Did anyone else watch this? I didn't realize that it was exactly nine years ago today (Apr. 30) that Seles was attacked.

I remember where I was when I heard, though. I was in a restaurant that had tv's with CNN playing on them. There was no sound but I saw the pictures of Monica sitting on the court and holding her back. Being a dumb ass high school kid at the time, I remember saying to my friend that maybe Gabriela could actually win something if Monica was hurt! Of course, I didn't find out until later what had happened. I have felt guilty about that comment ever since

There were some comments from Gaby, actually, and I was happy to see her (looking fabulous, of course). The program mentioned how Seles felt betrayed by the players when they voted not to freeze her ranking. I was surprised they didn't mention that Sabatini was in fact the only top player to stand up for Seles. She refused to vote out of respect and in support of Monica. Monica and Gaby remained really good friends after that.

It was interesting to see the program now, because my perception of Seles has totally changed. Not only in that now I pull for her to win and before (when she was kicking Gaby's butt) I didn't, but also in terms of her personality. It's easy to take Seles for granted because we want so much for her to be as great as she was before the attack. The flashback was a nice reminder of what an accomplishment her presence on the tour is in its own right!

xoxo,
G4G

Hey Gaby,

I watched last night. I was so choked up. Very sad situation. But, my Monica has come out of it a stronger, better person.

GO MONICA!! I have high hopes for her at the French, but you know, I am just happy that she is healthy and doing something that she loves so much!

I watched it this morning - thanks for the heads up, Gaby. It was gratifying to see the focus on Monica's evolution as a fuller, more compassionate person since the stabbing. It was also gratifying to see Evert make the "emperor has no clothes" observation that so many in tennis avoid; that is, that everything Graf accomplished from 1993 on was tainted by the fact that her primary opponent had suffered this stabbing.

I don't know how to feel about the issue of Graf's legacy. It's obviously true that without Monica around, Steffi collected many more titles than she would have if Monica was playing. But, at the same time, there are "if's" in every situation.

After Monica was stabbed, Capriati disappeared with her drug problems and Gabriela lost that awful quarterfinal to Mary Joe at the French Open, which resulted in her 2 1/2 year confidence slump. The only (minor) challenge left to Steffi was Aranxta. It was an awful combination of circumstances, but I don't know that it's fair to fault Steffi for something that's out of her control.

Then Steffi started getting injured and that's when Sanchez-Vicario was No. 1. But regardless, Steffi was going to be a legend before Monica arrived on the scene. She won the Golden Grand Slam, after all! Her legacy was embellished but not created by the stabbing, you know? On the other hand, I always felt more like Arantxa's career was the one that most benefitted from the Seles tragedy. I doubt she would have won either the French or U.S. Open in '94 had Seles been a factor.

[ May 01, 2002: Message edited by: Gaga4Gaby ]

Just found this tidbit in an article on Seles's time away from tennis after being attacked

Seles has grown in other ways. Her musical tastes went from Madonna to Hendrix. During her time off, she studied French
and learned to shoot pool and play the guitar, even buying a Fender Stratocaster. She may have had another ax to grind.
Seles is still annoyed at the way she was treated by her sisters on the tour. "They were supportive of me the day I was
stabbed," she told the New York Times, "but by the next Monday in Rome they were already standing up to take my ranking
away. Gabby [Gabriela] Sabatini was the only person who thought of me as a human being and not as a ranking position they
wanted to grab."

Monica has always been a gracious competitor, even before the stabbing. While people's perceptions of her may have changed, she remains that bubbly & likable girl we see in all her interviews. When Seles was in absolute top form in the early 90s, her down-to-earth personality was often overshadowed by her ruthless on-court demeanor. I surmise that's why her peers voted not to freeze her ranking.

I still believe that had Monica not been stabbed, and barring injury, she would have more Slams than Graf today. (Although given what a great champ Steffi is, she surely would have lifted her game, as well). I also believe the Monica Seles of the early 90s was far & away a better player than Martina Hingis was in '97, when she took three Slams.

Mary Carillo often likened Monica's playing style to a mugging, the way she took the ball so early & robbed her opponents of time. I think's sadly ironic that Monica was robbed of much of her own legacy by that freak in Hamburg.

I was in Palm Springs last week so I missed this on ESPN. I'm afraid it will always be a big "if." Steffi and ASV clearly benefited from Seles' long absence; they both have to know that. Yet that fact takes nothing away from how talented both players were... Monica came back as a different person though still an amazing player. She's changed alot both in her game and in her personality. She's much more guarded, tougher, and uninterested in being in the public eye. And I think we all know by now how cutthroat professional sports is, and women's tennis is no exception. Luckily, Monica's career was already established as an all timer before the stabbing; the fact that she's competed as well as she has since then is icing on the cake. She doesn't get much credit these days, most of the press slyly dogs her for never returning to the very top - but the fact that she's still competing and winning tournaments, still beating top girls at times, still beating far younger girls at times, in what has to be called her "second career," is pretty damn impressive.