Steffi Graf had a meteoric rise in tennis and established herself as one of the most dominant players on the WTA tour by her late teens. She was easily racking up wins until Monica Seles entered the scene in the early 90s.
However, their rivalry, which marked the beginning of a new and exciting chapter in women's tennis history, was shortlived.
On April 30 that year, the Yugoslavia-born player was stabbed by a self-confessed Graf fan during her quarterfinal match against Magdalena Maleeva at the Citizen Cup in Hamburg. This put her out of action for almost two years, during which Graf re-established herself as the top dog on the women's circuit.
The German dropped just two sets en route to the US Open win in 1993. She beat Helena Sukova in straight sets in the final to clinch her third title at the hardcourt Major. This made her the first player, male or female, to achieve a second Surface Slam — winning a Major title on each surface in a calendar year.
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After her win against Sukova, Steffi Graf expressed her happiness with her US Open title victory and also spoke about Monica Seles' absence. She also wished Seles a speedy return to action.
"It was an incredible year, and I'm very happy about it. But one player who has not been around for the last three Grand Slams - that's Monica - I hope she'll be back soon," she said.
At the post-match press conference, Graf admitted that her remarks about Seles were spontaneous. She added that it might have been a way for her to reach out to the nine-time Grand Slam champion.
"I don't know. It is just -- I just said what I felt at this moment. If I look back at the tournament that is how I felt about it, in a way -- probably in a way, I was trying to get to her," she said.
Steffi Graf vs Monica Seles: A brief look at their rivalry
Steffi Graf and Monica Seles faced each other 15 times on the tour, with the former leading 10-5 in the head-to-head.
The rivalry began with Graf winning their first three meetings before Seles turned the tables on her by claiming the next couple of encounters. The German then extended her lead by emerging victorious in their next two meetings, with Seles coming out on top in the match after that.
Their next two clashes came in the final at Majors, with Graf winning the Wimbledon title in 1992 and Seles taking home the 1993 Australian Open title. After the latter contest, Seles spent considerable time away from the sport recovering from the horrific attack.
Following her return to action, the duo faced off five times, with Graf winning four of those encounters. In all, the two faced each other 10 times in Majors alone, with Graf winning six times and Seles picking up four wins.
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