Monica Seles
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| Country |  United States Yugoslavia |
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| Residence | Sarasota, Florida, United States | |
| Date of birth | December 2, 1973 | |
| Place of birth | Novi Sad, SFR Yugoslavia now Serbia) |
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| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | |
| Weight | 70 kg (150 lb/11 st) | |
| Turned pro | 1989 | |
| Retired | February 14, 2008 | |
| Plays | Left; Two-handed both sides | |
| Career prize money | US$14,891,762 | |
| Singles | ||
| Career record: | 595–122 | |
| Career titles: | 53 | |
| Highest ranking: | No. 1 (March 11, 1991) | |
| Grand Slam results | ||
| Australian Open | W (1991, '92, '93, '96) | |
| French Open | W (1990, '91, '92) | |
| Wimbledon | F (1992) | |
| US Open | W (1991, '92) | |
| Doubles | ||
| Career record: | 89–45 | |
| Career titles: | 6 | |
| Highest ranking: | No. 16 (April 22, 1991) | |
| Olympic medal record | |||
| Women’s Tennis | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Competitor for United States |
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| Bronze | 2000 Sydney | Singles | |
Monica Seles (Hungarian: Szeles Mónika, Serbian: Моника Селеш, Monika Seleš, pronounced [/sɛlɛʃ/], born December 2, 1973) is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player. She was born in Novi Sad, Serbia (then Yugoslavia) to ethnic Hungarian parents, and became a naturalized United States citizen in 1994. According to published reports in Canadian and Hungarian news media, she also received Hungarian citizenship in June 2007.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] She won nine Grand Slam singles titles, winning eight of them while a citizen of Yugoslavia and one while a citizen of the United States.
She became the youngest-ever champion at the French Open in 1990 at the age of 16. She was the dominant player in the women's game during 1991 and 1992, but in 1993, she was forced out of the sport for two years following an on-court attack in which a spectator stabbed her in the back with a knife. She enjoyed some success after returning to the tour in 1995, including a singles title at the Australian Open in 1996, but was unable to consistently reproduce her very best form.
Seles played her last professional match at the 2003 French Open, but her official retirement announcement was not issued until February 2008.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early years
Seles began playing tennis at the age of six, coached by her father, Károly Szeles. Her nickname was "Mala Mo" or "Little Mo".[citation needed] She won her first tournament at the age of nine, despite not fully understanding the scoring system of the game and having only a vague idea of whether she was leading or trailing her opponents during matches.[citation needed] In 1985 at the age of 11, she won the Orange Bowl tournament in Miami, Florida, and caught the attention of tennis coach Nick Bollettieri. In 1986, the Seles family moved from SFR Yugoslavia to the United States, and Seles enrolled in the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, where she trained for two years. In her early years, a famous[citation needed] singer Đorđe Balašević helped her by building a tennis court in his backyard where she could practice.[citation needed] She attended Sonja Marinkovic elementary school in Grbavica, Novi Sad.[citation needed]
Seles played her first professional tournament in 1988 at the age of 14. The following year, she joined the professional tour full-time and won her first career title at Houston in May 1989, where she beat Chris Evert in the final. A month later, Seles reached the semifinals in her first Grand Slam singles tournament at the French Open, where she lost to World No. 1 Steffi Graf, 6–3, 3–6, 6–3 . Seles finished her first year on the tour ranked World No. 6.
[edit] 1990-92
Seles won her first Grand Slam singles title at the French Open in 1990. Facing World No. 1 Graf in the final, she saved four set-points in a first-set tie-breaker, which she won 8–6, and went on to take the match in straight-sets. In doing so, she became the youngest-ever French Open champion at the age of 16 years, 6 months. She also won the 1990 season-ending championships, defeating Gabriela Sabatini in five sets, finishing the season ranked No. 2.
1991 was the first of two years in which Seles dominated the women's tour. She started out by winning the Australian Open in January, beating Jana Novotna in the final. In March, she replaced Graf as the World No. 1. She then successfully defended her French Open title, beating the former youngest-ever winner Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the final. However, instead of playing at Wimbledon, she took a six-week break, blaming shin splints. But she was back in time for the U.S. Open, and won it beating Martina Navratilova in the final to cement her position at the top of the world rankings. She also won the season-ending championships, beating Navratilova in four sets.
1992 was an equally dominant year. She successfully defended her titles at the Australian Open, the French Open, and the U.S. Open. She also reached the final at Wimbledon, but could not manage to break Graf's dominance on the grass court surface and lost 6–2, 6–1. Some observers, however, attribute her lop-sided loss to her decision to remain silent throughout the match, resulting in less penetrating shots. Two opponents (including Navratilova in the semifinals) had strongly complained about Seles' grunting.[citation needed]
During the period from January 1991 to February 1993, Seles won 22 titles and reached 33 finals out of the 34 tournaments she played. She compiled a 159–12 win-loss record (92.9% winning percentage), including a 55–1 win-loss record in Grand Slam tournaments. In the broader context of her first four years on the circuit (1989–1992), Seles had a win-loss record of 231–25 (90.2% winning percentage) and collected 30 titles. Only Evert had a better first four years in terms of winning percentage (91.1% from 1971 to 1974) and titles (34) in the open era.[citation needed].
[edit] Turning point: The 1993 stabbing
Seles was the top women's player heading into 1993, having won the French Open three consecutive years and both the U.S. Open and Australian Open in consecutive years. In January 1993, Seles defeated Graf in the final of the Australian Open, which to date was her third win in four Grand Slam finals with Graf.
Everything, however, changed following an incident that shocked the tennis world on April 30, 1993. During a quarterfinal match with Magdalena Maleeva in Hamburg in which Seles was leading 6–4, 4–3, a 38-year-old deranged fan of Graf, Günter Parche, ran from the middle of the crowd to the edge of the court during a break between games and plunged a boning knife between Seles's shoulder blades. She let out a piercing scream and was quickly rushed to a hospital. Her physical injuries took a few weeks to heal, but the psychological scars from this incident apparently left a much deeper impression on Seles. She did not return to competitive tennis for over two years.
Parche was charged following the incident but was not jailed because he was found to be psychologically abnormal and was instead sentenced to two years' probation and psychological treatment. The incident prompted a significant increase in the level of security at tour events.[6] Seles vowed never to play tennis in Germany again. "What people seem to be forgetting is that this man stabbed me intentionally and he did not serve any sort of punishment for it.... I would not feel comfortable going back. I don't foresee that happening."[7]
Seles became a United States citizen on May 17, 1994.
[edit] Comeback
Seles returned to the tour in August 1995 and won her first comeback tournament, the Canadian Open, beating Amanda Coetzer in the final 6–1, 6–0. Many believed that she would soon be dominating the circuit again in the way she was before the 1993 stabbing incident. The following month at the U.S. Open, Seles lost the final to Graf 7–6, 0–6, 6–3, after having held set-point in the first set.
In January 1996, Seles won her fourth Australian Open, beating Anke Huber in the final. But this was to be her last Grand Slam title. Seles struggled to recapture her best form on a regular basis. Her difficulties were compounded by having to cope with her father and long-term coach Károly being stricken by cancer and eventually passing away in 1998. Seles was runner-up at the U.S. Open to Graf again in 1996. Her last Grand Slam final came at the French Open in 1998 (a few weeks after her father's death). She defeated world No. 3 Novotna in three sets and world No. 1 Martina Hingis in straight sets before losing to Sanchez Vicario in three sets.
After becoming a U.S. citizen in 1994, Seles helped the U.S. team win the Fed Cup in 1996 and 2000. She also won a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
[edit] Period of hiatus
In the spring of 2003, Seles sustained a foot injury that sidelined her from the tour after the 2003 French Open. She never again played an official tour match.[8]
In February 2005, Seles played two exhibition matches in New Zealand against Navratilova. Although Seles lost both matches, she played competitively and announced that she could return to the game early in 2006; however, she did not do so. Seles played three exhibition matches against Navratilova in 2007. On April 5, Seles defeated Navratilova in Houston, Texas on clay 7–6(1), 2–6, 10–1 (tiebreak).[9] On September 14, Seles defeated Navratilova on an indoor court in New Orleans, Louisiana 6–2, 6–4. On September 16, Seles defeated Navratilova on clay in Bucharest, Romania 3–6, 6–3, 10–7 (tiebreak).[10]
In December 2007, Seles said to the press that Lindsay Davenport's successful return to the tour had inspired her to consider her own limited comeback to play Grand Slam tournaments and the major warm-up events for those tournaments. However, on February 14, 2008, Seles announced her official retirement from professional tennis.[11]
[edit] Playing style
With punishing, sharp-angled two-fisted forehand and backhand shots and a dominating return of serve, Seles is considered by many to be the first "power player" in the women's game, paving the way for players such as Venus and Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport, and Maria Sharapova.[citation needed] She was also well-known for grunting loudly on court. On a few occasions, her opponents claimed that the grunting was distracting and prevented them from hearing the ball make contact with her racquet.[citation needed]
A remarkable aspect of her style, the two-handed forehand, was expected to make her reach shorter, but she managed to compensate for the shorter reach by being able to hit balls much harder, with more top-spin, allowing her to hit sharper angles. Also, she had very fast feet, allowing herself to run down balls and get into a position to return a shot.
[edit] Career assessment
Seles was listed as the 13th greatest player of all time (men and women) by (U.S.) Tennis magazine and was also one of 15 women named by Australian Tennis magazine as the greatest champions of the last 30 years (players were listed chronologically). Seles is also known as one of the greatest "big point" players of all-time, having tremendous mental fortitude during the toughest situations on the court.[citation needed]
Like Maureen Connolly, whose career was cut short by injury, Seles's career probably was affected by the stabbing incident, although it is impossible to know the course of her career had this not happened. Her trajectory was indicative of continuing future greatness. During the height of her career (1990 French Open through the 1993 Australian Open), she won 8 of the 11 Grand Slam singles tournaments she contested.
Shortly after her retirement, Sports Illustrated writer Jon Wertheim summed up her later career:
| “ | Yet, transformed from champion to tragedienne, Seles became far more popular than she was while winning all those titles. It became impossible to root against her. At first, out of sympathy. Then, because she revealed herself to be so thoroughly thoughtful, graceful, dignified. When she quietly announced her retirement last week at age 34, she exited as perhaps the most adored figure in the sport's history. As happy endings go, one could do worse.[12] | ” |
[edit] Humanitarian work
In October 2007, Monica Seles was appointed by the Intergovernmental Institution for the use of Micro-algae Spirulina Against Malnutrition, IIMSAM, as a Goodwill Ambassador and Spokesperson for its Global Sports for Peace and Development Programme Initiative to counter malnutrition and for the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.[13]
[edit] Personal life
On March 25, 2008, Seles and her partner were eliminated from season 6 of the U.S. version of Dancing with the Stars.
[edit] Performances
| Week # | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Result | ||
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Foxtrot/ "Bubbly" | 5 | 5 | 5 | N/A |
| 2 | Mambo/ "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" | 5 | 5 | 5 | Eliminated |
[edit] Grand Slam singles finals
[edit] Wins (9)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 1990 | French Open |  Steffi Graf |
7–6(6), 6–4 |
| 1991 | Australian Open |  Jana Novotna |
5–7, 6–3, 6–1 |
| 1991 | French Open (2) |  Arantxa Sanchez Vicario |
6–3, 6–4 |
| 1991 | U.S. Open | Martina Navratilova |
7–6(1), 6–1 |
| 1992 | Australian Open (2) | Mary Joe Fernandez |
6–2, 6–3 |
| 1992 | French Open (3) | Steffi Graf |
6–2, 3–6, 10–8 |
| 1992 | U.S. Open (2) | Arantxa Sanchez Vicario |
6–3, 6–3 |
| 1993 | Australian Open (3) | Steffi Graf |
4–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
| 1996 | Australian Open (4) | Anke Huber |
6–4, 6–1 |
[edit] Runners-up (4)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 1992 | Wimbledon | Steffi Graf |
6–2, 6–1 |
| 1995 | U.S. Open | Steffi Graf |
7–6(6), 0–6, 6–3 |
| 1996 | U.S. Open | Steffi Graf |
7–5, 6–4 |
| 1998 | French Open | Arantxa Sanchez Vicario |
7–6(5), 0–6, 6–2 |
[edit] Titles (59)
[edit] Singles (53)
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| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | April 30, 1989 | Houston, Texas, U.S. | Clay | Chris Evert |
3–6, 6–1, 6–4 |
| 2. | March 25, 1990 | Key Biscayne, Florida, U.S. | Hard |  Judith Wiesner |
6–1, 6–2 |
| 3. | April 1, 1990 | San Antonio, Texas, U.S. | Hard |  Manuela Maleeva |
6–4, 6–3 |
| 4. | April 22, 1990 | Tampa, Florida, U.S. | Clay | Katerina Maleeva |
6–1, 6–0 |
| 5. | May 13, 1990 | Italian Open, Rome, Italy | Clay | Martina Navratilova |
6–1, 6–1 |
| 6. | May 20, 1990 | German Open, Berlin, Germany | Clay | Steffi Graf |
6–4, 6–3 |
| 7. | June 10, 1990 | French Open | Clay | Steffi Graf |
7–6(6), 6–4 |
| 8. | August 19, 1990 | Los Angeles | Hard | Martina Navratilova |
6–4, 3–6, 7–6(6) |
| 9. | November 4, 1990 | Oakland, California, U.S. | Carpet (I) | Martina Navratilova |
6–3, 7–6(5) |
| 10. | November 18, 1990 | WTA Championships, New York City | Carpet (I) |  Gabriela Sabatini |
6–4, 5–7, 3–6, 6–4, 6–2 |
| 11. | January 27, 1991 | Australian Open | Hard | Jana Novotna |
5–7, 6–3, 6–1 |
| 12. | March 24, 1991 | Key Biscayne, Florida, U.S. | Hard | Gabriela Sabatini |
6–3, 7–5 |
| 13. | April 21, 1991 | Houston, Texas, U.S. | Clay | Mary Joe Fernandez |
6–4, 6–3 |
| 14. | June 9, 1991 | French Open | Clay | Arantxa Sanchez Vicario |
6–3, 6–4 |
| 15. | August 18, 1991 | Los Angeles | Hard |  Kimiko Date |
6–3, 6–1 |
| 16. | September 8, 1991 | U.S. Open | Hard | Martina Navratilova |
7–6(1), 6–1 |
| 17. | September 22, 1991 | Tokyo | Hard | Mary Joe Fernandez |
6–1, 6–1 |
| 18. | October 6, 1991 | Milan, Italy | Carpet (I) | Martina Navratilova |
6–3, 3–6, 6–4 |
| 19. | November 17, 1991 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | Carpet (I) | Jennifer Capriati |
7–5, 6–1 |
| 20. | November 24, 1991 | WTA Championships, New York City | Carpet (I) | Martina Navratilova |
6–4, 3–6, 7–5, 6–0 |
| 21. | January 26, 1992 | Australian Open | Hard | Mary Joe Fernandez |
6–2, 6–3 |
| 22. | February 9, 1992 | Essen, Germany | Carpet (I) | Mary Joe Fernandez |
6–0, 6–3 |
| 23. | March 1, 1992 | Indian Wells, California, U.S. | Hard | Conchita Martinez |
6–3, 6–1 |
| 24. | April 19, 1992 | Houston, Texas, U.S. | Clay | Zina Garrison |
6–1, 6–1 |
| 25. | April 26, 1992 | Barcelona, Spain | Clay | Arantxa Sanchez Vicario |
3–6, 6–2, 6–3 |
| 26. | June 7, 1992 | French Open | Clay | Steffi Graf |
6–2, 3–6, 10–8 |
| 27. | September 13, 1992 | U.S. Open | Hard | Arantxa Sanchez Vicario |
6–3, 6–3 |
| 28. | September 27, 1992 | Tokyo | Carpet (I) | Gabriela Sabatini |
6–2, 6–0 |
| 29. | November 8, 1992 | Oakland, California, U.S. | Carpet (I) | Martina Navratilova |
6–3 6–4 |
| 30. | November 22, 1992 | WTA Championships, New York City | Carpet (I) | Martina Navratilova |
7–5, 6–3, 6–1 |
| 31. | January 31, 1993 | Australian Open | Hard | Steffi Graf |
4–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
| 32. | February 14, 1993 | Chicago | Carpet (I) | Martina Navratilova |
3–6, 6–2, 6–1 |
| 33. | August 20, 1995 | Toronto, Canada | Hard |  Amanda Coetzer |
6–0, 6–1 |
| 34. | January 14, 1996 | Sydney, Australia | Hard | Lindsay Davenport |
4–6, 7–6(7), 6–3 |
| 35. | January 28, 1996 | Australian Open | Hard | Anke Huber |
6–4, 6–1 |
| 36. | June 23, 1996 | Eastbourne, United Kingdom | Grass | Mary Joe Fernandez |
6–0, 6–2 |
| 37. | August 11, 1996 | Montreal, Canada | Hard | Arantxa Sanchez Vicario |
6–1, 7–6(2) |
| 38. | September 22, 1996 | Tokyo | Hard | Arantxa Sanchez Vicario |
6–1, 6–4 |
| 39. | August 10, 1997 | Los Angeles | Hard | Lindsay Davenport |
5–7, 7–5, 6–4 |
| 40. | August 17, 1997 | Toronto, Canada | Hard | Anke Huber |
6–2, 6–4 |
| 41. | September 21, 1997 | Tokyo (Princess), Japan | Hard | Arantxa Sanchez Vicario |
6–1, 3–6, 7–6(5) |
| 42. | August 23, 1998 | Montreal, Canada | Hard | Arantxa Sanchez Vicario |
6–3 ,6–2 |
| 43. | September 27, 1998 | Tokyo (Princess), Japan | Hard | Arantxa Sanchez Vicario |
4–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| 44. | April 11, 1999 | Amelia Island, Florida, U.S. | Clay |  Ruxandra Dragomir |
6–2, 6–3 |
| 45. | February 27, 2000 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. | Hard (I) |  Nathalie Dechy |
6–1, 7–6(3) |
| 46. | April 16, 2000 | Amelia Island, Florida, U.S. | Clay | Conchita Martinez |
6–3, 6–2 |
| 47. | May 21, 2000 | Italian Open, Rome, Italy | Clay | Amelie Mauresmo |
6–2, 7–6(4) |
| 48. | February 25, 2001 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. | Hard (I) | Jennifer Capriati |
6–3, 5–7, 6–2 |
| 49. | September 16, 2001 | Bahia, Brazil | Hard |  Jelena Dokic |
6–3, 6–3 |
| 50. | October 7, 2001 | Tokyo | Hard |  Tamarine Tanasugarn |
6–3, 6–2 |
| 51. | October 14, 2001 | Shanghai, China | Hard |  Nicole Pratt |
6–2, 6–3 |
| 52. | February 17, 2002 | Doha, Qatar | Hard | Tamarine Tanasugarn |
7–6(6), 6–3 |
| 53. | May 25, 2002 | Madrid, Spain | Clay | Chanda Rubin |
6–4, 6–2 |
[edit] Doubles (6)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score |
| 1. | May 13, 1990 | Italian Open, Rome, Italy | Clay |  Helen Kelesi |
 Laura Garrone Laura Golarsa |
6–3, 6–4 |
| 2. | March 31, 1991 | San Antonio, Texas, U.S. | Hard | Patty Fendick |
Jill Hetherington Rinaldi Stunkel |
7–6(2), 6–2 |
| 3. | May 12, 1991 | Italian Open, Rome, Italy | Clay | Jennifer Capriati |
Nicole Bradtke Elna Reinach |
7–5, 6–2 |
| 4. | May 10, 1992 | Italian Open, Rome, Italy | Clay | Helena Suková |
Katerina Maleeva Barbara Rittner |
6–1, 6–2 |
| 5. | September 21, 1997 | Tokyo (Princess) | Hard | Ai Sugiyama |
Julie Halard-Decugis Chanda Rubin |
6–1, 6–0 |
| 6. | September 27, 1998 | Tokyo | Hard |  Anna Kournikova |
Mary Joe Fernandez Arantxa Sanchez Vicario |
6–4, 6–4 |
[edit] Runner-ups (35)
[edit] Singles (32)
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[edit] Doubles (3)
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[edit] Singles performance timeline
| Tournament | Career Win-Loss |
Career SR |
1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam Tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | 43–4 | 4 / 8 | A | A | A | W | W | W | A | A | W | A | A | SF | A | QF | SF | 2R |
| French Open | 54–8 | 3 / 11 | A | SF | W | W | W | A | A | A | QF | SF | F | SF | QF | A | QF | 1R |
| Wimbledon | 30–9 | 0 / 9 | A | 4R | QF | A | F | A | A | A | 2R | 3R | QF | 3R | QF | A | QF | A |
| US Open | 53–10 | 2 / 12 | A | 4R | 3R | W | W | A | A | F | F | QF | QF | QF | QF | 4R | QF | A |
| Grand Slam SR | N/A | 9 / 40 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 3 | 1 / 3 | 3 / 3 | 3 / 4 | 1 / 1 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 1 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 2 |
| Grand Slam Win-Loss | 180–31 | N/A | 0–0 | 11–3 | 13–2 | 21–0 | 27–1 | 7–0 | 0–0 | 6–1 | 17–3 | 11–3 | 14–3 | 16–4 | 12–3 | 7–2 | 17–4 | 1–2 |
| Year-End Championship | ||||||||||||||||||
| WTA Tour Championships | 18–6 | 3 / 9 | A | QF | W | W | W | A | A | A | 4R | 4R | QF | A | F | A | QF | A |
| WTA Tier I Tournaments1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Miami | 32–7 | 2 / 9 | 2R | A | W | W | QF | A | A | A | A | F | 3R | 4R | SF | A | SF | A |
| Toronto/Montreal | 31–3 | 4 / 7 | - | - | A | A | F | A | A | W | W | W | W | F | A | SF | A | A |
| Rome | 21–5 | 2 / 7 | - | - | W | F | F | A | A | A | A | 3R | 3R | A | W | A | A | 2R |
| Charleston | 12–5 | 0 / 5 | - | - | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | F | SF | 3R | SF | A | 3R | A |
| Tokyo | 9–4 | 0 / 4 | Not Tier I or Was Not Held | A | A | A | QF | A | A | SF | A | A | F | F | ||||
| Indian Wells | 8–4 | 0 / 4 | Not Tier I or Was Not Held | A | A | A | 3R | QF | 2R | SF | A | |||||||
| Berlin | 5–0 | 1 / 1 | - | - | W | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A |
| Moscow | 3–1 | 0 / 1 | Not Tier I or Was Not Held | A | F | A | A | A | A | A | ||||||||
| Chicago | 0–1 | 0 / 1 | - | - | 1R | Not Tier I or Was Not Held | ||||||||||||
| Zurich | 0–0 | 0 / 0 | Not Tier I or Was Not Held | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | ||||
| Boca Raton | 0–0 | 0 / 0 | - | - | - | A | A | Not Tier I or Was Not Held | ||||||||||
| Philadelphia | 0–0 | 0 / 0 | Not Tier I or Was Not Held | A | A | A | Not Tier I or Was Not Held | |||||||||||
| Career Statistics | ||||||||||||||||||
| Runner-up | 32 | N/A | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Titles Won | 53 | N/A | 0 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Overall Win-Loss | 595-122 | N/A | 5-3 | 33-8 | 54-6 | 74-6 | 70-5 | 17-2 | 0-0 | 11-1 | 47-8 | 45-13 | 46-13 | 38-13 | 58-13 | 40-10 | 47-14 | 10-7 |
| Year End Ranking | N/A | N/A | 86 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | - | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 60 |
- NH = tournament not held
- A = did not participate in the tournament
- SR = the ratio of the number of singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played
- - = tournament either was not held or was not a Tier I event at the time it was held
- 1 This table includes only those tournaments that were Tier I at the time they were played.
[edit] WTA Tour career earnings
| Year | Majors | WTA wins | Total wins | Earnings ($) | Money list rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 1,637,222 | 2 |
| 1991 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 2,422,206 | 1 |
| 1992 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 2,622,352 | 1 |
| 1993 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 437,588 | 16 |
| 1994 | DNP | ||||
| 1995 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 397,010 | 16 |
| 1996 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 1,154,499 | 5 |
| 1997 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 914,020 | 5 |
| 1998 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1,021,672 | 6 |
| 1999 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 744,741 | 8 |
| 2000 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1,140,850 | 5 |
| 2001 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 627,211 | 15 |
| 2002 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1,096,630 | 8 |
| 2003 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 276,213 | 38 |
| Career | 9 | 44 | 53 | 14,891,762 | 8 |
[edit] Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- Seles is left-handed.
- Seles was the first female tennis player to win her first six Grand Slam singles finals: 1990 French Open, 1991 Australian Open, 1991 French Open, 1991 U.S. Open, 1992 Australian Open, and 1992 French Open.
- Seles won the first five set women's singles match in many years, in 1990 against Gabriela Sabatini at the year end WTA Tour Championships.
- Until her loss to Martina Hingis at the 1999 Australian Open, Seles had a perfect record at the event (33–0), which is the longest undefeated streak for this tournament. It also marked her first defeat in Australia, having won the Sydney tournament in 1996.
- Seles was the first female player since Hilde Krahwinkel Sperling in 1937 to win the women's singles title three consecutive years at the French Open. Chris Evert, however, won the title four consecutive times she played the tournament (1974, 1975, 1979, and 1980). In 2007, Justine Henin won her third consecutive French Open singles title.
- Seles' final against Martina Navratilova at the 1991 U.S. Open was the only all left-handed women's singles final of a Grand Slam event.
- The age gap between Seles (17 years old) and Navratilova (34 years old) at the 1991 U.S. Open was the largest in a Grand Slam women's singles final.
- Seles appeared on the sitcom The Nanny as herself.
- Seles won the inaugural Sanex Hero of the Year award in 2002. This award was voted by fans around the world.
- Young Elders, a band from Melbourne, Australia sent their song called Fly Monica Fly to Seles while she was recuperating from the 1993 stabbing incident. According to her autobiography [14] the song provided inspiration to her at that time and Seles subsequently met the band (who later changed their name to The Monicas) following her victory at the Australian Open in 1996.
- Singer/songwriter Dan Bern has a song about Seles on his Fifty Eggs album entitled "Monica".
- With eight Grand Slam singles titles before her 20th birthday, Seles holds the record for most Grand Slam singles titles won as a teenager.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Columnists/Gross/2007/07/01/4305162-sun.html
- ^ Szeles Mónika megkapta a magyar állampolgárságot (Szeles Mónika has received Hungarian citizenship) (Hungarian). Népszabadság (2007-06-07). Retrieved on 2008-05-10.
- ^ Szeles Mónika hazatalált (Szeles Mónika has found her way home). Magyar Nemzet (2007-06-08). Retrieved on 2008-05-10.
- ^ Szeles Mónika titokban felvette a magyar állampolgárságot (Szeles Mónika has received Hungarian citizenship in secret) (Hungarian). Nemzeti Sport (2007-06-08). Retrieved on 2008-05-10.
- ^ Titokban lett magyar állampolgár Szeles Mónika (Szeles Mónika has become a Hungarian citizen in secret) (Hungarian). Heti Világgazdaság (2007-06-07). Retrieved on 2008-05-09.
- ^ 1993: Tennis star stabbed
- ^ Wood, Stephen. "WTA under fire from Seles", BBC Sport, BBC, 16 November, 2000.
- ^ Monica Seles playing activity WTA Tour website
- ^ Seles Sighting: Monica plays Martina in exhibition
- ^ Monica Seles defeats Martina Navratilova in exhibition match in Bucharest
- ^ Seles Announces Retirement From Professional Tennis
- ^ Wertheim, Jon (2008-02-20). Tennis Mailbag: Saluting Seles. SportsIllustrated.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-27.
- ^ IIMSAM, Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations
- ^ Seles, Monica (1996). Monica: From Fear to Victory.
[edit] External links
- Monica Seles profile on the WTA Tour's official website
- ITF Profile for Monica Seles
- Fed Cup profile for Monica Seles
- BBC Sport profile
- Intergovernmental Institution for the use of Micro-algae Spirulina Against Malnutrition (IIMSAM)
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Steffi Graf Steffi Graf Steffi Graf Steffi Graf Steffi Graf |
World No. 1 March 11, 1991 - August 4, 1991 August 12, 1991 - August 18, 1991 September 9, 1991 - June 6, 1993 August 15, 1995 - November 3, 1996 (with Graf) November 18, 1996 - November 24, 1996 (with Graf) |
Succeeded by Steffi Graf Steffi Graf Steffi Graf Steffi Graf Steffi Graf |
| Awards | ||
| Preceded by Arantxa Sanchez Vicario |
WTA Most Improved Player 1990 |
Succeeded by Gabriela Sabatini |
| Preceded by Steffi Graf |
WTA Player of the Year 1991–1992 |
Succeeded by Steffi Graf |
| Preceded by Steffi Graf |
ITF World Champion 1991–1992 |
Succeeded by Steffi Graf |
| Preceded by Meredith McGrath |
WTA Comeback Player of the Year 1995 |
Succeeded by Jennifer Capriati |
| Preceded by Mary Pierce |
WTA Comeback Player of the Year 1998 |
Succeeded by Sabine Appelmans |
| Preceded by Merlene Ottey |
United Press International Athlete of the Year 1991, 1992 |
Succeeded by Wang Junxia |
| Preceded by Bonnie Blair |
Flo Hyman Memorial Award 2000 |
Succeeded by Lisa Leslie |
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