Seles, << SEHL uhs, >> Monica (1973-…), became the number-one ranked woman tennis player in the world in 1991 at the age of 17. She was the youngest player, man or woman, to achieve a number-one ranking. Seles held the ranking until April 1993, when she was stabbed by a spectator during a tournament in Germany, forcing her to drop out of competition. She resumed her playing career in August 1995, winning the Canadian Open. She played in her last tournament in 2003 and officially retired in 2008.
Seles, a left-hander, was known for her powerful two-handed backhand and forehand. In 1991 and 1992, Seles won three of the four grand slam tennis championships—the Australian Open, French Open, and United States Open. She reached the final of the fourth championship, Wimbledon, in 1992 and did not play in that tournament in 1991. Seles also won the French Open in 1990 and the Australian Open in 1993 and 1996.
Seles, an ethnic Hungarian, was born on Dec. 2, 1973, in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia. She moved to Florida in 1986 and turned professional in 1989. She became a U.S. citizen in 1994.
