Monica Seles - 2009 International Tennis Hall of Fame Inductee
On Saturday, Monica Seles will take her place next to other tennis legends when she is inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame during a ceremony in Newport, Rhode Island. Seles, a natural lefthander, initially became famous for her hard-hitting double-fisted ground strokes punctuated by loud grunts, but her tournament results were impressive. From January 1991 to January 1993, Monica won seven of the eight
Grand Slam tournaments she entered. Seles collected nine Grand Slam singles titles during her career, i.e. four Australian Opens (1991-1993, 1996), three French Opens (1990-1992) and two US Opens (1991-1992). Seles remains the youngest French Open champion in history - she won the title when she was sixteen and a half. Overall, Monica won 53 singles titles and six doubles titles and earned over $14 million in prize money. At the height of her tennis career in the spring of 1993, a deranged Steffi Graf fan put Seles on the front page of newspapers all over the world after he stabbed her in the back at a tournament in Germany. It was a tragedy which derailed Seles’ tennis career. Seles did not compete again for more than two years and won only one more Grand Slam title. Seles held the Number One ranking for 178 weeks (non-consecutive) and was the year-end Number One player in 1991 and 1992. While Seles was on the sidelines, Steffi Graf added six Grand Slam titles to her tally (she had previously won 11). In the summer of 1995 when Monica returned to the Tour, she was granted a co-No. 1 ranking (shared with Steffi Graf). Seles won her first comeback event at the Canadian Open and then reached the US Open final. In early 1996, Seles won her ninth and final Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open.
Seles, who was born in Novi Sad in the former Yugoslavia, moved to the United States at the age of thirteen to train at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. Seles later became a United States citizen and competed on the U.S. Federation Cup team. In addition, Seles won the Olympic Bronze Medal in 2000. Monica recently published a book about her experiences including her struggles after the stabbing with an eating disorder and the loss of her father to stomach cancer. Seles inspired many with her explosive shot-making, mental toughness and fighting spirit on the tennis court. We miss Monica on the stadium courts around the globe, but congratulate her on her induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Seles, who was born in Novi Sad in the former Yugoslavia, moved to the United States at the age of thirteen to train at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. Seles later became a United States citizen and competed on the U.S. Federation Cup team. In addition, Seles won the Olympic Bronze Medal in 2000. Monica recently published a book about her experiences including her struggles after the stabbing with an eating disorder and the loss of her father to stomach cancer. Seles inspired many with her explosive shot-making, mental toughness and fighting spirit on the tennis court. We miss Monica on the stadium courts around the globe, but congratulate her on her induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
|| Comments (2)
Comments
Congratulations to the multiple Grand Slam winner.
Posted by: Dr. Cajetan Coelho | July 17, 2009 09:54 PM
Seles is the best. Graf benefited very well by the stabbing as her fan wanted it.
Posted by: Hash | July 21, 2009 02:56 AM