"I left my parents at 13...I was allowed to call home once a month": When Monica Seles discussed training at Nick Bollettieri's academy on scholarship

Monica Seles had a difficult experience while receiving formal training for the first time in her young tennis career. The former World No. 1 once explained why she felt like an outsider after moving to America for her career.

Seles was barely a teenager when she left her family and life behind in Yugoslavia to train at renowned coach Nick Bollettieri's academy in Florida. Bollettieri had taken notice of her talent after witnessing her victory at the 1985 Junior Orange Bowl tournament.

In an interview with The Guardian in 2009, Monica Seles opened up about the challenge of leaving her friends and family to move to the academy, especially at the age of 13. The nine-time Grand Slam champion disclosed that she struggled with her body image as well as the restriction on her phone calls to her parents.

Seles also revealed that she had a very limited vocabulary in English and was very shy about talking to the other girls who had paid to attend the academy while she was on scholarship.

"I left my parents and all my friends at 13. It's an age when you are very unsure of your body and everything. I was allowed to call home once a month. I thought I spoke English but when I got to America I realised I didn't really," Seles said.

"I had, like, 20 words. I was on scholarship. The other girls could afford to pay to be there, had everything, but I was the only female that was really good. I was very shy. And at the end of the day you are a kid," she added.

Although Monica Seles had a difficult experience while training at Nick Bollettieri, she was accompanied by her older brother Zoltan. Their parents later joined them in Florida after nine months.

"It was one of the worst times in my life" - Monica Seles on her and her brother Zoltan's time at Nick Bollettieri's academy

Monica Seles with her parents and brother Zoltan - Source: Getty

Speaking to Sportstar in 2003, Monica Seles disclosed that she and Zoltan had a hard time coping with life away from their parents at Nick Bollettieri's academy. The former World No. 1 went so far as to call it one of the worst parts of her life.

"That was really hard because we had never been away from our parents that long. It was one of the worst times in my life because every night I just wanted to go home," Seles said.

Seles recalled the "nightmare" of adjusting to a new language and school system at such a young age. She also shed light on their grueling schedule, which left her "dead tired".

Monica Seles eventually left Nick Bollettieri's academy in 1988 after training there for two years. She then went on to win the first of her nine Major titles at the 1990 French Open, beating Steffi Graf in the final.