding a 10-4 advantage) in their eighty-match series (Navratilova won forty-three) which stretched from 1973 to '88. But the Graf-Gaby rivalry never really materialized due to Sabatini's slow development and Graf's early overpowering dominance.
Now, more than four years after the Chrissie-Martina Era ended with Evert's retirement, we have unwittingly stumbled into the Monica-Steffi Era. And, this time, the rivalry may have some legs.
Since 1989, Graf holds a 6-4 advantage in the series, but in the four slam final matchups it's Seles who leads 3-1 (including the scintillating 6-2/3-6/10-8 win in the '92 French Open final). Graf, though, has held onto her mastery over Seles at Wimbledon and has thereby prevented her from matching Graf's '88 sweep of the four grand slam titles. THAT is what rivalries are made of.
Seles and Graf came into this final with the German, 23, looking as good as she has in years, and disconcertingly within striking range of Seles' #1 computer ranking despite the 19-year old transplanted Yugoslav's tight grip on the women's tour over the past year and a half.
Going into the match, Graf said that she felt that it would be a "special" final. Well, it WAS special -- but for Seles.
With her famed heart and power, Seles overcame a 1st set loss to trample Graf for her twenty-first consecutive Aussie win (she's undefeated there for her career), her third straight title (tying Graf's 1988-90 run), her seventh slam win in the past nine, and her eighth slam (with a mark of 8-1 in finals) championship overall.
Dominance? You bet. Boring? Not yet, but it's getting close.
When Graf was steamrolling over everyone in the late '80's, women's tennis was a "bore." A bore, that is, until the rest of the field finally caught up to Graf's level of play. Now, the women's game finds itself in the same position. Seles was the woman who caught and surpassed Graf. And the cycle must now begin again.
Can anyone catch Seles?
Sabatini may have peaked already. Arantxa Sanchez Vicario is getting better but not a threat for #1. Navratilova is only concentrating on half the grand slams. Mary Joe Fernandez lacks one big weapon. Jennifer Capriati is still experiencing growing pains. And the list goes on and on.
In fact, only Graf appears to have a chance to take the #1 ranking away, and that may be wishful thinking when one considers what got Seles to the top to begin with.
Graf, still living in Brühl , but without her suffocating father always present to make things difficult for her, is having more fun playing tennis now than she has in years. She's in great shape (over the string of injuries and illnesses, including a case of rubella which kept her out of the Australian Open in '92) and playing her best tennis since she was ranked #1. But, still, she hasn't fully regained the confidence that she once had in spades when the rest in the women's field were simply sacrificial lambs for her slaughterhouse forehand.
Guts and steel-like mental confidence -- that's what has separated Seles from the pack. And no one seems to have the guns to compete in those two very important areas (and that's assuming anyone can come close to matching the fireball power of her groundstrokes -- which isn't likely as of now).
The scary thing is that Seles still thinks she can improve. She wants to develop a more all-court game in which she can become more comfortable at the net.
This match was a microcosm of how quickly Seles has risen to the top.
Graf came out firing in the 1st set as Seles committed nineteen unforced errors, and Graf won 6-4. But, as Graf continued to play very well, it was quite obvious that Seles was playing herself into the match slowly but surely in the 2nd set. The errors became less frequent, Graf started uncharacteristically questioning calls (knowing the importance of EVERY point against Seles), Seles' grunt came out of hibernation and the match was turned. Seles won the set 6-3, and she wasn't looking back.
In the 3rd set, Seles' errors had all but vanished along with Graf's chances. There was nothing Graf could do. Only Seles can beat Seles outside Centre Court Wimbledon, and unless she gives an opponent a break (which is extremely rare) no one has much of a chance. With Graf's final overanxious forehand, Seles won the set 6-2 and the match was over.
Once more, the Seles guts had prevailed. It's becoming all too common these days.
Seles is within range of the Grand Slam which eluded her the last two years. Only Graf and Wimbledon truly stand in her way.
And even those two potent forces may not be able to stop her in 1993.
...needless to say, neither Graf nor Wimbledon was able to prevent Seles from pulling off a Grand Slam in '93. Gunther Parche did. After the stabbing, Seles didn't play another slam event for thirty-one months, and didn't play at all for twenty-seven. After having won eight of the first fourteen slams she entered (and seven of the last nine she'd played), she won just one of the final twenty-four in which she appeared after her comeback.
She reached the U.S. Open final in her first slam back in '95, and won the Australian Open her next time out in 1996, but she never really came remotely close to being the consistent force she'd been in her previous incarnation. Power players were more abundant and Seles and Graf weren't nearly as unique. while she was never able to get into the sort of athletic shape she'd been in previously, as her body had changed as she'd matured (she even experienced a late growth spurt of two additional inches -- putting her at nearly six-feet fall -- while she was away), out-growing the lean physique of her teenage years. More importantly, though, the trauma of the attack seemed to steal away the incredible difference-making heart and desire Seles had shown while rising to #1 in the world. After previously seeming to know no fear, she'd come all too face-to-face with it... and there was no going back in time.
Seles was 19 when she won her eighth slam in Melbourne. Graf had won eleven at the time. Without Seles around as a rival, Graf won the next four slam crown, and a Selesian ten of thirteen. She ended her career in 1999 having won twenty-two. In the going-on 27 years since Seles won the Australian Open in '93, only Serena Williams has managed to catch her on the all-time career slam title list -- when she won her ninth at the U.S. Open in 2008 at age 27. Williams has since gone on to surpass Graf, too, winning her 23rd at the '17 AO while pregnant with her first daughter Olympia. Though Serena appeared in four more slam finals in 2018-19, she's still stuck on #23, one behind Court's all-time mark of 24, at age 38 (and now essentially with a key "lost" season due to the sport's coronavirus shutdown serving as an unforeseen late career obstacle).
HAMBURG, GERMANY-- World #1 Monica Seles of Yugoslavia, eight-time grand slam champion, suffered a scare earlier today when a fan attempted to stab her in the back during a changeover in the 2nd set of her QF matchup with Magdalena Maleeva at the Citizen Cup in Hamburg.
A spectator identified by police officials as Guenter Parche, 38, of Germany was wrestled to the ground by alert stadium security personnel as he attempted to reach over a partition to stab Seles in the back while she sat. A knife was confiscated from Parche, and officials later confirmed reports that he was a self-confessed fan of world #2, and fellow German, Steffi Graf.
After a short delay, Seles went on to win the match 6-4/6-3.
During a post-match press conference, Seles expressed gratitude toward the quick-acting stadium and WTA security officials. "They did their job, which is to keep us safe out there," said the reigning three-time Australian Open champ.
After her characteristic giggle, the 19-year old added, "I think maybe I should buy them all big dinners tonight... maybe a couple nights, actually."
Asked if she would withdraw from the tournament, Seles said she'd give it a day to be certain, but said she feels fine and doesn't fear for her safety. "I'm a little shaken up, sure. But I expect to play tomorrow or whenever I'm scheduled to go. I've never won here before, and I really want to. Steffi's won the title here, what, six years in a row? I think I'd like to change that."
With a quick smile, Seles was gone. Safe, sound... and still the best female tennis player in the world.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA-- Tennis legend Monica Seles, 29, officially announced her retirement at the conclusion of this week's WTA Championships.
The end of the Yugoslav-born American's legendary career closes the book on a player who it could be argued is the greatest female player the game has known.
If numbers are a large identifying characteristic, Seles has the goods to back up the notion. While not matching all-time WTA title-holder Martina Navratilova's 167 career singles titles, Seles did trump the other most lethal female lefty in total grand slam championships. Her final slam title, at the 1999 Roland Garros, was the 20th of her storied career, making her only the second woman with 20 or more slam crowns. Margaret Court won 24 in the 1960s-70s, but Seles' Open era record total rates higher than her more contemporary rivals for the mythical "best-ever" crown: Navratilova (18), Chris Evert (18) and Steffi Graf (16).
Fittingly, Seles defeated Graf in that '99 Roland Garros final, the 15th slam final matchup between the two. The long-running rivalry consisted of the two trading the #1 ranking often between 1991-98 and participating in a series of memorable matches reminiscent of the Navratilova-Evert era that preceded their own.
Additionally, it was at Roland Garros where Seles had her most time-honored moments. Before winning her 20th slam there, she became the youngest RG winner (16 years, 6 months) in 1990 and her three straight titles from 1990-92 made her the first woman to accomplish the feat in 55 years. The 1999 title was her eighth in Paris, moving her past former all-time leader Evert's seven.
The "best" or not, Seles' vaunted place in history is bound to be argued for years to come... but those who saw her in her prime will always have their own unwavering opinion.
So much was lost on April 30, 1993. The twenty-seventh anniversary of the date arrives later this month.
Of course, Seles WAS stabbed... and she, as well as her legacy, were never quite the same. Parche desired to return Graf to the #1 position in the rankings by injuring her leading rival, but Seles was actually far more than just Steffi's number one competition.
The teenager's double-sided, two-handed game led the charge of power tennis in the early 1990s. Her power, combined with a remarkable ability to create angled shots on the court -- very few players even had a prayer of defending them when she was at her best -- and an eerie immunity to feeling the pressure of big-point situations, made Seles the best player in the world. Before the Hamburg incident, she'd had won a remarkable 32 of the first 62 tournaments she'd entered (an amazing 52%!), had become the youngest to win 30 titles in a career (1992), sported a record of 253-29, had won three straight Tour Finals titles (1990-92), made the finals of her eight previous grand slams played (winning seven), and won five of the last six slam titles (advancing to the finals of all six).
Seles had begun to break and demoralize Graf, too, a fact somewhat lost to history (and the German's career numbers) many years later. Granted, some numbers can be deceiving, as prior to her absence from the tour Seles was just 4-6 head-to-head vs. Graf, but she'd actually won four of the seven match-ups since 1990, including three of their four slam final meetings from 1990-93 (they only played five more times from 1995-99, with Graf tasting victory on four occasions).
At the particular moment it time, the feeling was the Seles had climbed over the German, and, as they say, "had her number." The Yugoslav's ability to fearlessly raise her game in pressure moments only further confounded the formerly-dominant Graf, who'd finally found an opponent she couldn't routinely blow off the court with her magnificent forehand (Bud Collins dubbed her "Fräulein Forehand," still maybe the best nickname ever bestowed in the sport).
While she was still finding herself on grasscourts at the time, Seles sported a 4-2 record against Graf in the last six pre-Hamburg matches between the two on hard or clay courts, and her best moments came on the biggest stages. She won a tight 7-6/6-4 final at RG in 1990, a 10-8 3rd set in the '92 RG final, as well as claiming a three-set contest in the '93 AO championship match just three months before the fateful trip to Germany for, ironically, Seles' first action after a viral infection had forced her withdrawal from four WTA tournaments following the Paris Indoors event that February.
As it turned out, Parche got his wish as Graf soon returned to #1 while Seles, nursing mental and psychological scars long after the stab wound had healed, didn't play for two years and three months.
She returned to the tour in August '95, made the U.S. Open final less than a month later and won her major (her ninth) the following January in Melbourne.
After that initial adrenaline-fueled spurt, though, she advanced to just two more slam finals ('96 US & '98 RG). After having won 32 titles in 62 events over five years, she won 21 of 113 events from 1995-03... still a great number, but far off the torrid pace the teenage Seles had set. She remained a Top 10 player through 2002 (after receiving a special protected ranking in 1995-96 following her return), the former "best player in the world" was never again a true challenger for #1.
Seles never showed the ability to get back in top shape after the layoff, but maybe more striking than the lack of conditioning was the intrusion of the big match shakiness that had been foreign to a young Seles' fearless game during her original incarnation.
The #1 weapon (her mental edge) that dethroned Graf wasn't in evidence during Seles II, whether it be the result of the prolonged absence from match play, a natural aging process or the lingering psychological impact of Hamburg (as well as her father Karolj's long illness before his death in 1998) that never allowed her the same single-minded focus that once powered her dominance of the game. Though she made cameo appearances at times, the nervy (old) Seles was never rediscovered. She was gone forever, lost to time and poor courtside security.
Graf, of course, won 22 slam titles (#2 all-time behind Court's 24), including six of the nine slams held during Seles' absence. After going 1-3 against Seles in slam finals before the stabbing (excluding their Wimbledon matchup, which Graf won), Graf was 2-0 after Hamburg (both at the U.S. Open). After winning her last slam title at the '99 Roland Garros (after 33 slam title-less months), an injury-battling Graf retired two months later. As anticipated, she was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility in 2004.
While Seles was obviously robbed of so much because of Hamburg, in an odd sense, so was Graf (and not just because of her unfair linking to Parche).
Other than Seles, the only other player (as the expected Graf-Sabatini rivalry never materialized) who truly pushed Graf was a late-in-career (well, in singles, at least) Martina Navratilova in the late 1980s. But, after winning seven of their first ten match-ups, once Navratilova could no longer hold back Graf back the baton was essentially passed to a new generation of WTA stars. The German defeated her in the '87 Wimbledon and U.S. Open finals, and Graf was 3-0 vs. Navratilova in major finals thereafter (6-2 overall).
Graf had legs that could run forever and good touch at the net, but never felt the need to further develop her game much beyond the baseline setup that proved so successful. At the time, it was a frustrating development, largely because it was clear that as good as she already was, Graf had the ability to be even *better*... if only she'd HAD to be.
Picky, I know... but why can't "greatness" still be improved upon? There *was* room for it in Graf's case.
Graf would have still won her fair share of slam titles even with Seles in the picture. But 22? Never. More likely, it would have been somewhere around 15. Seles' victory parades wouldn't have continued their 5-of-6 slams frequency, but they wouldn't have slowed enough to allow Graf the free reign she enjoyed much of the time after Hamburg. If nothing else, the two would have developed an even-more-classic, long-running rivalry that was akin to Navratilova-Evert.
So, in truth, tennis fans were robbed of quite a bit. There's nothing better than a great athlete being tested by a true equal and forced to raise their game to an even higher level. Graf could, and likely would, have done so. And the Seles would have had to respond in kind.
We never got to see it, and women's tennis was poorer for that fact.
Only the emergence of a second Martina (Hingis) finally pushed Graf out of the picture, but by then Graf's body was breaking down. Still, her last stand '99 RG comeback win over a petulant Hingis in the final might be the German's brightest career moment.
As for Parche, he never served a day of jail time for the stabbing and was released when a German judge felt he was "unlikely to repeat such a crime." Seles, for her part, stood by her post-trial vow to never play in Germany again, going so far as to skip the 2001 WTA Championships held in Munich a year after having reached the final of the event (in NYC), which she'd won three straight times in Seles I.
Seles' return to tennis following the stabbing came with even more fanfare than that of Serena Williams' comeback after becoming a mother and suffering a health scare, or even that of Petra Kvitova following a life and career-threatening home invasion attack. She appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in July '95 prior to her long-awaited tour comeback in August. In 1994, an episode of "Seinfeld" had included a fictional Seles' return at the U.S. Open.
Having become a U.S. citizen in '94, Seles played Fed Cup for her adopted nation, leading the team to three titles. She played in two Olympics for Team USA, winning her only career medal in '00 in Sydney with a Bronze Medal Match victory over Aussie Jelena Dokic.
After her return at age 21, Seles reached at least the QF in 20 of her first 24 majors (winning one, reaching three other finals and four semis). As she approached age 30, though, injuries began to stunt Seles' tour viability, particularly a long-running foot ailment. The injury led to her final tour match being a 1st Round loss in Paris -- a 6-4/6-0 dismantling by Nadia Petrova -- in '03. It was her only one-and-out slam result in her forty main draw appearances in majors in her career, and had come on the heels of her previously worst-tying (w/ '96 Wimbledon) career slam result, a 2nd Round AO loss to qualifier Klara Koukalova. She finished the season at #60, her first year out of the Top 10 (and without a title) since her season-long absence in 1994.
After often being seen in a walking boot, and hoping to find a way back to the court, her another comeback never happened. Seles officially retired in February 2008 (on Valentine's Day), at age 34, nearly five years after what had been her last professional match. She ended her career with 53 tour titles (still 10th all-time, and more than the likes of Venus Williams, Justine Henin, Martina Hingis, Kim Clijsters and Maria Sharapova), with 178 weeks (6th best) at #1.
Seles returned to the spotlight, at least somewhat, when she was a contestant on the U.S. version of "Dancing with the Stars" in '08. It was nice to see her compete again. It's too bad she's wasn't more proficient, but then again her sometimes herky-jerky on-court movement had never really been what anyone would call "graceful" even in her prime. She was more like a loud freight train barreling down a hill. The dance floor was just too small for her to flourish, and she was eliminated after just two weeks.
In April '09, Seles released her autobiography, "Getting a Grip: On My Body, My Mind, My Self," which dealt with her return to tennis and post-tour life, as well as her battle with depression and binge eating disorder following her stabbing and her father's death. That same year, she was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame. Seles is married to businessman Tom Golisano.
If only Seles had been able to run through her career without that major history-altering interruption, I think the entire Graf era -- or maybe "Seles era" -- may be viewed differently. Graf would have had her career-long nemesis to either never find a way past (ala Hingis vs. the power players, or Evert vs. Navratilova in the second half of their careers), raise her game in order to overcome the threat, or simply *outlast* them (as Serena did done with fellow generational slam "giants" such as the Belgians and, as far as slam contention goes, her sister Venus).
In many ways, Seles was the Maureen Connolly of the second half of the 20th century. Ah, "Little Mo'." The U.S. star had her own wonderful, horrible story of tremendous early highs (winning six straight slams from 1953-54), and unfortunate occurrences (her career ended when she broke her leg when hit by a cement truck while riding her horse, then dying young at age 34) that prevented her from becoming the all-time champion she might have been... but that's another story for another day. Interestingly, both ended their careers with nine slam titles, but could have won so many more if fate had been in their respective corners.
When all is said and done, current and future generations will look at Seles' career numbers and see impressive statistics that speak to a Hall of Fame career, but they'll only tell a portion of the story. It's sometimes fun and intriguing to speculate about the career she might have had, but anyone who saw her burst onto the scene in the early 1990's should never let themselves forget how great she ACTUALLY was.
Admittedly, it's easy to fall victim to the "what if" trap, when Seles' greatness -- as it WAS and IS --forever will BE. No matter what DIDN'T happen, what Seles DID do proved her to be a spectacular talent. That should never be lost. As incredible as Serena Williams' slam exploits have sometimes been in her career -- and they've been the most spectacular of any player in the post-Seles/Graf generation, including *two* "Serena Slam" runs of four straight majors -- she never pulled off a two-year, dominant stretch of unrelenting tenacity that was the 7-of-8 slam title run that a giggly teenage Seles did from 1991-93 even while the likes of Graf was in the mix and her career seemed to have no foreseeable ceiling.
Yes, it was wonderful to have her here. It certainly was a thrill. We were such a lovely audience, and surely did enjoy the show.
The @USTA says no decision has been made yet on the US Open. They will make the decision in June. "Our ambition is to run the tournament but the driving factor is health and wellness of fans." Being advised by a team of Doctors on matter.
— Jess Golden (@JGolden5) April 16, 2020
"The way we're approaching it is through a
— Christopher Clarey (@christophclarey) April 16, 2020
medical advisory group. We have five or six doctors
that are consulting with us on a regular basis. Based
off that information, we'll ultimately make the decision if
it's safe to play the tournament or not." - Dowse on the US Open
"US Open Tennis COVID-19 Decision by June; No Fans 'Unlikely'" by The Associated Press via NYT https://t.co/Cw82sVZBnB
— Agatha Dejaeger (@AgathaDejaeger) April 16, 2020
*MONICA SELES MAJOR FINALS + OLYMPIC MEDAL MATCHES*
=AO (4-0)=
1991 def. Jana Novotna 5-7,6-3,6-1
1992 def. Mary Joe Fernandez 6-2,6-3
1993 def. Steffi Graf 4-6,6-3,6-2
1996 def. Anke Huber 6-4,6-1
=RG (3-1)=
1990 def. Steffi Graf 7-6,6-4
1991 def. Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 6-3,6-4
1992 def. Steffi Graf 6-2,3-6,10-8
1998 lost to Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 6-7,6-0,2-6
=WI (0-1)=
1992 lost to Steffi Graf 2-6,1-6
=US (2-2)=
1991 def. Martina Navratilova 7-6,6-1
1992 def. Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 6-3,6-2
1995 lost to Steffi Graf 6-7,6-0,3-6
1996 lost to Steffi Graf 5-7,4-6
=other=
1990 WTA CHSP F: def. Gabriela Sabatini 6-4,5-7,3-6,6-4,6-2
1991 WTA CHSP F: def. Martina Navratilova 6-4,3-6,7-5,6-0
1992 WTA CHSP F: def Martina Navratilova 7-5,6-3,6-1
2000 OLYMPIC BRONZE MATCH: def. Jelena Dokic 6-1,6-4
2002 WTA CHSP F: lost to Martina Hingis 7-6,4-6,4-6
— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) April 17, 2020
Garbiñe Muguruza Tik Tok vidéo (14/04)
— Sebastien G. (@sebsharfam) April 14, 2020
(Finally she updated one lol) pic.twitter.com/vymy13XmRw
Dasha created a Tik Tok and she's kinda good at it omg????
— Daria Kasatkina FP (@kasatkinafp) April 12, 2020
"The only way we are spending time together now?? (and yes I had to download TikTok for this???????)" pic.twitter.com/pMVqWWdsXF
Brick wall, golf ball, technique bat and forehand volleys. Sir Donald inspired ??
— Ash Barty (@ashbarty) April 11, 2020
Happy Easter everyone! #stayhome pic.twitter.com/KKykiVCGMx
Well imagine myself nowdays and few years ago... such a big difference, right? ????????? I dont think sponsors would be happy for me (thank you @head_tennis) and my emotions full of frustration ?? and tears ?? but what didnt kill me made me stronger???? @WTA pic.twitter.com/WyceN6gztL
— Barbora Krejcikova (@B_Krejcikova) April 16, 2020
WTA x Radka
— Sofia Kenin (@SofiaKenin) April 18, 2020
“That’s why I was really happy that Sofia Kenin let us come to her hotel. Her day was done. She was just in her room. I asked her if she had a bathrobe, something super simple. Just be yourself. I just want to shoot you here, as you are” - Radka Leitmeritz pic.twitter.com/wcfng2V68q
Trump, Jan. 24: "China has been working very hard to contain the Coronavirus. The United States greatly appreciates their efforts and transparency."
— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) April 14, 2020
Trump, today: The WHO "defended the actions of the Chinese government, even praising its so-called transparency."
Trump, Feb. 28: "The press is in hysteria mode" over coronavirus.
— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) April 14, 2020
Trump video, April 13: "The media minimized the risk from the start."
Here's a joke circulating in Europe:
— Mohamad Safa (@mhdksafa) April 16, 2020
What borders on stupidity?
Mexico and Canada.
Stephen Moore says the right-wing activists protesting stay-at-home orders are — I’m not joking — “modern-day Rosa Parks” https://t.co/m8eXpLQ2R0 pic.twitter.com/3CldS6H0Vb
— Amanda Terkel (@aterkel) April 18, 2020
The world without humans has allowed animals all over the world to explore new places.????pic.twitter.com/7gD4giilum
— Rex Chapman???? (@RexChapman) April 12, 2020
Down Under, we don’t do Easter Bunnies ??????????? pic.twitter.com/3X09FMO8VC
— Mark Webber (@AussieGrit) April 11, 2020
"There was a grace to how he moved about the court, and how intelligent he was."
— wta (@WTA) April 13, 2020
Miloslav Mecir was a central figure in @dhantuchova's career.
My Inspiration, about the people who influenced great champions --> https://t.co/kSbaAzCyUx pic.twitter.com/NI1TW2Bi4h
Playing Tic-Tac-Toe(XOX) with the best opponent you could get pic.twitter.com/w3ccPSFNaz
— Animal Life (@animalIife) April 13, 2020
Wipe It Down
— Kristie Ahn (@kristieahn) April 14, 2020
Lyrics by @EvanKingChicago
Concept by @jloeb308 pic.twitter.com/YER33TULsP
That scene better have just won @rheaseehorn a long overdue Emmy. #BetterCallSaul pic.twitter.com/ys12ywrxCy
— Dalton Ross (@DaltonRoss) April 14, 2020
Hey guys, please take a minute to read this and if possible donate to help those most vulnerable during this pandemic. All donations will go towards groceries and household necessities for families in need. Please donate to my mums Venmo account. Thank you ?? #5dollarfriday pic.twitter.com/k0Epq9jlhM
— Katie Swan (@Katieswan99) April 17, 2020
Hahah yes! But not easy! https://t.co/cmNQ9Rm2ly
— Chris Evert (@ChrissieEvert) April 17, 2020
At this point this looks like an amazing party!!! https://t.co/4H3mjrRKbE
— Rennae Stubbs (@rennaestubbs) April 16, 2020
There are 1??2?? players inside the Top 3??0??0?? who use the single-handed backhand ??
— wta (@WTA) April 16, 2020
?? Gallery --> https://t.co/yxjFQkN2Tm pic.twitter.com/aEVfOzglFX
Nuns playing basketball at a monastery in Sevilla, Spain while sheltered in place for the coronavirus. Hoops makes the world go around.pic.twitter.com/53oKV5GnNU
— Michael Dolan (@mikedolanny) April 16, 2020
This is next level #TennisAtHome! I don’t think this can be topped. Keep the ball deep 😬 https://t.co/DMqYBlqr8p
— Tracy Austin (@thetracyaustin) April 18, 2020
The New York accent is both music and ideology, instantly recognizable as sound and almost physically palpable, too.
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 16, 2020
New Yorkers from every borough entered the #BestNYAccent challenge on Instagram to find the ultimate New Yawk voice.https://t.co/pdDo7XW2qt pic.twitter.com/WvcLUm8zpk
Character.https://t.co/BXopdZjkop pic.twitter.com/KPrQHQRPFP
— Tom Toles (@TomTolesToons) April 17, 2020
This is why you do not fuck with an Italian from New York.pic.twitter.com/M0qlfBh4iM
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) April 17, 2020
GOP former Governor of NJ and Bush EPA administrator ?? https://t.co/9ayORQ0NBm
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) April 18, 2020
I don't know who created this but it is a thing of beauty.
— HawaiiDelilah™ (@HawaiiDelilah) April 16, 2020
H/T to Hear Me Roar pic.twitter.com/i8yVa4niyN
All for now.
