"I have no problem with it, I think it gives me more freedom": When Steffi Graf spoke on Monica Seles receiving attention because of her comeback

Steffi Graf said that she did not feel overlooked because of the attention Monica Seles received owing to her comeback.

Seles made a return to competitive tennis in 1995, two years after her unfortunate stabbing incident in Hamburg. She was seeded second at that year's US Open behind Graf.

The German was asked in one of her post-match press conferences at the tournament whether she felt overlooked with all the attention Seles was receiving. Graf responded by saying that her rival deserved the attention she was getting and that it also gave her a bit more freedom.

"No. I don't. I think, like I said before, it s great to see her playing and I think she should get the attention, I think it has been tough for her to come back and, you know, seeing her win Toronto and coming here, I think that is great. I mean, I feel she deserves the attention that she is getting. I have no problems with it. I think it gives me more of a bit of freedom," Graf said.

Graf and Seles went on to lock horns in the final of the 1995 US Open, with the former winning 7-6(6), 0-6, 6-3.

Steffi Graf and Monica Seles faced one another 15 times

Steffi Graf with husband Andre Agassi in Las Vegas in 2023

Steffi Graf and Monica Seles forged a short but fierce rivalry during their careers, facing one another 15 times, with the German leading 10-5 in the head-to-head.

The first encounter between the two came in the semifinals of the 1989 French Open, with a then-teenage Graf beating a then-15-year-old Seles 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. The two locked horns in the fourth round of that year's Wimbledon Championships as well, with the German registering a crushing 6-0, 6-1 win.

Monica Seles notched up two title-clash wins over Steffi Graf, beating her in the 1990 German Open and the 1990 French Open, where she won her maiden Grand Slam title.

The two played out a thrilling encounter in the final of the 1992 French Open, which Seles won 6-2, 3-6, 10-8 before being beaten 6-2, 6-2 by the German in her only Wimbledon final. She beat Graf 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to win the 1993 Australian Open, and their head-to-head was led 6-4 by the German before the ex-Yugoslav's stabbing.

The two faced one another five times after Seles returned to action, with Steffi Graf coming out on top in four encounters. Their last encounter came in the semifinals of the 1999 French Open, in which the German won 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-4 to reach the final where she beat Martina Hingis.