Chris Evert recently sent a heartfelt message to Monica Seles while reflecting on the tragic attack that occurred in 1993. Seles was stabbed during a match in Germany by an obsessed fan of Steffi Graf.
Following the traumatic incident, Seles took a two-year hiatus from the sport before making a return to the court in August 1995, shortly after becoming a US citizen.
Chris Evert Sends ‘Love’ to Monica Seles
Seles was competing at the 1993 Citizen Cup in Hamburg, Germany, when the attack occurred. At the tournament, she had won her first two matches against Maria Strandlund and Patricia Tarabini, respectively. In the quarterfinals, she faced Magdalena Maleeva but was forced to retire during the second set due to the stabbing.
The attacker, Günter Parche, was a devoted fan of Graf. He had lunged at Seles with a knife between her shoulder blades in an attempt to remove her from the World No. 1 ranking and allow Graf to reclaim the position. Seles was rushed to the hospital for treatment, and after the attack, she never played in Germany again.
Seles returned to the court in 1995 at the Canadian Open, where she claimed the title by triumphing over Amanda Coetzer in the final.
On the 32nd anniversary of the attack on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, Chris Evert took to social media to condemn the heinous act, which she described as “diabolical and horrendous.” She also sent her “love” to the eight-time Grand Slam champion.
“just …. diabolical and horrendous… We love you @MonicaSeles10s,” Evert posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).
just …. diabolical and horrendous… We love you @MonicaSeles10s https://t.co/K3WteBc8yL
— Chris Evert (@ChrissieEvert)
Seles Won a Grand Slam Title 3 Years After the Attack
Before the horrific stabbing incident, Seles had won the Australian Open title earlier that year by defeating Graf in the final. After the attack, she won only one Major title, the 1996 Melbourne Major.
Seles was the top seed at the tournament, and she began her campaign by defeating qualifier Janet Lee (6-3, 6-0) in the first round and then overcame KatarÃna StudenÃková (6-1, 6-1) in the second round. The former World No. 1 then triumphed over Julie Halard-Decugis (7-5, 6-0) and 15th seed Naoko Sawamatsu (6-1, 6-3) in the third and fourth rounds, respectively.
In the quarterfinals, Seles registered a 6-1, 6-2 win over seventh seed Iva Majoli and then secured her place in the final by eliminating 13th seed Chanda Rubin, 6-7 (2), 6-1, 7-5, in the semifinals. In the championship match, she defeated eighth seed Anke Huber 6–4, 6–1 to win the 1996 Australian Open. This victory marked Seles’ fourth Melbourne Major title and her ninth and final Grand Slam title overall.
