got this off the bbc sports pages. seems seles is itching to get back onto the tour circuit, and means it. why else spend five days a week working out on court?

bbc sports

actually, there's a better article on fox sports, which is a lot more iffy about her return:

fox sports

Oh God Please!!!

I didn't think this would be possible, more hype than reality, and it very may well be. I think it is tellling though if she really is training 5 days a week though.

Could you imagine if she were to get back on tour too :cool:

Dear Santa,
Please bring Monica Seles back to the tour this year..preferably early rather than later. I've been a pretty good boy this year and this would be the greatest present you could give me. However, if I promise to be even better can she also win another Slam title?

Love,
Clay

I still wonder why she chose to not have surgery. She's obviously someone who'll enjoy hitting the ball the rest of her life...i'm sure though that her doctors know best. I imagine she can still pound those angles, hopefully as hard, but the movement of a thirty-two year old just isn't the same as a youngster or a Cljisters. And probably the most difficult prospect is actually competing over a few days in a row, match after match. That's the tough part - getting your mind back to that single focus. That was something Monica had unlike any other.

Oh Santa, please give us a Seles at full capacity for 2006...we'd be ever so grateful...

I wouldn't get my hopes up. The disappointment would be too crushing.

You got that right!

I hate to say it, but I don't think Monica would be very sucessful. She's 32 now, has suffered from foot problems for a couple of years, and movement was never her strong suit to begin with -regardless of what kind of shape she's in. In order for her two-handed groundies to be effective, to really produce those wicked angles and agressive baseline blasts, Monica needs to be in position. Too many players now can dictate the terms of the match to Monica - they hit just as hard and move twice as well.

I don't think she'd be a total failure, mind you, because I have no doubt that she could still beat a ton of girls on heart alone. But I don't think Seles would be back in the top ten or contending for majors, 100% healthy or not.

Sorry, guys. But I fear Santa may be stuck in the chimney!

It just doesn't seem likely, we've been waiting for over two years for her return, the news always saying she's on her way back. As much as I would love to see her playing again, I just don't think it's going to happen.

But why can a 32 year old man play great tennis but it seems too late for a woman? I believe there are extraordinary female athlete of that age who are tops of their sports, but why not in tennis? I mean, what is the average age of a female track and field athlete?

Navratilova did it, obviously. The toll the game took physically back then wasn't as hard. Pierce somehow did it at 31. But with an injury as severe as Seles's, you'd think it would have to slow her down even if it's fully healed.

Well, 32 is old for a male tennis player too, but not as seemingly difficult as for a woman. But you have to take into consideration that women also break through earlier ... there aren't 14-year-old men beating top ten players and 16-year-old male Grand Slam Champions.

Navratilova was successful in her 30s relatively recently, as was Tauziat. But I think it has alot to do with style of play. Monica's not gonna rush the net. Monica's baseline game requires longer, more arduous point construction. And she plays a version of the game that most of the current women practice. Net-rushing throws off an opponent's rhythm and it is such a rarity. But Monica's game isn't going to surprise anyone. In fact, it's what most current players want to hit against. I think that would play a big role in Monica's success ...

Agree G4G. Chris Evert also played successfully into her 30s (French champ at 30 and 31, Aussie runner-up at 33, semis at several other majors). But she also played a different style of game.

Other than Agassi, and Connors, what other men have been successful in their 30s? (Well, Laver and Rosewall from the early open days also.)

I wouldn't say Chris played a different style of game. I mean, somewhat, but she was still a baseliner. I just think that - with Chris - so many players copied her, but they didn't improve upon her. They didn't have her mental prowess, so she was still able to beat them. Monica's game isn't as cerebral as Evert's was, so I do think people copied her go-for-broke attitude but the subsequent generations have added improved fitness and movement to that formula.

And, also, the depth in women's tennis is greater than it was in the mid-to-late 80s when Chris was still successful. Chris wasn't threatened until probably around the quarters of tournaments, whereas Monica could be challenged from the first round on these days.

haha, sorry, meant to say the game was different then, with the emphasis on first strike and power.

My stance on a Monica return is 180 degrees from my stance on a Hingis return, well, as far as an outcome, anyway. I want to see Monica succeed for so many reasons. My head is telling me she probably won't be too succesful because of the time away, her age, her body, etc..., but my heart would love to see her win another slam or two...or three...

A lot, if not the majority, of players now are power players on the women's side. Monica was ahead of her time with that style of play. But one thing she seemed to have that even the power players of today don't seem to have as much as she did (does?)...those angles. Her timing and two hands off both wings could produce some monster angles, and quite frequently, unexpectedly, and effectively during her matches. And I'd say her laser-like mental focus and mind strength were on the same level as Evert's, which is saying something...two of the best determined minds ever.

I am happy for the slams she did win, and for her way too brief dominance, cut short by some jerk in Germany. Even if she doesn't have a lot of success in her comeback, people will still be interested in seeing her play. Again, anything to bring more people to the game is a good thing. Of all the "combacks" being hyped right now, my hopes and dreams are almost 100% in Camp Seles.

Go Monica!

Oh, absolutely, Monica's determination and focus are on par with Chris's. I didn't mean that mental aspect. But Chris relied much more on out-thinking her opponents than Monica does. Chrissie was a tactical surgeon and was so adaptable in matches - she'd change course in a heartbeat if something wasn't working and outmaneuver her opponents mentally. Monica's mental toughness is unquestionable, no doubt.

Some of those vintage Seles angles still give me nightmares.

[ December 15, 2005, 09:46 AM: Message edited by: Gaga4Gaby ]

Seles' game was so impactful in terms of the evolution of the women's game. Consequently, nowadays, more women play first strike tennis...there are mini versions of Monica all over and I still say that Sharapova reminds me the most of Seles' intensity and 'go for it' mentality.
If super fit, Monica could come on court and storm through a few matches..but, and this is a big but, to play big babe tennis at the level it is these days...that's a tall order. You must be so match tough to compete. I know that she won't step foot on a court at a major tournament unless she believes she can hit with the top ten. So, I don't think we'll be subject to a string of embarrassing losses or anything. She'll step up and decide, and that'll be that.
Oh those angles. It is another factor that seperated Monica from the rest. And don't forget her return of serve! That too put her ahead of the pack.

Monica probably was the greatest striker of the ball the women's game has ever seen. You guys are absolutely right about the angles she was able to generate off both wings. I think that may be why--unlike most power players--she was most effective on slower surfaces. The sharp angles enabled her to hit clean winners on any surface, but on slower surfaces, it was harder to keep her from getting into position.

Despite that, I have a hard time imagining her making a successful comeback at 32. The players who have been successful in their early thirties didn't come back from long hiatuses, and (with the exception of Mary Pierce), were less injury prone. I guess Pierce is sort of like Monica, but she never missed quite that much time, and at that age even 1 year is a significant difference. I'd say Hingis' chances of making an impact are better because if she's really determined (admittedly a very big if), she's young enough that she could spend a couple years grinding her way back up to the top level.

[ December 15, 2005, 11:40 AM: Message edited by: JC ]

Honestly, Monica could lose every match she played in 2006 and I'd still be happy. Her career ended so prematurely that I'd (and I'm sure much of the crowd) would be happy with her giving it one last go. She doesn't have anything to prove at this point in her career.

Whoever mentioned Monica's angles on the court--I have to get on that bandwagon as well. I haven't seen any current female player, except maybe Serena at her very best (e.g. Fench Open and Wimbledon '02), use the full length and width of the court with sharp angled winners. Also, I think Monica's serve was underrated--it had suprising pop, which set up weak returns from her opponents that she could put away from either wing.

Why couldn't Monica do an Andre, and play a limited, well planned schedule that would maximize her abilities (read: not clay or grass) and allow her more time to recover between tournaments.

If fit, I don't think she will get blasted off the court, as most others do. I mean she's not going to be number one again, but outside the top tier (I would include Kim, Justine, Serena, Venus, Amelie, and Lindsay), it's wide open, and I think she could still beat some of those players given the walking-wounded status of the WTA these days.

She's past her prime for sure, but so is Agassi, and so was Pete when he won his last Open title.

[ December 15, 2005, 12:46 PM: Message edited by: shep71 ]

There's a more in-depth article/interview on Seles and whether or not she'll return at TennisWeek.com.

\"If I don't play ever again professionally, I'm happy. If I get to play, it's all a bonus at this stage.\"

I just have a hard time believing that her foot injury, even if "healed," wouldn't slow her down as much as her age, if not more. I really don't think a comeback is in the cards, although I'd love to be proved wrong.

I agree with all the aforementioned comments about a possible comeback by Monica and how she would perform against the current top end.It will be tough.

For me, I would just like to see her back on court, once again, being competitive, so I can see again that look of fierce determination,that look of intense concentration, the squint in her eyes as she reasoned how she could blast the cover off the ball, that great smile,that original grunt, that sheer joy of winning, that genuine smile when thanking her opponent, that generosity, graciousness and humility at post match interviews, and those crazy hats.

Win, lose or draw..Monica, come back and see us again.

I just read the article which G4G provides a link to, and in reading it I think it's pretty clear Seles is not returning to the tour, she says about her play "It's okay, if it were good, I wouldn't be here." Meaning if she was playing well, she'd be playing, not giving interviews. And the foot is still a factor. To me, it seems the hype is greater than the reality, or potential.

Yep agree. There is no strong indication from Seles that she will return. Just wishful thinking by many guys, including myself.

Can anyone post a recent photo of Monica?? I understand she is currently in great shape.

Xanthos, I don't have any photos but I can tell yoy that Monica made a prmotional appearance in New York for the USTA when US Open tickets went on sale this year. she looked absolutely fantastic - slim, tanned, and seemingly at peace. I got the sense that she accepts that the tour is her past rather than her present or future.

And then there's this from a huge article today in The Sunday Times:
"But, gosh how I miss it. I miss being competitive. I miss the whole thing. People think I’ve retired, but I haven’t — not at all. I’m still playing regularly and I’m coming back if I can. Martina (Hingis) is making a comeback and I think, ‘Oh, that’s interesting’. I’m hoping that 2006 will be my year. I’ve given myself until the end of it to return. If I haven’t done it by then, I’ll retire. I just don’t want to slip away. I want to go with a fight. Does that make sense?”

Seles, uncharacteristically self-revealing, talks about her "dark side" and her plans for a children's health and fitness program.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,20...1937998,00.html

It's easy to see why she's universally beloved while reading that. Thanks for posting the link!