Monica Seles, the ferocious lefty who brought both the power and the
grunt to women's tennis, has officially retired. She is one of the
best-loved female athletes of all time and her place in the Hall of
Fame is certain. As fellow great Martina Navratilova recently said,
"If not for the stabbing, we might be talking about Monica Seles as
the greatest ever."

Monica's class and composure never faltered against a series of
incredible obstacles and disappointments. Her unbreakable spirit and
drive to compete against the odds endeared her to legions of gay fans.

No other athlete in the history of sports, male or female, was taken
out of his or her sport by an act of violence while at the very top of
the game. Even though she came back, again and again, the career of
Monica Seles will always contain an unanswerable question: What if she
hadn't been stabbed?

The mother of "Big Babe" tennis
Monica ushered power into the women's game, originating what is now
called "Big Babe" tennis. Her return of serve was utterly
intimidating, her lefty serve crafty and well placed. She switched
from defense to offense seamlessly, frustrating opponents who thought
they'd finally gotten the best of her during a point.

Her on-court style is legend -- the small, quick steps, the laser
focus and of course, the infamous grunting. Monica will always be
known as one of the greatest "big point" players ever. The higher the
stakes, the harder she hit.

She hit forehands and backhands with both hands on the racket, a
difficult technique that makes it necessary to get into perfect
position before striking the ball. When you combine that with her
incredible footwork, you begin to understand why she was able to hit
unbelievable shots from all over the court.

Taking center court
In the beginning, she was always the youngest and often the first. She
talked a mile a minute in a quirky, heavily accented voice. She was as
sweet off the court as she was fierce on. She loved stuffed animals
and experimenting with her hair. She was an original.

Seles was the first female tennis player to win her first six Grand
Slam singles finals. It might have been seven, had she'd not been
ordered to stay quiet on the court during the 1992 Wimbledon final
against Steffi Graf. Graf certainly didn't protest the silencing of
Seles during that final, as the No. 1 Seles had just beaten her in the
now-classic 1992 French Open final. That 1992 Wimbledon final was the
only grand slam final Monica lost before being stabbed by Guenter
Prache, a fan of her on-court rival, Steffi Graf.

The Comeback
When she returned to the tour in August of 1995, after 27 months away,
she brought with her nagging migraine headaches, a complication caused
by the stabbing. Within a year of her return, her father was diagnosed
with stomach cancer. She also came back in less than perfect shape
after not training with any regularity for most of her absence, which
eventually lead to chronic injuries and some shocking losses.

The incredible focus that she always had on court was burdened now
with doubts, distractions and an emerging generation of young talent.
Ten Grand Slam tournaments were played during her absence from the
tour; Steffi Graf won six of them, including the first four after
Monica left.

Her record
Monica was never as consistent in her "second" career; she was 8-1 in
Grand Slam finals before the stabbing, 1-3 post. However, she did win
31 more titles after she returned in 1995. To put that in perspective,
that's more than many of her closest competitors won over their entire
careers.

But, oh, the glory of her No. 1 days: From January 1991 to February
1993, Seles won 22 titles and reached 33 finals of the 34 tournaments
she played. She compiled a 55-1 record in Grand Slam tournaments. No
one familiar with the singular joy of hitting a crosscourt forehand
winner will ever forget her remarkable reign at the top of the women's
game.

My favorite moments
One of my favorite matches was the quarterfinals of the 2002
Australian Open, when she beat Venus Williams in three tough sets.
This was when Venus was at the top of her game, and Monica stayed with
her the whole way.

The summer of 2001 (10 years after first hitting No. 1) when she
returned from injury and beat the best of the Top 10: Martina Hingis,
Jennifer Capriati, Serena Williams and Lindsey Davenport -- all within
a month.

And no Seles fan will ever forget her performance at the 1998 French
Open just two weeks after her father passed away. She crushed world
No. 1 Martina Hingis in the semi's before faltering in the finals
against her good friend Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario.

What if?
We no longer have to wonder about another Monica Seles comeback. We
can rest easy knowing she had an amazing career. She can now dedicate
herself to another of her longtime passions -- tireless activism on
behalf of children around the world. Sure, some of us diehards will
still "what if?" ourselves about those lost years, but hey, we all
know how futile the "what if?" game is. After all . . . no one can
turn back time (insert Cher joke here).

All the best to you, Monica. Your gay fans will be rooting for you
when you take the floor at "Dancing with the Stars".