Seles was stabbed during a tournament match, severely affecting her career.
On April 30, 1993, during a break in her quarterfinal match at the Citizen Cup in Hamburg, Monica Seles was the victim of a shocking and brutal stabbing. The assailant, an obsessed fan of her rival Steffi Graf, attacked from behind, stabbing Seles in the shoulder blade. This heinous act inflicted serious physical trauma and deep psychological scars.
The event had profound consequences, forcing Seles to step away from professional tennis for an extended period, profoundly impacting her career and subsequent ranking trajectory. The assault provoked widespread security changes in the sport's safety procedures to better protect athletes from similar future threats.