–Yugoslav-American professional tennis player (originally from Novi Sad, Yugoslavia), who played for both of these countries. Monica is the former No. 1 in the world.

Features of the game: left-handed, plays with two hands on the right

Start professional career: 1989 year

Career end: 2008 r.

In 1986, the tennis player moved from Yugoslavia to the United States, and in 1994 she received the citizenship of this country. In 2007, she also received Hungarian citizenship, as her parents are ethnic Hungarians. She has 9 personal victories in Grand Slam tournaments, 4 of which are Australian Open... In 1990, she became the youngest Roland Garros winner. In 1991-1992. the first racket in the world.

The tennis player's father, Kara Seles, was a cartoonist, and her mother, Esther Seles, was a programmer. At the age of 6, the athlete, under the guidance of her father, began to take tennis lessons. The original training site was a car park behind the house, where a regular rope stretched between two cars was used as a net. The family could not afford a professional coach, and as study guide the magazine "World Tennis" was presented. The father drew a mouse hero from the cartoon "Tom and Jerry" on the balls, and invited his daughter to imagine herself as a cat catching an annoying character.

Later, Nick Bollettieri drew attention to the girl and offered to train her in his academy. So, the whole family moved to Florida.

Stabbed in the back

On April 30, 1993, a tragic event took place, due to which Seles was forced to leave the big sport for a while. In Hamburg, on the court of the Rottenbaum Tennis Club, the quarterfinals of the Citizen Cup tournament took place, in which Monika led the score against the Bulgarian tennis player Magdalena Maleeva 6: 4, 4: 3. The usually calm German fans this time behaved very defiantly - shouting, whistling and hooting, unhappy with the fact that Seles was ahead of the once dominant Steffi Graf in the rankings. Between games one of the fans German tennis player, a certain Gunther Parke, ran up to Monica and stuck a carving knife in her back one and a half centimeters. The attacker was seized by bodyguards and the tennis player's brother, the girl was immediately hospitalized. And although the wound was not dangerous, Monica suffered severe psychological trauma, as a result of which she stopped performing in tournaments and began to avoid people. She locked herself in her Florida home, which was equipped with high walls, alarms and security cameras. As her attending physician Jerry May stated at the trial, “... she is very afraid, cries and feels very nervous. He sleeps badly and dreams of nightmares. She fears that Parquet will attack her again. "

Subsequently, at the trial, the arrested person said that he wanted to help Steffi Graf regain the title of the first racket of the world. He was not sentenced to prison - the court found him mentally abnormal, sentenced him to 2 years probation and ordered him to compulsory treatment. The Seles family remained dissatisfied with the verdict, but did not file an appeal.

In the history of tennis, there have been many events, objects and personalities that have changed the viewers' view of the sport and made the sport itself change. Tennis columnist Steve Tignor talks about the attack on Monica Seles - an event that shocked many sports fans and turned the tide sports history in the 1990s.

It is known that history does not tolerate the subjunctive mood. Nevertheless, the question of what would have happened if Monica Seles had been given the opportunity to confront Steffi Graf throughout her career remains one of the most pressing questions for tennis fans. Really, in that case, everyone would be talking about the records of the Yugoslav-American woman, and the outstanding 1988 season performed by the German woman would be forgotten? The opportunity to find out the answer to this question was crossed out with one blow. And unfortunately, it was not inflicted with a racket.

"This story is considered the loudest and least understood by experts in history. Who would think of stabbing a player? More precisely, who might decide to attack a nineteen-year-old girl with a 30-centimeter knife while she is performing in front of a huge audience?

It turned out to be Gunther Parche, who, thanks to the attention of the press, went down in history forever as a "crazy fan of Steffi Graf". Gunther was a fat and shaggy man who dreamed of helping his beloved athlete surpass her younger opponent and return to the 1st line of the world rankings. And he managed to fulfill this mission in a terrible way. Parche's violent intervention in the Hamburg tournament in April 1993 would force Seles to leave Tours for two years. When Monica decides to return to the court, there will be no trace of the former indomitability of her actions, while the Count will indeed return to the top of the world rankings and win eleven more "Helmets". And Gunther will be recognized as mentally unstable and will never go to jail. Because of this, Seles will forever refuse to travel to Germany.

Probably the worst moment in this story (of course, if you do not take into account the harm done to the health and psyche of the girl) is the fact that in 1993 it seemed that there was no tennis player who could compete with Monica, who, after victories in 7 “majors”, looked capable repeat the achievement of your main rival by winning the calendar "Grand Slam".

In 1990, at the age of 16, she became the youngest winner of the French Open, in 1991-1992. was the first racket in the world. There was no trace of the once obligatory aristocracy or femininity in her roundhouse kicks - Monica thrashed the ball from the heart with a two-handed forehand, while not hesitating to growl at her opponents during the rallies. Relying on her outstanding physical characteristics and incredible willpower for such a young age, Seles continued to fight her way to the top. No wonder many modern players, including Serena Williams and Ana Ivanovic, cite Monica Seles' style of play as a factor that has always inspired them.

If there is any moral or moral lesson in Monica's story, it is that it is almost impossible to understand what factors make a tennis player or any other athlete a real warrior. The player's psyche is an incomprehensible substance for an outsider. After that attack, Seles was not sure if she would ever be able to return to court. Over time, she managed to cope with her fears, but by that time she had already lost her former enthusiasm, thirst for victories and youthful desire to destroy every rival.

In addition, Seles' physical characteristics that set her apart from the rest of the Tour participants also remained in the past. And if Parhe's kicks horrified tennis fans around the world, imagine the trauma they inflicted on the athlete herself, and think about how difficult it was for her to decide to face the crowded stands again. After being attacked by a psycho from Germany, Monica realized that life is not only about matches. She was shocked out of her comfort zone in the most horrible way. But in that short, flaming and invincible period, when she was in it, Monica changed women's tennis and raised the bar for future champions. "

Monica Seles is one of the most popular tennis players who has competed in the US and Yugoslavia championships. Played in Grand Slam tournaments, participated in Olympic Games, has many awards and titles.

Childhood and youth

Monica was born in the winter of 1973 in the city of Novi Sad in southern Serbia. The girl's parents are Hungarians, her mother Esther Seles worked as a programmer, her father Kara Seles had a creative profession, worked as a cartoonist. She was the second child; by the time the girl was born, her parents were already raising Monica's brother Zoltan.

When the girl was 6 years old, her father began to introduce her to tennis. Since the family did not live well, her parents could not afford to enroll her in classes with a professional coach, and her father, on his own, tried to teach Monica the basics of tennis. The first place for training was the field behind the house; instead of a net, my father pulled on a rope.

The girl turned out to be capable and, without a professional mentor, quickly mastered tennis. Diligent and long-term studies helped Monica, at the age of 9, to win first place in the Yugoslavian youth championship, where her rivals were 12-year-old girls. A year later, she took another victory in the championship, and at the age of 12 she was awarded the title of "Sportswoman of the Year of Yugoslavia".

A year later, the Seles family moved to Florida, USA. There, Monica becomes a participant in the children's youth tournament, after which she was supposed to return with her family. However, her play is noticed by Nick Bollettieri. At that time, he was a famous coach who raised more than one tennis star.

The man offered the girl a place in his own Academy, but for this the family needs to move to America for permanent residence. Despite financial difficulties, after a while the Seles family still moved. The girl's father put all his efforts into her development as an athlete, so he would not forgive himself if he had missed such an opportunity.

Monica's first major victory came at the age of 14. In 1988, she participated in a professional tournament, where she showed excellent results and won 1st place in her age group... Developing in tennis, the girl moved into big sport, and soon the first important victories appeared in her biography, which gave impetus to the development of a sports career.

Tennis

From a young age, training, already in adolescence, Monica Seles demonstrated an excellent game. In 1990, when the girl was 16 years old, she participated in tennis tournament Roland Garros. In the final part, she was to meet with a German athlete, who at that time was already the owner of the Golden Grand Slam and bore the title of the best world athlete in 1988. Monica defeated her rival and took the lead.

After a while, Seles fought in the tournament with Chris Evert, where she also won, but later the girl took revenge in the US Open, but still for Seles it became great start career.

After some time, Monica became a participant in the French championship, but Steffi Graf won in the semifinal game. However, this did not prevent Seles from taking the 6th line in the world sports ranking that year.

Despite the successes and victories that accompanied the athlete, an important event in her life was parting with the coach, who had been with the girl since the beginning of her sports career. This happened due to the fact that Bollettieri devoted little time to classes with Monica, training more of his other students.

Seles' next sporting year began with several defeats in Washington, Chicago and Boca Raton. However, gathering her strength, the girl won several high-profile victories at the American Championships and the Key Biscayne Super Tournament, and later beat Steffi Graf at the German Open. To maintain the level of play at the proper level, Monica had to train hard, she felt tired, but she did not give up and won more and more medals.

In 1991 and throughout the following year, Monica Seles showed nice results, in this short period in terms of performance, she managed to overtake Steffi Graf and receive the title of "First Racket of the World". Only at the Grand Slam tournaments, the girl won 6 times. Until the beginning of 1993, she managed to win 22 titles.

In the spring of 1993, a turning point occurred in the tennis player's career. It happened at a tournament in Hamburg, during the game it was clear that Monica was ahead of her rival Magdalena Maleeva in points, but this time she did not manage to win. When the participants of the tournament changed places, a fan from the first row, an unknown man, attacked Seles. He struck one blow with a knife, after which the bodyguards and the girl's brother tied the unknown. Monica was hospitalized urgently, luckily, the injury was not life-threatening.

The assassination attempt on Monica Seles

The girl was quickly cured and discharged from the hospital, but the incident dealt a huge psychological blow to Monica. For a long time, she could not cope with fear and re-enter the court. The man who committed the attack was declared insane and sent for compulsory treatment. Seles' relatives were unhappy with the verdict, but did not appeal against it. And the woman, meanwhile, stopped her sports career for 2 years, because she was afraid of new attacks.

The return of the athlete to tennis became a delight for the fans. This decision was made thanks to the support of Monica's father, the instructions of the attending physician and a meeting with. Famous boxer He himself was struggling with a serious illness, so he found the right words to convince her to return to the court again.

For the first time after a long break, the tennis player performed at the Canada Masters championship, where she defeated Amanda Ketzer. A month later, she had a game with the Graf, during which Monica lost. In early 1996, she again won the Australian Open.

However, this win turned out to be the last in the Grand Slam tournaments. The tennis player's father fell seriously ill, and died a few months later, for her it was a big blow. After this event, Seles no longer made high-profile victories, in 2003 the girl received a foot injury and even withdrew from a match in Rome, after a while she stopped performing at major competitions, and in 2008 she announced her retirement altogether.

Personal life

Some time after completion sports activities rumors began to appear in the press that Monica Seles was secretly meeting with the American billionaire Tom Golisano. Reporters have repeatedly tried to find out whether this is true or not, but the man and woman did not talk about their personal lives for a long time.

However, in 2014, Golisano, who at that time was 72 years old, announced his engagement to Seles, and soon the couple signed. Monica is 32 years younger than her husband, the couple have no children. Even before marriage, Tom ran 3 times for governor of New York, but after the state introduced a tax for millionaires, the man moved to Florida. Soon Monica put her house up for sale, and the couple began to live together.

After completing her career, Monica began to study hatha yoga, the doctrine of physical harmony transformed her and helped to throw off excess weight... In 2009, she wrote a book, her autobiography, where great attention gave extra pounds and the fight against them, as well as the period of her life that she experienced after the attack of a man.

Monica Seles now

Now former tennis player leads a rich high life, attends events, and also does charity work and visits animal shelters. The woman does not have a page on Instagram, she posts personal photos and posts in

Big sport is a spectacular and exciting activity that attracts millions of people around the world. Especially when it comes to tennis. If you take a biography and a sports career, then few can boast of richness and drama. But Monica Seles is a different case, her life is full of ups and downs.

Childhood and first tennis lessons

On December 2, 1973, in the city of Novi Sad, a daughter is born into the family of cartoonist Karoi Seles and programmer Esther Seles. The girl became the second child in the family after her brother Zoltan. The father took Monica's upbringing very seriously and from the age of 5 he introduced the girl to tennis. The family had no money for a professional coach, and Kara himself begins to train the girl in the parking lot next to the house. The parking lot replaced the court, and a rope was stretched instead of a net. Various tennis magazines were used as a textbook. At the same time, in childhood, the style of playing with two hands was established. Monica was a very fragile girl and did not have the strength to hold the racket with one hand, so she used two. This feature has remained with her throughout her career.

Children's career

First children's tournament for Monica, when she was 9 years old, the championship of Yugoslavia among children under 12 years old, Seles then became a champion. Next big win was received at the European Children's Championship the following year. In 1984, tennis player Monica Seles received the title of Yugoslav Sportswoman of the Year. In 1985 Seles went to the Orange Bowl in Florida. There successful performances attracts the attention of the famous coach Nick Boletier. Monica's parents received an offer to move to Florida, in order to give a little tennis player to develop. The Seles family did not manage to move right away due to financial problems, but later, in 1986, the move took place anyway.

Big sport

At the age of 14, Monica's first victory in a professional tournament took place. And with next year tennis player Monica Seles is confirmed in the rank of professionals. The first tennis celebrity to be defeated in the final was Chris Evert at the 1989 Houston tournament. But she took revenge in the same year at The United States Open Tennis Championships. In the tennis world, rumors spread about the appearance new star and a possible rival for the invincible Steffi Graf. This year was followed by the Les Internationaux Roland Garros tournament in France. Here the athlete was able to reach the semifinals and for the first time met with Steffi Graf. The more eminent athlete did not allow herself to be beaten. And Monica was defeated. The result of the season was the sixth place in the world rankings

1990 was much more rich in trophies. First, they won the Italian tournament Internazionali BNL d'Italia over Martina Navratilova. Then the undefeated Steffi Graf was defeated in the Lufthansa Cup. And the most significant event of that year was the victory at the Grand Slam tournament. Steffi Graf was defeated in the final. The last victory became a new age record for the Grand Slam tournament, before that the title of the youngest winner belonged to the Spaniard Aranch Sanchez-Vicario.

Between 1991 and 1992, Monica Seles won 6 Grand Slam tournaments. Steffi Graf kept only Wimbledon. It is worth noting that in 1991 Monica did not participate in this tournament, and in 1992 she reached the final.

Tragedy of 1993

1993 started off well for Monica. At the Australian Open Tennis Championships, Steffi Graf was beaten in the final. In the spring in Hamburg, at the Citzen Cup tournament, a pair match was held: Magdalena Maleeva and Monica Seles. A stab in the back prevented Monica from winning that game. From the beginning of the first set, the German fans were very aggressive towards Monica. The reason for this was the fact that Seles surpassed their compatriot Graf. And a certain Gunther Parche decided to rectify the situation in this way. After the attack, the tennis player was immediately hospitalized. Fortunately, the injury did not do much harm to the athlete's health. But this event left a heavy emotional imprint on Monica, and after this tournament she stops performing. Emotional stress brought the athlete to the point that she equipped her house with security cameras and a high fence. And she spent all her time in this house, fearing another attack.

Renewal of a career

It took Seles 28 months to recover. And in 1995 she returned to tennis. A lot helped her in this. good people, including: parents and older brother, and once Monica was visited by himself

Upon returning to the sport of Seles, the World Tennis Association decided to share the title between Graf and Monica. The Association took into account the fact that before the tragedy Monica was at the top of the rating, and the further decrease in positions was not her fault.

The first tournament after his return was the Canadian Rogers Cup, where Amanda Kötzer from South Africa was beaten in the final. Fans and experts predicted Monica's rise to the previous level, but fate decreed otherwise. American The tournament The United States Open Tennis Championships ended with the defeat of Monica Seles by Steffi Graf. The last victory in the Grand Slam tournament was over Anke Huber.

In 1998, after the death of her father, Monica's career declined. However, in 2000, the tennis player wins bronze at the Sydney Olympics. Since 2003, Seles stops performing at major tournaments, and in 2008 announces his retirement.

Personal life

In April 2009, the book "Getting A Grip: On My Body, My Mind, My Self" was published, which tells the story of a tennis player's severe depression and her return to sports. The author of the memoir is Monica Seles herself. The personal life of the Hungarian tennis player took a sharp turn in 2009, after meeting with billionaire Tomi Golisano. In 2014, the couple announced their engagement.

On July 11, 2009, a new name appeared on the list of the International Tennis Hall of Fame - Monica Seles. Photos of this legendary athlete can still be seen on the pages of tennis publications and sports newspapers. And no one will argue, she deserves it.

Monica Seles. Knife in the back

December 2 marks the 38th anniversary of the famous Monica Seles. Her career can be easily divided into two parts - before and after. The border became a knife in the hands of the psychopath Gunther Parche.

April 30, 1993 about Monica Seles found out almost everything. Even those who have never been interested in tennis or sports in general. On those sunny days, Hamburg hosted the WTA tournament, and Seles, who was in the first position in the ranking, of course, was the main favorite of the competition. In the quarterfinals, Monica went to the duty victory over Magdalena Maleeva- 6: 4, 4: 3. Witnesses to that match recall that the audience was mainly rooting for the Bulgarian, and the Yugoslav woman was booed. Seles displaced a local favorite from the top step of the pedestal Steffi Graf, so the dislike of the Germans for Monica was understandable. And during the change of sides after the seventh game, the inexplicable happened: unexpectedly for everyone, an unknown man ran up to the tennis player from behind and stuck a carving knife in her back. Fortunately, the guards quickly caught up and managed to wring his arms behind his back until he delivered a second blow. As it turned out, the potential hitman was a German turner Gunther Parche.

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Monica Seles

Born December 2, 1973 in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia.
She started playing tennis at the age of five.
Height: 178 cm. Left-handed. Two-handed punch to the left and right.
Start of a professional career: 1989 year. Completion: 2003.
Career Prizes: $ 14 891 762.
Highest ranked- 1 (March 11, 1991)
Singles 595 wins and 122 losses.
Number of titles: 53.
Grand Slam tournaments (9 titles):
Australian Open - victory (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996) - 4 times.
Roland Garros - victory (1990, 1991, 1992) - 3.
Wimbledon - final (1992)
US Open - victory (1991, 1992) - 2.
Bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics.

IN doubles 89 wins and 45 losses.
Number of titles: 6.
Grand Slam tournaments:
Australian Open - semi-finals (1991, 2001).
Roland Garros - third round (1990).
Wimbledon - Quarterfinals (1999).
US Open - Quarterfinals (1999).

19-year-old Monica was immediately put in a wheelchair and taken off the court to the hospital. The arrested person said that he wanted to help Graf again become the first racket of the world, dispelling suspicions of a political motive for the crime - there was a version that the attack was connected with the Serbian roots of the tennis player. Let's remind that at that time there was a civil war in Yugoslavia. The court found Parhe mentally ill and ordered him to compulsory treatment. Alas, he realized his goal - thanks to his stab in the back, Graf returned to first place in the ranking, and Seles by and large she was never again a rival. Physically, Monica's injury was not too serious, but psychologically she managed to recover from the shock only after many months. The Yugoslav woman closed in her home in Colorado, which was equipped with video cameras, alarms and high walls. The attending physician of the tennis player recalls that even there his patient did not feel safe - there was no question of going somewhere or returning to training. " She was incredibly afraid. Monica cried and was nervous all the time. It seemed to her that Parche would be on the lookout for her again somewhere. She slept poorly and suffered from nightmares.", - the doctor recalls Jerry May.

But just a few months before that, Seles was the first racket in the world, which was predicted a great career. Monica was born in Novi Sad to an ethnic Hungarian family. At the age of five, under the guidance of Karol's father, she began to play tennis. It was he who developed for his daughter the two-handed strike technique, both left and right. When her father's skills were not enough, Monica started working with a professional trainer - Elena Genchich who was then dealing with Goran Ivanisevic, and later became even more famous as a mentor Novak Djokovic... At the age of 11, Monica won the Orange Bowl, the most prestigious junior tournament. This competition took place in Florida - right in front of the famous coach Nika Bollettieri, who was just looking for new stars. Within a few months, the whole family moved from Yugoslavia to the southern United States. Two years at Uncle Nick's academy were very productive. Bollettieri improved what was already given to the tennis player by nature - Monica became even stronger and tighter to hit the ball. A test of the pen in the WTA tournaments took place in 88, and already in the 89th Seles played a full season. In May, she won her first title, beating in the final in Houston not just anyone, but Chris Evert... A month later, the 15-year-old tennis player reached the Grand Slam semifinals for the first time, but lost on the Roland Garros courts Steffi Graf.

Progress was incredibly rapid: Seles immediately finished the year in sixth place and gained experience playing against Graf, Evert, Martina Navratilova, Aranci Sanchez Vicario and others. But the real explosion happened in season 90. Monica took revenge for her failure a year ago in a match with Graf at the French Open. Only now they met in the final. Having played four set points, the Yugoslavian took the upper hand in two sets and became the youngest champion of this tournament. Winning the Final Championship helped finish the year in second place. Further more. In January 91, Monica was the strongest on the courts of the Australian Open and pushed Graf to the second position in the ranking. She also managed to defend the title in Paris, which made me think about repeating Steffi's record, who won a full-fledged Grand Slam in the 1988 season. However, a leg injury prevented her from playing at Wimbledon. Monica missed a month and a half, but did not lose her shape at all - she won the two remaining major tournaments(US Open and Final), consolidating its position as the leader of the WTA tour.

Seles spent almost perfect year, but it turned out that it could be even better. She defended all three helmets titles and reached the final at Wimbledon but lost to Earl. At that moment, not without the help of a German woman and Martina Navratilova the obstruction of Seles began in society because of the loud sounds that she made on exhalation after the blows. The fans of the Yugoslav woman called it simple envy, and there was something to envy - in 25 months their favorite won 22 titles, reaching the finals in 33 of 34 tournaments played. Season 93 started off as usual excellent - with a title in Melbourne. After a couple of months, Monica's career and life changed. Forever and ever.

Psychologists, doctors, father and meeting with a boxer Mohammed Ali had an effect. Seles returned to court 28 months after the tragedy. In the first matches and tournaments, it seemed that the former Monica had returned - she immediately won the first category tournament in Canada and reached the final of the US Open, where Graf lost in the fight. Many believed that in the offseason, the American (Monica received US citizenship in '95) would improve physics and would again delight fans of powerful and power tennis. The hopes were justified. Seles won her fourth title at the Australian Open, but this trophy was the last of the big ones. Monica was no longer able to do what she did ideally in the early 90s - to be in top shape for the most important starts. She alternated between good results and failures and could no longer show tennis regularly. high level... The instability was also associated with a lingering illness, and then the death of her father from cancer. Despite the lack of success at the Helmets, Seles played well in other competitions - she won bronze at the Sydney Olympics and three victories in the Federation Cup.

Monica spent her last full season in 2002. It was in that year that she showed her most stable results in 10 years. At all Grand Slam tournaments, she played at least in the quarterfinals, and in Australia she managed to go even further. In the next season, the tennis player again began to worry about a leg injury. After the defeat to Nadezhda Petrova in the first round of Roland Garros (the only failure in the opening match at Grand Slam») Seles decided to end her career. She intended to resume it in 2005 after two exhibition games with Martina Navratilova, and in 2007, when she was inspired by the return of the tour Lindsay Davenport... However, in the end, Monica did not dare to enter the court again in the WTA tour match.

In 2009, a rather frank autobiography was published, in which the tennis player recalled a terrible time for herself after being stabbed in the back, talked about her addiction to food, returning to the tour and life after tennis. Now Monica, albeit not so often, appears on television screens. In particular, she took part in the American version of the show "Dancing with the Stars". And two years ago, she rightfully took her rightful place in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Quotes.
“Personally, I divide my career into two parts. The first is before that unpleasant incident happened. The second is after. "

“I felt terrible because I couldn't control something as simple as food. On the court, everyone saw that I was able to restrain emotions, to control myself. But when it came to food, I couldn't stop. "

“If Serena is healthy, she will break all records. I understand that she is still quite far from 24 tournaments, but I think she has every chance, since she has the potential to become the greatest tennis player of all time. " (March 2010).