How many Grand Slams Monica Seles has won?

Monica Seles was a teenage prodigy in the early 1990s. The Yugoslavian-born star, who later acquired US citizenship, dazzled the tennis world and was widely tipped to eventually become the most successful female tennis player of all time. Unfortunately, her tennis trajectory took a nosedive when she was stabbed by a mentally unstable man at the Hamburg Open in 1993.

The stabbing incident deeply affected the youngster, who was only 19 at the time. A recuperation period of almost two years halted the progress of Seles’ career, which was on a juggernaut.

Seles won a record eight Grand Slam titles as a teenager before she was stabbed in a horrific manner. In all, the American won nine Grand Slam titles. It was not at all an easy task to achieve, but the question will always remain in the minds of tennis aficionados, especially from that era, as to what could have been the magical number of Majors that Seles could have won had her career not been curtailed in the gruesome manner that it was.

A closer look at Monica Seles’ incredible journey reinforces the fact that she was a once-in-a-generation kind of player:

French Open:

1990: Seeded second despite being just 16 years old at the time, Monica Seles made history by beating top seed and fierce rival Steffi Graf in the final. She went on to etch her name in the record books as the youngest-ever champion at Roland-Garros, a record which stands the test of time even after more than three decades.

1991: The 1991 edition of the tournament saw a role reversal, with Monica Seles taking the top seed slot and her rival Steffi Graf taking the second spot. It was, in fact, the first Grand Slam in over four years that the German had ceded the top billing at a Major. Seles lived up to the top billing that the tournament accorded her, and romped home to victory in splendid fashion, losing just one set over the course of the whole tournament. A comfortable thrashing of former World No. 1 Arantxa Sánchez Vicario saw Seles grab her second successive French Open title.

1992: Entering the tournament as the top seed yet again, Monica Seles set up a dream final against her nemesis, Steffi Graf. In what is considered to be the greatest French Open Ladies’ Singles Final of all time, Seles prevailed in a tense three-set encounter, cementing her name in the record books as the first and youngest player to achieve a hat-trick of wins at Roland-Garros.

Australian Open:

1991: Playing at the Major Down Under for the first time, Monica Seles was at her ruthless best in the opening rounds. She was, however, made to sweat in the semi-final and final matches, against Mary Joe Fernández and the late Jana Novotná, respectively. She eventually emerged as the champion, becoming the first female player in the Open Era to win the Australian Open after having saved a match point.

1992: At her ruthless best, Monica Seles claimed a second successive Australian Open title by beating Mary Joe Fernández in the final. She dropped only a single set over the course of the entire tournament.

1993: Aiming for a hat-trick of wins in Melbourne, top seed Monica Seles faced a stiff fight from Steffi Graf in the final. Seles emerged triumphant in three sets, landing her another place in the record books as the first athlete to win a hat-trick of Australian Open and Roland-Garros tournaments concurrently.

1996: The Australian Open of 1996 remains the only Grand Slam trophy that Monica Seles won post the traumatic stabbing incident. Given the top billing once again at this event, Seles beat another German, Anke Huber, in the final. It was also the first Grand Slam that she won as a citizen of America.

US Open:

1991: The 1991 US Open was significant for two reasons. First, it marked the first triumph of Monica Seles in New York. Second, it resulted in the then-teenager reclaiming the top ranking from her famed rival, Steffi Graf. Seles defeated Martina Navratilova in the final.

1992: The 1992 edition of the US Open marked the first time that Monica Seles managed a Grand Slam win without dropping a single set over the course of the two-week tournament. A comprehensive win over Arantxa Sánchez Vicario gave Seles her second successive US Open victory.

Such was the dominance of Monica Seles between the period of 1991 and 1993, that many thought that she would surge miles ahead of her rivals in the years to come. Known for her powerful baseline strokes, especially her unconventional double-handed forehand, Seles was a ruthless clutch player.

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A legend’s rich legacy

Aside from her nine Grand Slam singles wins, Monica Seles won a total of 53 singles titles, including a hat-trick of Tour Finals wins between the period of 1990 and 1992. A bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics was the last notable highlight of her playing career, which also included three Fed Cup wins with Team USA in 1996, 1999, and 2000. Her heated rivalry with German Steffi Graf will remain the stuff of legends for decades to come.

In a 2013 interview, fellow tennis legend Martina Navratilova proclaimed that Monica Seles would in all likelihood have emerged as the most successful Grand Slam champion of all time, had she not been brutally attacked. Nevertheless, her career is nothing short of inspiring. That she even managed to win a Grand Slam title after the horrific injury that she suffered on-court speaks volumes about her tremendous willpower.

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