Monica Seles: The Stabbing, Comeback, and Life After Tennis

Few tennis careers have been as dramatically interrupted—or as quietly resilient—as Monica Seles’s. On April 30, 1993, during a changeover at a tournament in Hamburg, a spectator stabbed her between the shoulder blades, an attack that The Athletic (New York Times) described as a life-altering reset.

Born: December 2, 1973 ·
Grand Slam Titles: 9 ·
World No. 1 Achieved: March 11, 1991 ·
Attack Date: April 30, 1993 ·
Retired: 2008 ·
Hall of Fame Induction: 2009

Nine confirmed facts about Seles’s life and career reveal the arc of a champion who faced an unthinkable interruption.

What happened to Monica Seles?

The April 1993 Stabbing

• On April 30, 1993, during a changeover at the Hamburg tournament, a fan attacked Seles with a knife (The Athletic).
• The wound struck between her shoulder blades, narrowly missing the spinal cord (Los Angeles Times).
• According to Wikipedia, the attacker was an obsessed fan of Steffi Graf.

Security protocols across the sport changed overnight. The attack was not just a personal tragedy but a systemic wake-up call for tennis.

The implication: A single moment of fan obsession reshaped tournament security worldwide and ended the most dominant streak in women’s tennis.

Recovery and Return to Tennis

• Seles took a more than two-year hiatus from competitive tennis, as documented by UC Berkeley (legal analysis).
• She became a U.S. citizen in 1994 and returned to the WTA Tour in August 1995, according to Wikipedia.
• Her comeback title came at the 1995 Canadian Open in Toronto, where she defeated Amanda Coetzer 6-0, 6-1 (National Bank Open).
• She reached the 1995 U.S. Open final, losing to Graf (Wikipedia).
• She won the 1996 Australian Open, her ninth and last Grand Slam title (National Bank Open).

That victory in Melbourne remains one of the most poignant in tennis history—skill that trauma could not erase.

The pattern: Every comeback milestone came at a tournament that had not seen her win before the attack, as if she had to rewrite her own record.

Retirement and Health Challenges

• Seles retired from professional tennis in February 2008 (Wikipedia).
• She reportedly struggled with binge eating disorder in the late 1990s, a condition she has addressed publicly (Wikipedia).
• In 2022, she was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disorder, as reported by Associated Press (2025).

These health battles, far from the court, underscore that Seles’s resilience extends beyond tennis.

Why this matters: Chronic illness and eating disorders rarely make headlines in sports biographies, but they shaped Seles’s second act as much as any match point.

The paradox: Seles’s greatest victory came while she was still fighting her deepest battles, proving that true strength is often invisible.

Does Monica Seles have any children?

Her Marriage to Tom Golisano

• According to Wikipedia, Seles married billionaire businessman Tom Golisano in 2021.

Golisano, founder of Paychex and a noted philanthropist, has been a low-key presence in her life.

Children: A Private Life

• Seles has stated that she does not have children and has spoken about the personal cost of her career (Wikipedia).

The catch: For many top athletes, the window for family often closes before they leave the tour. Seles has been candid that the demands of tennis and recovery shaped her choices.

What is Monica Seles diagnosed with?

Binge Eating Disorder

• In the late 1990s, Seles was diagnosed with binge eating disorder, a condition she has described as a response to the trauma of the stabbing (Wikipedia).

She has used her platform to reduce stigma around eating disorders in sport.

Myasthenia Gravis Diagnosis

• In 2022, Seles revealed she had been diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a chronic autoimmune disease that affects muscle strength (Associated Press).

The implication: A champion known for her physical power now lives with a condition that saps energy—yet she continues to advocate openly.

What did Steffi Graf say about Monica Seles?

Graf’s Reaction to the Stabbing

• After the attack, Steffi Graf expressed sympathy, saying she felt terrible for Seles and that no player should endure such violence (Wikipedia).

Mutual Respect Today

• In later years, both Graf and Seles have spoken warmly of each other, acknowledging the intensity and mutual respect of their rivalry (Wikipedia).

The trade-off: The attack created an unbridgeable gap in their head-to-head record, but off the court, both women have chosen grace over grievance.

Who is Monica Seles married to now?

Tom Golisano: A Billionaire Husband

• Seles married Tom Golisano, a self-made billionaire and philanthropist, in 2021 (Wikipedia).

Their Relationship Timeline

• The couple dated privately for several years before marrying in a small ceremony in Florida (Wikipedia).

The pattern: Seles has consistently chosen a private life away from the media glare, even as her marriage to a high-profile businessman could have thrust her back into the spotlight.

Timeline

• December 2, 1973 – Born in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia (Wikipedia)
• 1989 – Turned professional (Wikipedia)
• 1990 – First Grand Slam title (French Open) (Wikipedia)
• March 11, 1991 – Became world No. 1 (Wikipedia)
• April 30, 1993 – Stabbed during a match in Hamburg (The Athletic)
• 1995 – Returned to professional tennis (National Bank Open)
• 1996 – Won Australian Open (National Bank Open)
• 1998–2000 – Struggled with binge eating disorder (Wikipedia)
• 2008 – Retired from tennis (Wikipedia)
• 2009 – Inducted into International Tennis Hall of Fame (Wikipedia)
• 2021 – Married Tom Golisano (Wikipedia)

Quotes from the players

“I felt very sorry for her because she was such a great champion. No player should ever have to go through that.” — Steffi Graf, as quoted by Wikipedia

“The stabbing was a major reset in my life. It made me realize what is truly important.” — Monica Seles, as told to Associated Press (2025)

For tennis fans, the lesson of Monica Seles’s story is clear: resilience is not a single moment of triumph but a series of quiet, daily decisions to keep moving forward. The sport lost a dominant champion in 1993, but gained a voice for survival.

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