For The Love Of The Game

by Jordan Mamorsky

Monica Seles is the con-summate athlete, consumed by the game of tennis. Ever since she picked up a racquet at the tender age of six, she has had an unquenchable love for tennis. To remain in the top 10 for as many years as Monica has, requires a commitment of body, mind and soul. But, that’s okay with Monica who is driven to live for tennis because that’s where her passion lies. "It’s very simple. It’s the love of the game. I would play tennis even if I wouldn’t do it competitively as a career," she said during a break from her grueling schedule of training.

Overcoming the odds has been Monica’s lifestyle. Born in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia where compet-itive tennis was not given serious thought, Monica nonetheless took lessons from her father, Karolj. Without tennis clubs, camps, or hometown tennis heroes left a lot of leeway to develop her signature unconventional two handed forehand. Later on, this seemingly odd approach would turn into her stroke of brilliance which has guided Monica to her Hall of Fame career. "I’m excited when I see young kids doing it. A two handed forehand gives you greater control and you can create angles," she admitted.

Karolj not only provided Monica with terrific, perhaps unorthodox tennis coaching, he also was her guide to life. "He just would smile all along the way. I really just try to keep that in mind, since he passed away, especially when I go through some difficult periods," she confessed.

The youngest number one player to win a Grand Slam, Monica confided, "It was like winning the Super Bowl!" Yet, Monica has had her share of difficult periods, personally and on the tour. At the age of 19, Monica was in a tight competitive match with her arch-rival, Steffi Graf, in Steffi’s home country, Germany. What transpired would come to be one of the most horrifying situations in sports history. Monica was stabbed in the back by a tennis fan during a changeover. "It was a major trauma to my body and mind," yet, it was not enough to hold back the determined Seles who val-iantly made her comeback two years later due to the support of her family. "They just encouraged me to do what I loved to do. They didn’t apply any pressure, or didn’t put in their opinions. They let me make up my own mind in my own time frame," she remarked.

Monica Seles