"I cried a lot, I didn't want to live" - When Monica Seles' attacker opened up about how her ending Steffi Graf's 66-match win streak made him feel

Steffi Graf's fan Gunter Parche, who infamously stabbed Monica Seles in 1993, once spoke on his reaction to the German losing to her rival in Berlin. Graf enjoyed a 66-match winning streak, which was broken by Seles in the final of the 1990 German Open.

Monica Seles dominated women's tennis in the early 1990s, as she won six out of eight Grand Slams in 1991 and 1992. Her dominance on the WTA Tour suffered a major hit as she was stabbed in the shoulder by Gunter Parche in Hamburg in 1993.

Parche, who was an avid fan of Steffi Graf's, said during his trial that he cried a lot when the then-20-year-old lost in the final of the 1990 German Open.

"It was as if an earthquake destroyed everything around me. I cried a lot at the time. I didn't want to live any longer," Parche said, as quoted by the Tampa Bay Times.

Gunter Parche also stated that he sent Steffi Graf money on a few occasions, including an instance when he sent $185 so that she could buy a necklace to wear in all tournaments.

"I wrote to her four or five times a year. Sometimes I sent her money. Once I sent her ($185) to buy a necklace to wear at all tournaments," he said.

Monica Seles took over two years to fully recover from her shoulder injury, and she eventually returned to action in 1995.

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Steffi Graf and Monica Seles faced each other five times after the latter's return from injury

Graf in action at the 1994 French Open (Image Source: Getty)

Steffi Graf and Monica Seles faced one another five times after the latter's return in 1995. The two met in that year's US Open final, with the German edging out her rival 7-6(6), 0-6, 6-3. They squared off in the title clash of the New York Major the following year as well, with Graf once again triumphing, this time 7-5, 6-4.

The two next played in the quarterfinals of the Chase Championships (now known as the WTA Finals) and Seles won the first set 6-1. However, Steffi Graf bounced back to win 1-6, 6-4, 6-4.

The only time Monica Seles beat her rival after the injury was in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in 1999, winning 7-5, 6-1. That year, they also locked horns in the French Open semifinals, with Graf registering a 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-4 victory to reach the final, where she defeated Martina Hingis to clinch her 22nd and last Grand Slam singles title.