"I am not an official, so don't ask me" - When Steffi Graf bluntly shut down question about Monica Seles after her return post-stabbing controversy

Steffi Graf once shut down reporters questioning her about Monica Seles' reaction to being seeded or unseeded upon her return to tennis after a horrific stabbing incident. Her remarks came during the 1993 US Open.

Seles was stabbed on April 30, 1993, during a match in Hamburg, Germany. A 19-year-old fan named Günter Parche, obsessed with Graf, ran onto the court and stabbed her in the back with a knife. The attack was shocking, but fortunately, she survived.

The American took a two-year break from tennis, and though she made a comeback, she was never quite the same player. Parche was found mentally unstable and never served prison time, receiving only a suspended sentence.

During a press conference at the 1993 US Open, Graf was asked about the WTA freezing Seles' No. 1 ranking before eventually unfreezing it. She responded by saying it wasn’t fair, as all the other players on tour were fighting through challenges and injuries to reach the top spot.

“You got to understand, all of us, we have to play all year long. I mean, we all have to struggle through injuries, through our problems and through tough matches and through tough tournaments. You know, it has been a very sad incident and it is tough for everybody, but I think it is difficult for us as the players to choose what to do,” the 22-Grand Slam champion said.

“I think it is not up to us, the players, and I think the way it has been handled, I mean, it is difficult to say if it is the right thing or not, but I think it has been handled as good as possible,” she added.

When asked about the issue of seeding upon Monica Seles' return, Steffi Graf firmly stated that it was not her concern and that the decision was up to the officials, not the players:

“I am not an official, so don't ask me. I am just a player.”

Steffi Graf's arch-rival Monica Seles won only 1 Grand Slam after controversial stabbing incident

Monica Seles (L) and Steffi Graf | Image Source: Getty

Steffi Graf and Monica Seles had one of the fiercest rivalries in tennis, with Seles being the only player at the time who could truly push Graf to her limits. Her dominance was undeniable—she won eight Grand Slam titles before turning 20, three of them by defeating the German.

However, after returning to the sport in 1995 following the horrific stabbing incident, Seles was never quite the same. While she remained competitive, she managed to win just one more Major—the 1996 Australian Open.

The American officially announced her retirement in February 2008, but her last competitive match came much earlier, at the 2003 French Open.