"I was going from my 4th French Open to watching others on TV winning" - When Monica Seles opened up about "difficult period" after stabbing incident

Monica Seles once shared about the challenging time she endured after the traumatic stabbing incident that nearly ended her tennis career.

The incident occurred in 1993 during Seles' quarterfinal match against Magdalena Maleeva at the Citizen Cup in Hamburg, Germany. A man named Gunter Parche, who later admitted to being a fan of Seles' rival Steffi Graf, stabbed the then-World No. 1 with a knife in her shoulder, causing a 3.8 cm wound.

Parche's motive behind the audacious act was his desire to see Graf regain the top ranking. Seles recovered over time since the wound was not fatal. However, the American had to take a break from the game that lasted almost two and a half years.

After being inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009, Monica Seles gave an interview to Inside Tennis where she discussed the challenges of her time away from the tour. She shared how difficult it was to watch others win the French Open (Steffi Graf won Roland-Garros in 1993) while she was in recovery, especially considering she had won it back-to-back three times before.

"It was a very difficult period," Seles said. "Suddenly, I was going from my fourth French Open, to watching others on TV winning the tournament. It was an ironic story. But it’s past. I almost don’t even remember it. Maybe there’s a purpose for that. Those aren’t happy times to look back to."

The nine-time Grand Slam champion expressed happiness in returning to tennis action but regretted missing out on her prime years.

"One thing I’m happy about is that I came back," Monica Seles said. "I didn’t have the same success I had before, and that’s a hard one to have to deal with. I wish I could have been in my prime, because in tennis the prime is really from 17 to 22. Tennis, unfortunately, for whatever reason, rewards youth."

Seles returned to the WTA Tour in 1995 and won her final Major at the Australian Open a year later.

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A look into Monica Seles' Grand Slam wins

Monica Seles (L) pictured at the 2024 BNP Paribas Open

Monica Seles won nine Grand Slam titles throughout her career, an impressive eight of which came before her 20th birthday. She is also the first teenager in the Open Era to win most Majors.

Seles excelled on hardcourts and claycourts, winning the Australian Open four times (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996) and the French Open three times (1990, 1991, 1992). She also claimed the US Open twice (1991 and 1992). However, she never won Wimbledon, although she reached the final in 1992.