She first noticed the symptoms while playing tennis with friends and family. She was surprised to find that she was missing the ball and even seeing double: two balls instead of one. Subsequently, she felt heavy holding a hairdryer; her arms ached from the weight. This is how Monica Seles realized that something was wrong with her.
She went to the doctor. She was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular autoimmune disease that affects vision and muscle strength, especially in the arms and legs.
The condition can cause drooping eyelids, double vision, difficulty swallowing, slurred speech, weakness in the arms and legs and can even be life-threatening by affecting breathing.
He now sees his condition as just another “reset”: another challenge to overcome, as he has done throughout his life.
In fact, being diagnosed with myasthenia gravis was another reset. But one thing I always tell the kids I mentor is that you always have to adapt
The tragic background of Monica Seles
The nine-time Grand Slam winner was nearly killed at the age of 19 when a fan obsessed with Steffi Graf stormed onto the court and stabbed Seles in the back with a nine-inch knife.
- The attempted murder occurred in April 1993 during a match in Hamburg, Germany. The attacker was Günter Parche, a mentally disturbed man who saw Seles as an enemy of Graf and did not want her to beat her. Seles suffered post-traumatic episodes as a result of the attack.
Monica Seles, the immortalised queen of tennis
Before she turned 20, she made history by winning eight Grand Slam titles. She won a total of nine. She was also a three-time champion at Roland Garros, four times at the Australian Open and twice at the US Open. She was world number one!
She is an Olympic medallist after winning bronze at Sydney 2000. All her successes and remarkable career were rewarded with her induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
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