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Left-hander ; plays fore- and backhand twohanded !
WTA Singles titles : 53
WTA Doubles titles : 6
Grand Slam titles : 9
Quick facts
* Earned a bronze medal in singles at 2000 Olympics
* At 2000 Oklahoma City in February, playing first event in five months due to a right foot stress
fracture suffered in October 1999, won the tournament without the loss of a set; ranking returned to
Top 10 after dropping out due to the inactivity
* Defended 1999 title at Amelia Island in 2000, winning the last four matches in 48 hours due to rain
early in the event; did not drop a set, and title included wins over strong claycourt players No. 8 Conchita
Martinez and No. 11 Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario
* Ten years after winning the Italian Open, won it in 2000 for third title of the year, defeating Amelie
Mauresmo in the final and moving up to a world ranking of No. 3; defeated Mauresmo again at 2000 Roland
Garros to reach the quarterfinals before falling to eventual champion Mary Pierce in three sets
* Quarterfinalist at 2000 Scottsdale, where she was unseeded in a tournament for the first time since 1989;
defeated eighth seed Barbara Schett and then led world No. 2 Lindsay Davenport 4-1 in the second set before
falling
* Withdrew from the Los Angeles and Canadian Open events in August 2000 with a left forearm strain caused by
blisters the previous week in San Diego that forced her to adjust her grip; returned at the end of August at
New Haven, where she reached fifth final of the year; at the October 2000 Tokyo [Princess Cup] retired during
semifinal match due to inflamed tendons in feet
* The 2000 season marked best start since 1992, winning three tournaments in the first half of the year and
improving ranking from 13 to 3 from February to April
* Capped off a strong 2000 by reaching the final at the season-ending Chase Championships for the first time
since 1992, falling to No. 1 Martina Hingis 6-7, 6-4, 6-4; finished the year ranked No. 4, her best in four
years; in 1990, became youngest player to win the championships at 16 years, 11 months; successfully defended
crown in 1991 and 1992; accepted wild card to play in 1995, but unable to play due to tendinitis in left knee
and a sprained right ankle; qualified again in 1996-2000; defeated Anna Kournikova in the first round in 1998,
earning her first match win at the tournament in six years since she won the last of her three titles there;
in 1999, suffered a right foot stress fracture at the end of the season and missed the championships
* Reached semifinals of 1999 Australian Open, including her first win over Steffi Graf in six years; semifinal
loss to No. 2 Martina Hingis was first-ever loss at the tournament, and Seles is the only player ever, male or
female, to win as many as 33 matches at a Grand Slam tournament without a loss, breaking Suzanne Lenglen's
73-year-old Wimbledon record of 31; the 33-match win streak at one Grand Slam is second to Martina Navratilova's
overall 41-match win streak at Wimbledon
* Helped lead the United States to its second straight Fed Cup title at the 2000 competition by winning both her
semifinals and finals matches; was a member of the 1999 champion U.S. team
* Captured first clay court title in seven years at 1999 Amelia Island, dropping just 14 games in five matches
(two shy of tournament record set by Evert in 1981)
* Withdrew from three 1999 summer events with tendinitis in left forearm, but returned at the Canadian Open in
August where she became the first woman to reach the final six times; lost to Martina Hingis; is the only woman
to have won the event four consecutive times, 1995-98
* In 1998, became fourth woman ever to earn over $10 million in career prize money
* Earned her 400th career match victory in 1998
* Three weeks after the death of her father, reached the final of 1998 Roland Garros for the first time since
winning it in 1992; lost in the final in three sets to Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario; in the semifinals, defeated
world No. 1 Martina Hingis for the first time
* Seeded No. 1, defeated No. 8 Anke Huber to win 1996 Australian Open title; first Grand Slam title since
returning from 27-and-a-half-month absence from the tour; was fourth title at Australian Open in four tries;
became the third woman to reach 10 or more consecutive Grand Slam finals in the Open Era (Steffi Graf (13) and
Martina Navratilova (11) are the others)
* Seventh Grand Slam singles title came at 1992 U.S. Open in just her 13th Grand Slam, second fastest in Open
Era behind Margaret Court (who won seven titles in 10 attempts)
* By winning 1992 Roland Garros, became first woman to win three consecutive Roland Garros titles since Hilde
Sperling won in 1935-37
* Is only third player in the Open Era to capture the Australian and Roland Garros in same calendar year; other
two were Margaret Court and Steffi Graf
* Earned first grass court title of career at 1996 Eastbourne, earning titles on all four surfaces
* Won 1995 Canadian Open, first event back on the Sanex WTA TOUR after a 27-and-a-half-month absence due to
stabbing (see note below); set tournament record for least number of games played by the champion throughout
the tournament (74); defeated Kimberly Po, Nathalie Tauziat, Anke Huber, Gabriela Sabatini and Amanda Coetzer;
6-0, 6-1 win over Coetzer in final broke tournament record for least number of games played in the fina1
* On April 30, 1993, during a change-over while competing in quarterfinal against Magdalena Maleeva in Hamburg,
Germany, was stabbed in back (just below the left shoulder blade) by 38-year-old German Guenter Parche; Seles
was ranked No. 1 at the time of the attack
* In returning to competition on the Sanex WTA TOUR in 1995, the tour provided Seles with a co-No. 1 ranking for
first six tournaments or 12 months from the date of her first tournament; then, Seles was co-ranked based upon
her ranking average which was calculated using a reduced minimum divisor until she played 14 tournaments or for
18 months from the date she participated in her first tournament; officially became ranked co-No. 1 on Tuesday,
August 15, 1995, when she played first match of her return at the Canadian Open
* Ranks third in number of titles won as a teenager: 1. Chris Evert-39; 2. Steffi Graf-37; 3. Monica Seles-32; 4.
Tracy Austin-29; 5. Martina Hingis-26 (through 1999)
* Title at 1992 Barcelona was 25th; at 18 years, 4 months, broke Tracy Austin's mark as youngest player to win 25
singles titles
* At 1991 U.S. Open, the 17-year, one-month gap between finalists Seles and Martina Navratilova was the widest in
Grand Slam final competition in Open Era
* At 1991 San Diego, age 17 years, eight months, faced Jennifer Capriati, at 15 years, four months, in the final,
at the time becoming the youngest final in Open Era history
* On March 11, 1991, ended Steffi Graf's record reign at No. 1 for 186 weeks, becoming the fifth player to be
ranked No. 1 in the world since computer rankings began in November 1975; at the time was youngest No. 1 at 17
years, 3 months and 9 days (Martina Hingis became youngest on March 31, 1997 at age 16 years, six months, one
day)
* Seles first entered the rankings in October 1988 as an amateur at No. 88; by end of first full year of
competition, had climbed to No. 6
* Had streak of 21 consecutive finals (tying her for second with Graf); did not lose prior to a final from
10/3/90 (lost to Amy Frazier in Tokyo [Nichirei] quarterfinals) until 3/18/92 (lost to Jennifer Capriati in
Miami quarterfinals); Navratilova holds record by reaching 23 consecutive finals from June 12, 1983-November
25, 1984
* Quarterfinal loss to Zina Garrison at 1990 Wimbledon ended a personal-best 36-match, 6-tournament win-streak
that began at 1990 Miami; also had 34-match win streak in 1992-93
* In only second tournament as a pro, upset No. 1 seed Chris Evert to win 1989 Houston
* In 2000, one of five female tennis players named to Forbes magazine's Power 100 in Fame and Fortune list at
No. 66; no other female athletes made list
* 1991 Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year, voted on by 120 sports writers and broadcasters; received
60% of the votes and became the youngest winner since Mary Lou Retton in 1984; win marked the 23rd time in 61
years that a tennis player captured this honor; named 1992 AP Female Athlete of the Year for second consecutive
year; recipient of the 1995 and 1998 Sanex WTA TOUR Comeback Player of the Year Award; voted by fans as the 1995
and 1997 Most Exciting Player; 1992 Sanex WTA TOUR Player of the Year by acclamation; also 1991 Sanex WTA TOUR
Player of the Year and 1990 Sanex WTA TOUR Most Improved Player; received the 2000 Flo Hyman Memorial Award from
the Women's Sports Foundation as an outstanding female athlete who exemplifies dignity, spirit and commitment to
excellence; named the 1999 Family Circle Cup Player Who Makes a Difference; awarded the "Commitment to Community"
Award by the Florida Times-Union in 1999; named 1998 Female Pro Athlete of the Year by the Florida Sports Hall
of Fame; the 1995 TENNIS Magazine Comeback Player of the Year; chosen No Nonsense American Woman of the Month
in September 1995 by the No Nonsense American Woman Council on Women's Issues; named one of People magazine's
Most Intriguing People of 1995; 1991 and 1992 ITF Women's World Champion; recipient of first Ted Tinling Diamond
Award in 1990 for enhancing the sport of women's tennis and embodying grace and style (presented by Virginia
Slims); presented with 1990 Rado Topspin Award for overall sportsmanship and dedication to game; named 1989
TENNIS Magazine/Rolex Watch Female Rookie of the Year
* Elected to the 1998/99 Sanex WTA TOUR Players' Council
* Coached by Bobby Banck; hitting partner is Zoltan Krasznai; trainer is Vern Gambete, and in 2000 trained
regularly with Bobby Kersee, husband of Olympic gold medal heptathlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee
