TORONTO -- Tennis star Monica Seles says it took less than a second
to make up her mind to come to Toronto for the women's Rogers Cup
tournament in August.

The sad part is that Seles is coming not as a player, but as a guest
star, to evoke memories of her four Toronto triumphs, one of them an
emotional comeback victory after a stabbing incident in Hamburg,
Germany.

"In my career, there are a few moments that will always stay with
you, that you can never forget," Seles said in a telephone conference
call from her home in Sarasota, Fla., yesterday. One of them, she
added, was her comeback appearance in 1995, after 27 months on the
sidelines recovering from a knife wound to her back inflicted by a
fanatical Steffi Graf fan.

"For me, it was when I walked down that stadium [at the old Tennis
Centre at York University]. . . . I'll never forget the nervousness,
the excitement, with my family watching and the reception I got [from
the fans]. It was just amazing."

Seles said the standing ovation she received, just for showing up,
reinforced her decision to return to tennis. "At that stage, it
wasn't an easy decision whether I was going to come back or not," she
said.

She'll never forget walking around in Toronto and being greeted by
people she did not know. "They were so welcoming," she said. "It
moved way beyond the sport of tennis."

Seles, 31, hasn't played since twisting a foot during a match at the
2003 Australian Open. Toronto tournament director Stacey Allastar
said yesterday that it was in the back of her mind to ask Seles to
make a second comeback -- in Toronto -- because, after all, she
hasn't officially retired.

Still, Allastar asked whether there was a chance Seles could be ready
for the tournament, which will run from Aug. 13 to 21. When it was
clear Seles would not be ready, Allastar asked her to help, and the
answer came back within 24 hours.

Seles will open the competition at ceremonies on Aug. 15. It will be
the first time the women's tour will play at the new Rexall Centre at
York University.

However, Seles hasn't given up hope that she can return and play for
one more year, injury-free. Still, the foot injury was serious enough
that she spent four months on crutches, and it's been a slow road
back.

"I've been working really hard on it the past six months," Seles
said. "I just feel the level that I'm playing at right now is not the
level that I would feel comfortable to come back. My foot is very up
and down."

She plays six days a week, but sometimes less if her injury flares
up. "I'm used to training a lot of hours on the court," she
said. "But it's just not holding up under all those strenuous
workouts."

The few times she has played exhibitions or practice matches, the
ankle comes back to haunt her the next week, giving her "terrible
pain."

"That's been the most frustrating part," she said. "Sometimes my
hopes go up, and then my hopes go down."

In the meantime, she is giving something back to young tennis players
by helping to raise money to finance development programs. That will
be one of her tasks in Toronto.

She has nothing but good memories of the seven years she played in
the Toronto tournament. Allastar still recalls her walking down the
stairs into the stadium in 1995, her father, Karolj, in tears.

Seles hasn't played in Toronto since 2001, when she was defeated by
Serena Williams in the semi-finals.

If she were to return now, Seles realizes her work would be cut out
for her. Young girls are physically stronger than in her day, she
said. Their serves are stronger, and they are taller.

"The game is different," she said. "Every generation gets better and
better. It's great to see."