Monica Seles (born December 2, 1973 ) was an American professional tennis player, who originally played for her native Yugoslavia . She has won nine Grand Slam singles titles playing for Yugoslavia and the United States . Seles became a teen tennis sensation in 1990, when she won the French Open at age 16.

Biography

One of the best players of all time, Seles began playing tennis at the age of six, coached by her father. She won her first tournament at the age of nine. 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. She finished her first year on the tour ranked World No. 6.

Career statistics

Seles was known for her aggressive game and for the distinctive grunts she made with nearly every shot. She won won her first Grand Slam singles title at the French Open in 1990. 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. In March, she replaced Steffi Graf as the World No. 1. She also won the US Open that year. 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 lost to Steffi Graf.

Her career came to an abrupt halt at a 1993 match when she was stabbed in the back by a crazed fan of tennis star Steffi Graf. The wound was not critical, but Seles was out of tennis for over a year and her days as the game’s dominant player were over.