Monica Seles
Born: December 02, 1973
Hometown: Novi Sad, Yugoslavia
Citizenship: United States
Handed: Left
Inducted: 2009
Grand Slam Record
Australian Open
Singles Champion – 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996
Singles Semifinalist – 1999
Singles Quarterfinalist – 2001
Win-loss record at the Australian Open: 43-4
Roland Garros
Singles Champion – 1990, 1991, 1992
Singles Finalist – 1998
Singles Semifinalist – 1997
Singles Quarterfinalist – 1996, 2000, 2002
Win-loss record at Roland Garros: 54-8
Wimbledon
Singles Finalist – 1992
Singles Quarterfinalist – 1990, 1998, 2000, 2002
Win-loss record at Wimbledon: 30-9
US Open
Singles Champion – 1991, 1992
Singles Finalist – 1995, 1996
Singles Quarterfinalist – 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002
Win-loss record at the US Open: 53-10
Career Results
Australian Open Champion – 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996
Roland Garros Champion- 1990, 1991, 1992
US Open Champion – 1991, 1992
Career singles titles: 53
Career singles win-loss record: 595-122
Career doubles titles: 6
Year turned pro: 1989
Season Ending Championships
Winner – 1990, 1991, 1992
Finalist – 2000
Quarterfinalist – 1989, 1998, 2002
Qualified but did not compete – 1995, 1999, 2001
World Rankings:
Ranked World No. 1 in 1991 and 1992
Weeks at No. 1: 178 (non-consecutive)
1989 – No. 6
1990 – No. 2
1991 – No. 1
1992 – No. 1
1995 – Co-No. 1 with Steffi Graf
1996 – Co-No. 2 with Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario
1997 – No. 5
1998 – No. 6
1999 – No. 6
2000 – No. 4
2001 – No. 10
2002 – No. 7
Fed Cup Competition
United States Team – 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002
Fed Cup winners: 1996, 1999*, 2000
Singles record: 15-2
Doubles record: 2-0
* did not play in the World Finals
Highest Ranking
World Rankings:
Ranked World No. 1 in 1991 and 1992
Weeks at No. 1: 178 (non-consecutive)
1989 – No. 6
1990 – No. 2
1991 – No. 1
1992 – No. 1
1995 – Co-No. 1 with Steffi Graf
1996 – Co-No. 2 with Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario
1997 – No. 5
1998 – No. 6
1999 – No. 6
2000 – No. 4
2001 – No. 10
2002 – No. 7
Monica Seles held the World No. 1 ranking for 178 weeks (non-consecutive) and captured nine Grand Slam singles titles – four Australian (1991-1993, 1996), three at Roland Garros (1990-1992) and two US Opens (1991-1992). Her win-loss record at the Grand Slams was a staggering 43-4 at the Australian, 54-8 at Roland Garros, 30-9 at Wimbledon and 53-10 at the US Open. In a career spanning 15 years, she captured 53 singles titles and six doubles titles and collected well over $14 million in prize money. She won three consecutive year-end WTA Championships (1990-1992) and finished as the world’s No. 1 ranked player in both 1991 and 1992.
A natural lefty, wielding double-handed forehands and backhands, she was a determined competitor. Her footwork was impeccable, her groundstrokes powerful and aggressive, and she constantly attacked her opponents with an arsenal of remarkable weapons.
At age 19, Seles had already won eight of her nine singles slams and was at the top of her game. Then in April 1993, during a changeover of her quarterfinal match against Magdalena Maleeva in Hamburg, a fanatical fan of Steffi Graf came out of nowhere and stabbed her in the back, just below her left shoulder blade. The horror of this event sent shockwaves through the tennis community, and 27 months would pass before Seles played competitively again. When she returned to the courts, she was granted a co-No. 1 ranking (shared with Steffi Graf) and won her comeback event at the Canadian Open, reached the US Open final, and followed up with her ninth Grand Slam singles championship at the Australian Open (1996).
Born December 2, 1973 in Novi Sad, in what was then Yugoslavia, she moved with her family to the United States in 1987 at the age of 13 to train at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. On March 16, 1994, she became a U.S. citizen. Seles would play on the United States Fed Cup team for five years (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002) posting a career 15-2 singles record and a 2-0 doubles record while helping the Americans capture the Cup in 1996, 1999 and 2000.
Seles remains the youngest champion in history to win at Roland Garros (16 years, 6 months) and was the youngest winner of the Tour Championships (16 years, 11 months) beating Gabriela Sabatini in the first women’s match to extend to five sets since the 1901 U.S. National final. In addition, Seles won the Olympic bronze medal in 2000. Throughout her career, Seles won numerous awards, multiple Player and Athlete of the Year awards, and humanitarian awards. She is currently on the board of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and ICL (Institution for Civil Leadership).
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.