On this week: 30th April to 6th May: Seles stabbed
(Eurosport, Thursday 30th April 2009)
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We look back on sporting-events that happened on this week in history, including
an act of violence that rocked the world of tennis.

1993: Monica Seles stabbed - 30th April

Günther Parche did Steffi Graf a horrible favour she never asked for on this
week in 1993, when he stabbed world number-one Monica Seles in the back. Seles
had emerged as the world's top player over the previous couple of seasons,
ending a long period of domination by Graf.

However, Parche - an obsessed fan of Graf - ran onto the court in Hamburg as
Seles took on Maggie Maleeva, and stabbed her in front of six thousand fans.
Seles was initially expected to be out for four weeks, but it was over two years
before she returned to action. Even then, she was never the same player.

Graf regained top spot, while Parche received a two-year suspended sentence and
mandatory psychological treatment for "causing grievous bodily harm". But he
escaped an attempted-murder charge, much to the distress of the Seles-family.
<<<

My comment:

It always gives me a horrible jolt to be reminded of the Stabbing, but it is
only right that we should remember it, because it changed the course of
tennis-history.

Without the Stabbing, Monica would have finished her career with more Major
titles than Graf (at the time of the stabbing, Monica had won eight Majors and
was winning three a year, while Graf had won eleven Majors but was only winning
one a year).

But by overcoming that vile act of terrorism to even come back at all, let alone
win her ninth Major at the Australian Open 1996, Monica proved herself the
greatest tennis-player of all time.

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://tinyurl.com/andrewbroad-seles

P.S. Monica's second autobiography - Getting a Grip: On My Body, My Mind, My
Self - was released on Tuesday 21st April 2009. You can read an extract at
http://preview.tinyurl.com/cqz3oq