“It took 7-8 months to really get over it,” Steffi Graf opened up on her trauma over Monica Seles’ ‘horrendous’ stabbing incident
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Monica Seles and Steffi Graf
Steffi Graf and Monica Seles were two of the fiercest rivals back in the early 90s. Monica Seles broke onto the big stage as a teenager and posed a major threat to Steffi Graf’s domination. However, her career was brought to a sudden halt after an obsessed Steffi Graf fan stabbed her in the back, whilst she was competing in Germany.
In an interview dating back to 1995, Steffi Graf spoke about the mental toll that the entire incident had on her. The German revealed it took her almost a year to get over the disturbing incident. Although she did not blame herself for the whole incident, Steffi Graf had a persistent feeling of guilt.
“It was a very difficult time for me. I think it took like, 7-8 months to really get over it. It hurt me more to talk about it, knowing that this person did it for me. I think it’s difficult to say I blame myself because I know didn’t do it but it kind of felt like I was the reason for it and I felt really bad about that,” Graf said.
“It would be unbelievable if she could come back,” Steffi Graf on Monica Seles’ potential return in 1995
Monica Seles spent several months recovering from the stabbing incident. Given that she was still traumatized by the entire situation, Monica Seles opted to stay out of the tour. In the same interview, Steffi Graf stated it would be unbelievable if the Yugoslavian-born player would make her return to professional tennis.
“I think it would be unbelievable if she could come back, I would have so much respect for her. I personally would like it very much and I would just enjoy seeing her being able to play again,” Graf added.
Monica Seles eventually made her comeback on the WTA tour, after spending a couple of years on the sidelines. She claimed her fourth Australian Open title in 1996, which is among the most cherished moments in tennis history. However, Monica Seles was never able to reach the high standards she set for herself after the stabbing incident. The 1996 Australian Open proved to be her last major title, as Steffi Graf reclaimed her dominance in women’s tennis.
Monica Seles’ second biggest achievement after her return came in the Summer Olympics back in 2000. She claimed the bronze medal in Sydney, defeating Jelena Dokic in the finals.
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Nirmit Mehta
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