Former rival by Steffi Graf
Former world rankings of Seles seriously ill
Updated on 13.08.2025 – 8:41 a.m.Reading time: 2 min.
Monica Seles went through difficult times. More than 30 years after Hamburg’s nurse attack, the former world-class tennis player reports new bad complaints.
Monica Seles, former number one in the world of tennis, has first publicly talked about a serious illness that has been restricting it for three years. The 51-year-old suffers from Myasthenia Gravis-a rare neuromuscular autoimmune disease. In an interview with the AP news agency, she reported that she suddenly saw twice while playing tennis and no longer hit the ball.
The American born in the former Yugoslavia looks back on an outstanding career with nine Grand Slam titles. In 1993 a knife attack during a tournament in Hamburg made headlines worldwide: a mentally confused man who described himself as a fan of Steffi Graf injured Seles in the back with a stab.
Seles did not spoke about her current health problems for a long time. “She has a big impact on my daily life,” she said. The disease blocks the signal transmission between nerve and muscle. This leads to visual problems and a clear muscle weakness, also in the arms and legs. Even hairdressing the hair is now difficult for her. Before the diagnosis, she had never heard of the disease.
Seles explained that she had to reorganize her life – just like after moving to the United States at the age of 13, the rapid rise in tennis and the attack of Hamburg. “But what I always say to the children as a mentor: you always have to adapt. The ball jumps off and you have to adapt to that. And now I am doing that,” she emphasized.