I remember this match as if it was yesterday ; I was 16 too ; I still feel a great emotion watching her playing here in RG at that time...her smile is so natural and lovely ; Monica is a legend !😍
She very nearly took Graf out the year before as a 15 year old playing in only her third tournament. She made the semis of her first tournament. Won her second event beating Evert in the final and handing Chris 1 of only 22 losses on clay in her 20 year career. Then made the semis of the FO and faced Graf coming off her Golden Slam and 5 straight slam titles. Graf was losing in first rounds and getting bounced out of the quallies in her first several years. She didn't do a damn thing for 3 years. Monica was destined to be the GOAT until Mrs. Parche's fan took care of that.
I still keep thinking that Seles is the greatest of all time. Her record before being stabbed was unbelievable. So sorry that such a foolish event changed the course of tennis history...
@@rolandgreen7484 Yes of course Seles fans are crazy. Graf fans rewrite history and think Graf actually deserved the wins she got after Graf's biggest fan Parche stabbed Seles. But Graf fans aren't nutters at all! You just show that Graf fans like you ARE complete nutters like Parche. Pathetic....
100% accurate and that is why I fell in love with her. Before she joined the tour Graf would just clean the court with every player 6-2, 6-1 etc. Women's tennis became boring. And then this kid joined the tour that actually would beat her. Even Graf could not believe it. Watch the ceremonies Graf was actually crying cause she could not understand how on earth she was suddenly losing.
She would attack it, and win the point. Seles was also adept at attacking the backhand - at her height, she had Steffi flummoxed, eg. Aus Open 1992 final
Seles was the GOAT of womans tennis who had a slow serve. IMagine a strong serve? She would beat Williams sisters in their prime, . How does any human win 8 grand slams before reaching 20 yrs old with tough competition?
Seles’ skill here, just at the beginning of her career, is absolutely extraordinary - the power, the angles, the accuracy, the anticipation, the fighting spirit. People don’t appreciate just how much Seles influenced and changed the game, for men and women. One only has to look at this game in context to realise this level of play has never been equalled again - not by a long shot.
Nah this is playing patty cake now. Venus & Serena changed the game. Matches require more athleticism, bigger serving, more power and more endurance now. Graf & Seles will forever be All Time greats. But did either ever set foot in a gym?
@@seensay2132They would evolve with the times just like everyone else, so what are you talking about? Graf was a superior than athlete than both Williams, despite ''never seeting foot in the gym'' and Seles is a superior fighter and ball striker than both of them.
What do you mean all those wins? I'm a Graf fan, and anyone who watched tennis at that time knows Steffi lost the majority of matches they played at that time; in particular, the major tournaments.
@@uchihadayne6506 I love how you keep repeating the bullshit I am a Graf fan line to justify your weak and biased arguments, when everyone can see you are a Seles fanatic who hates Graf.
She seems like an incredible human being. It sounds in fact so innocent and cute that she was addicted to food. And that she is ready to accept the what iffs and think she has had beyond that and didn't really need that success to be happy. I think in some way, that incident, did better to her to keep her satisfied and happy and explore her beyond the world of recognition and fame.
Jamie Owen you post the best video. This is the best version of highlights for this match EVER! Monica was so good, she was so young. I will love her style forever.
You'll never get another Monica Seles. Big server? Stand inside the baseline to return. Problem on the court? Gimme the ball. Just lost a tough point? Well, there's no way I'm losing the next one. Match getting close? Aim for the line and hit it spot on. Match there for the taking? Just do it!
@@cush6827 If you compare her to tennis these days, her grunting was nothing. When the Williams sister first joined you thought they were murdering someone. They became quieter, but if Serena was pressured she would still grunt loud. And look at players like Sabalenka now. She does not grunt but screams. And don't get me started on Sara Errani...
This was Seles’s second consecutive win over Graf in less than a month. Monica beat Steffi at the German Open in Berlin in May which had great significance. East and West Germany reunited as one country earlier in 1990. To celebrate the occasion, Graf wanted to win the first tennis tournament sponsored by a united Germany. But not to be. Seles took her out in straight sets in the final. Her win also ended Graf’s 66-match win streak in Germany. Monica wrote in her first autobio, after that match in the locker room, a pissed-off Graf came in and smashed her racquet into the wall making a big hole.
@Ilya Kuryakin No imbecile! You conveniently forgot that you're on every Seles video to troll. You have no job and no life. You dedicated your entire life as a psycho Graf fan just like your brother, Gunther...
@Ilya Kuryakin You're an imbecile as usual. I don't care if I spelled your brother's name incorrectly. I'm not German. You are a German fart. You cannot accept the fact the Graf would've indeed won less Slam if not for the Seles stabbing. You are on many Seles videos being offensive to her whether the topic is about less Slams or not. You're obsessed with Seles. You have no job and no life. You're lonely and being constantly ridiculed here. LOL!
@Ilya Kuryakin All you said are lies and you know it! LOL! You don't have a job, you don't have a life, Parche is your brother, you lurk on many Seles videos and you definitely are NOT more intelligent than I am. Simply said, YOU'RE AN IMBECILE! Everybody here knows that! LOL!
@Ilya Kuryakin OMG! LOL! You have the chutzpah to say what you said? You're really an imbecile! Or a psycho like your brother Guenter? Your relentless efforts to trash Seles on many of her videos speaks volumes! You, having multiple accounts disguising as different psychopaths just so to sway the people to Graf's fence! And many Seles fans know that! Give it up loser! LOL!
@Ilya Kuryakin Nope, you have the chutzpah to act like you're normal but the truth of the matter is, you're a deranged psychopath Graf fan like your brother Guenter. Having multiple accounts and on most Seles videos to attack are NOT NORMAL. There you go! LOL!
Martina Navratilova had some interesting comments on that - she felt that Monica wasn't the quickest, but (a bit like Margaret Court) seemed to have very long arms that allowed her to reach a lot of shots. I think that, added to Monica's brilliant ability to anticipate and read the game, allowed her to seem very speedy.
@@zeddeka which is an odd thing to say as Seles played double fisted both sides so if anything hindered her reach, anticipation spot on but the reach comment can’t say j agree with that
@@criotermic tyler Bam, Dustin Gabe, Ralph Bourgeois especially Ilya Kuryakin. These are sore losers who don't have a life, especially Ilya... Ilya has no job and no life. It constantly lurks on almost every Seles video out there being offensive to Seles all the time. It has multiple accounts to show that there are many Graf fans against Seles. It's an imbecile. It's a psycho like its brother, Gunther.
Brilliant match from Monica. Probably in many ways her best performance in a grand slam final. Her level of maturity was just incredible and I think we can safely say she was the best young player there's ever been. Bit of an odd performance from Steffi. She seems to not quite be fully there and doesn't have a clear idea of what she should be doing. In a strange way she was sort of going through the motions. I noticed too that her backhand hand no bite on it at all and Monica was lapping it up. I think she said afterwards that she was so badly affected by what was happening with her dad that she should have withdrawn.
This particular match was the beginning of Seles's domination of Graf....until the stabbing anyway. That changed history and IMO the only reason why Steffi holds as many grand slams as she does... Ugh! Love me some Steffi but, you have to know that things would have been very different had that mad man not made his way down to the court?
Whatever Max....What's with the name calling? Don't want to fight or argue on-line. I wasn't aware of them facts, not that I care. All I know is that things would have been very very different without that stabbing. Anyway- Can't unscramble eggs so it is what it is.
@Illya Kuryakin see my point is she is the only player to beat stefi who was no.1 in consecutive grandslams. And she iimproved her game by every tournament and as she would have grew older she would have won more n more grandslams look at federrer. But she was just atttacked by stefi fan only because she is winning over stefi more n more. Please consider all around aspects.
I cant be more agree with you,Monica had n't even reached her prime time,when she got stabbed by Graf's fan,she was only 19 when tragety happened and that mentally changed her dramadically,any human being can understand exept Graf fans ,how can a teen handle such a terrifying and humiliation in front of the whole world,it was just so unfair for what Graf's fan has done to a rising young star.And it was a Shame 'accident' for all Graf's fan forever,cos it was so evil that no graf fan should even talk anything against Seles cos one of your crews just killed a teen rising star. compare to Seles Graf just a hard tennis worker who play more physical than mental tennis,Seles was a mater of tennis art,who play much smarter tennis than Graf. It was a pity that Seles couldn't make that after the stab. But she is the best player for sure ,especially compare to the hard worker Graf. Seles is the queen of tennis.
We never know. So many what if. Could be yes or could be no. But if seles not got stubbed, the GOAT will be Martina Navratilova. I just calculated that Monica and Steffi superiorities would be end in 1997 because young players are coming such as Hingis, Davenport, Williams sisters etc
Her 2nd year as a professional, and in just 3 years from this point on she would go on to amass 8 Singles Grand Slams [before the stabbing] 😮 Absolutely phenomenal.
@@carrerau7138Yes she played three tournaments as an amateur in 88, but turned professional in February of 1989. So March 1988 to March 1989 would be considered one full year, and from March 1989 to March 1990 would be considered 2 years. She had not been playing for 3 years yet.
@@carrerau7138 or in simpler terms. 3 years worth is 36 months, and when Seles won here she had only been playing tournaments from March 1988 to May 1990 which is only 26 months. Certainly not 3 years worth.
@@jamesr2164 The point is that Seles won the FO 90 in her 3rd ( and not her 2nd) year on the tour. Same as Tracy Austin. BTW, Hingis won even THREE slams in her 3rd year on the tour. None of them came even close to their success they had at age 16-18 in later years.
@@carrerau7138 Well you are more than welcome to consider her three tournaments as an amateur in 88 as a full year, but it wasn't. And 26 months is certainly not 3 years. According to your logic that means since Steffi played her first tournament in October 1982, that would be considered her first full year on the tour. So by the time of the stabbing in 1993 she was sitting at 11 singles grand slams after 12 years on the tour. Where as Monica was sitting at 8 already in half that time, but then the stabbing stopped her "historical" momentum. No one to this day in the open era has won as fast and as much as she did, from her first professional tournament until the stabbing before her 20th birthday (not even Navratilova, Evert, Steffi, or Serena). As I stated in my original post, Seles was an absolutely phenomenal tennis player.
@@showmebear tyler Bam, Dustin Gabe, Ralph Bourgeois especially Ilya Kuryakin. These are sore losers who don't have a life, especially Ilya... Ilya has no job and no life. It constantly lurks on almost every Seles video out there being offensive to Seles all the time. It has multiple accounts to show that there are many Graf fans against Seles. It's an imbecile. It's a psycho like its brother, Gunther.
@Ilya Kuryakin You really are way beyond being an imbecile. Where did I say Graf fans are losers?? Or you mean to say your likes?? LMFAO! MARTINA NAVRATILOVA: "She would have won so much more. We'd be talking about Monica with the most Grand Slam titles [ahead of] Margaret Court or Steffi Graf. Steffi had 22 [Navratilova and Evert have 18 apiece], but she didn't have anyone to play against. This guy [Guenther Parche, who stabbed Seles] changed the course of tennis history, no doubt about that." CHRIS EVERT: "I'll frame it better. If Monica wasn't stabbed, she would have won more GS's." MELISSA ISAACSON OF ESPN: "Once a legitimate threat to break Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles; once a source of constant frustration to Steffi Graf, who is No. 2 with 22 Slam wins; once one of the toughest competitors in all of sports, Seles didn't just have her career altered on that awful day 27 years ago. It was stolen from her." PAM SHRIVER: ""She was dominating Steffi Graf, who, prior to Seles, dominated everyone else." MARY JOE FERNANDEZ: "If you look at [Seles'] record, she has nine Grand Slams, which is an amazing career. But she would have had double that at least. . . . She took our game to another level." SERENA WILLIAMS: "I always want to play like Monica. I love Monica, she's my favorite player." LINDSAY DAVENPORT: "Monica would go down as the best, if not, one of the 2 or 3 best competitors that I've ever played the game. She was well on her way to winning multiple, multiple Grand Slam titles when that stabbing happened."
Watching this, it's incredible how fast they both were... ESPECIALLY Graf. Seles was soooo much more fitter before the stabbing that it was crazy how intense she played.
I’m going to tell you right now I’ve watched Monica play and Serena and I think Monica before the stabbing would have kicked her ass, her defensive style of play and speed would have wore Serena completely out
GeorgeHenryThomas yes .. I know. But if Serena’s serve works , Seles will have hard time putting back returns in play and Seles’ serves are easier to break than Serena’s. So I still believe, even with the lack of movement Serena has now, and could still beat Monica. But like I always said, they r two different generations, it’s stupid to compare both. Serena learnt her game looking at Seles. I’m still a die hard fan of Seles. The best ever !
Thomas Zacharia Your premise of comparison is wrong. If you say Serena has a better serve and better movement, you need to imagine and bring the teenage Seles into Serena’s era. If Seles is emerged in 2000 era, she would have definitely have the standard of 2000 era which is better serve.
Thomas Zacharia they were just completely different players. Serena is all power and serve Monica was all return, speed, and ground strokes placement. Prime to prime I give it to seles. I think she would have hit them corners accurately and wore Serena down.
@@taylorpack7705 Definitely. Monica’s ground game would have proven too strong. Even the watered down Monica was able to beat Serena in 1 of their 5 matches. Her lack of movement and shattered confidence is what lost her those matches, and the many others she would have won. Still, I’m glad Monica did come back after the stabbing. Even watching Monica play between 50-80% of herself during those years was a joy to watch.
Quote from Wikipedia - the Seles - Graf rivary. Only facts, as someone told me once: "Graf won eight of nine majors before Seles won her first. Seles surpassed Graf as the No. 1 player in 1991, and won seven of eight grand slam titles during the period of 1991-1993. Graf in the end did recapture the No. 1 ranking from Seles in June 1993, after Seles was forced out of the sport due to her stabbing." I think Steffi contributed to tennis so very much, but in my opinion, and I still think that all the results (Monica vrs other players too, not just Graff, in the period from 1990. to 1993.), prior to Monica's stabbing are simply confirming, in spite of the totally different style of playing, that Graff would have never achieved the glory she did later on, if Monica was not so brutally stopped in her tennis journey. In that period of Monica's dominance Graf was only able to be visibly stroger on grass court, everything else was on Monica's side. Both of them are trully great players, but again, there will always be a question mark in my mind about Graff's achievements in tennis afterwards. None actually talks about that, and Graff is indeed a very nice person, probably, but...the question will always remain... and there is also that political aspect - Monica was playing for the country, Yugoslavia, which was actually under the nationalistic outburts in every part, exactly in the time when she started to win and make her way towards nmb. 1 place. She actually went to the US later in her life, in my opinion, only because after the Yugoslavia fell apart she did not want to be associated with particular nationalistic interests in one of the republics where she was from, that is Serbia. In my mind she still represtents LAST GREAT YUGOSLAV ATHLETE who wholeheartedly played for her country, country that was dying at the end of 80ties. She could not stand the chance in that sense, especially along the line of the entire machinery of support (read - money) that players from US or Germany, if you will had as support for their achievements At the same time when Graff was a hero of again united Germany, Monika on the other hand was loosing her own country. In that period it was so easy for alegedly mad man to stop her. For me that act will always be, although impossible to ferify, an act of stabbing the LAST GREAT YUGOSLAV athlete, ans will have an everlasting dark political background. Furthermore, one may or may not agree, but Graff could not deal loosing from Monica in the period from 1990. to 1993., which is exactly, when Monica overtook number 1 place. Monika još te volimo, nemoj zaboraviti ljude u ex-Yu. Mi te nikada nećemo zaboraviti. Peace and love to all.
@Illya Kuryakin: Nope, that's 7 out of 8 Seles entered in.. It's not Seles' fault if Graf had a 'slump' year.. Although it's not Graf's fault about Monica's stabbing. she clearly benefited from it whether you agree or not.. Up until the stabbing, the Grand Slam count between the two is 11 to 8 in favor of Graf.. That's just a mere 3 Slams difference.. And Seles' mentality is different when it comes to Grand Slams..
that's the point.. Seles' mental toughness had deteriorated.. she was really affected psychologically about the stabbing, her father diagnosed with cancer and endorsements she nearly signed which went to Steffi.. Graf's blackmail scandal?? i don't think so.. Graf's confidence has deteriorated during Monica's peak years simply because Monica just kept on beating her specifically in the Slams..
it was not Monica's problem if Graf didn't make it to the finals of the Slams '92 except for Wimbledon and even in '91.. Monica was waiting in the finals but Graf......... well, she was beaten by other players which in turn minimized their H2H count.. Same thing with Monica, she was at her strongest in '93 and just kept on getting better...
What facts? The winning percentage? It's not a big deal for me. Why? Simply because Monica reached 33 out of the 34 tournaments she had entered in between 91 & early 93, if I'm not mistaken and won 22 of them. Majority of her loses came in the FINALS. I can't say the same with Graf though. And yeah, I believe Seles would have won most Slams from 93 - 96 without the stabbing. Now, that's not a fact, that's an opinion...
@GeorgeHenryThomas you're kidding, right??? Seles struggled against Graf pre-stabbing??? Again, you're kidding, right????? Or delusional??? Which one are you????
Illya Kuryakin Yes, Graf won those - when Monica was not around yet. Just like the next 4 in a row, after Seles was stabbed on the tennis court... Btw she is not Serbian , not that her nationality has anything to do with any of this.
the only obvious thing is that you have some problems with logic - there was no mature Seles or even no Seles at all when Graf was winning that, ergo Graf did not have her as competition in that period, just like post stabbing. not to mention that you think that criteria can be as simple as some percentages...
Graf's "slumping" = she realized that she is not the best anymore, which is why she lost her confidence (but regained it after the stabbing when she started winning against the rest again;). speaking of slumping, it was Mandlikova in the late 80s, while Navratilova and Evert were not only older, but not as good and as dangerous for Graf as Seles. and again you with the winning percentage, have you ever heard of context? or at least other stats...
then why did she lose the key matches in 1992 and 1993 - finals of RG and australia? because Monica was a little better ;) they were both great players, it was a wonderful rivalry, but Seles had the mental edge. then the stabbing happened and ruined all of it, Graf started winning all the slams again.
record against Seles is the way it is BECAUSE OF THE STABBING. speaking of stabbing - how come That Graf's "slump" ended when Monica was stabbed? get real mate...
Monica Mental Edge was so unbelievable. So focus and hit the ball so early blasted to the corners and Steffi lost her confident after losing from Monica 1 month before in Berlin and also had father scandal djring that tournament. Steffi lost momentum for more than 2 years. Steffi developed her game to chase Monica but unfortunately the rivalry was end due to Gunther Parche. He changed tennis history
The guy that stabbed Monica one of the greatest sports person ever got only 2 years probation ..... what an injustice... he robbed the world of her magic and ruin her life and career,😥😡
monica seles to this day is my all time favorite player,. i play with both two hand forehand and backhand and let me tell you how much more control i get and how much more power. i miss the good old days when i was soooo good. i wasn't even 13 yet, and i was so good. if i kept on playing i would have been one of the greatest male two hander player like monica. but we didn't have the money back in the day, we were poor
Say what you will about Monica she has 8 slams by the age of 20...... you Graf fans may bash Monica but how many slams did Graf win between jan 1990 to jan 1993........
No no, no ignoring the Seles that came back wasn’t the same pre93!... she wasn’t the same and the eating disorder is also terrible, but No one can ignore the fact she was just getting better..... it’s all coulda woulda shoulda now but I believe she would have cleared up for a good couple more years, grafs a legend I’m taking nothing from her either, just having my say and opinion on Seles that’s all :)
@Illya Kuryakin so she was just going to get worse after 93 ok Jesus I’m not deluded about what went on but Graf was gonna win the French in 93 if Monica was around? Absolutely not.
What I like most about Monica against Steffi is unlike so many other players that was afraid of Steffi's forehand (rightfully so), Monica played Steffi forehand with ease. She was like I want to be you playing your strength Steffi although her slice backhand was a thing of beauty.
Seles was just better. Just the eye test tells you that . She won 7 of the 9 slams she played in before the stabbing and was on a fast track for many many more slams. Even Navratilova believes Seles was better
@Max E if you're on the court you're on the court stuff those horseshit excuses which nobody in any sport respects and Seles won 7 of the last 8 slams she played in before the stabbing . Suck on that FACT and suck it good !
This was the moment that Monica Seles arrived as the dominate player of Women's Tennis. 1990 was an incredible year. Each grand slam singles title was won by different players. 1990 Australian - Graf 1990 French - Seles 1990 Wimbledon - Navratilova 1990 USA - Sabatini
@@archangelmusic13 That wasn't a grand slam event and it wasn't a grand slam final. There's a difference. Graf is a lot tougher in grand slam finals. Many players defeated Graf in non slam tournaments, but failed to defeat Graf in grand slam events. Martina Hingis being one of those players. Hingis defeated Graf in Tokyo and in Rome, but wasn't able to defeat Graf at the French Open Final. A critical match. I do fault Hingis' temper and why linger so long on one line call?! A match that Hingis would regret; especially, when Hingis defeated Graf in Rome earlier. Oh well.
@@archangelmusic13 Despite being the tail end of Graf’s career, she finished with a winning record against Hingis. After all was said and done, Graf held a commanding 7-2 lead. For the most part, Graf held the edge in Grand Slams, while Hingis was able to beat Graf in Premier WTA tournaments such as Tokyo. However, these two will forever be remembered for their meeting at the 1999 French Open final. Hingis came into the tournament as the number one seed and heavy favorite. Graf as the sixth seed and plagued by injuries for two years.
@@archangelmusic13 Yes!! That man was deplorable! And evaded prison time!! Can’t believe it!! The tennis 🎾 world was forever changed!!! Imagine the wonderful matches they could have had!!! Gone forever. The timeline altered because of that miserable man.
We wasn't allowed to watch the French open or the US open until pay tv came in in the late 90s in Australia which was a shame I only ever heard who won on the news. This is what we missed out on great matches like this.
@Ilya Kuryakin they are the same value . Just Wimbledon has the most prestige out of the four . It's the same you don't have extra majors if you win wimbledon it's still only one it's ever so slight
@Ilya Kuryakin you have to stop spreading lies and misinformation. We was there we know. We know why Gunter stabbed monica there's no point trying to pretend
Right, that's pretty typical of both women's and men's tennis: The fans vocally support a player as they rise in the rankings because they like fresh faces and styles, at least up until they reach the top and seemingly no one can beat them. There are exceptions, though, like Chris Evert, Roger Federer, and Rafa Nadal (as their support from fans never really waned once they reached the top).
Oh my, Seles was 16 years old here....and I was like before she beat Graf in Berlin. And I thought who is Seles??? And then I saw here on TV in the final of French Open, and I was just amazed by her gaming style etc...
Seles made grafs usually effervescent footwork look sloppy. She wasn't afraid to hit to Steffi's forehand side and was able to take offense returning grafs serve. Monica being lefty was also problematic for graf because Seles could slice her serve to grafs backhand. A nice chess match when these two played
@Max E between 91-93 Seles was 55-1 in Grand slam matches. That sounds to me like she won 7 majors and was runner up in another. How many slams did Graf win from Australia 91 through Australia 93?
@Max E considering Seles was not playing professionally in 1988, zero. She made it to the semis at the french in 89 in her first year as a professional. In 1990, she dominated Graf to win The french open after playing professionally for just a year. By the way, how many years was Steffi playing professionally before she won her first major? (The answers 5) she was a slow learner unlike Monica.
@Max E She turned professional Feb 1989. Won a slam in 90 a little over a year later. Graf turned professional in 1982, won first slam in 1987. Do the math
@Max E do you really not know what amateur and professional mean, especially in terms of junior tennis eligibility? Can you tell me what exactly you think Steffi Grafs peak years are?
@Max E sounds like her peak years all revolved around when Seles was not active, or returning from a returning from injury. What an amazing coincidence!
Steffi executed her plan with far more ease and brilliance. And that is why she is generally accepted as the GOAT whereas Seles barely counts among the top 10 of all time. 😍
@@riveraharper8166 Which player had more bad luck than Steffi? 1) 1990-92 blackmail scandal 2) 1995-97 tax scandal 3) 1997 reconstructive knee surgery 4) 1999 premature career end due to multiple injuries Seles? A small stab wound that needed just one stitch to close. 😄
I’m a black dude living in Jersey and I thought Venus in her prime was the best player I’d seen with my eyes, (who cares if I’m black or white) Monica Seles is the best female tennis Player I’ve ever seen. If it doesn’t matter why’d I say it? Just cus.
Usually when a player wins his/ her first major, he/ she would be overwhelmed by excitement and emotions. Monica certainly didn’t look too joyous when she won the final point! It seems so vintage.
Monica was never one for extended post match celebrations after winning a slam. I think this was probably the most celebratory gesture I ever saw her do post slam win.
Steffi would have never been able to achieve what she did after Monika appeared if that terrible event in 1993. did not happen. Steffi was magnificent, but at her prime was almost unable to beat Monika from 1989. to 1993. I more and more admire Monika - she was superb and mentaly extremely strong on the court. Stefi had her ups and downs in reacting to players who managed to beat her and was basically never adjusted to loosing. I remember her running away from podium after one of the finals, cannot remeber where exactly, I think it was clay court somewhere in Europe - she could not stand beeing the second best. She even stopped her career, in my opinion only because she estimated that after Williams sisters started playing, she would be unable to dominate as much, and she made the right choice. Everything Graf did was legitimate and great, she moved and lead her career in a very smart way, I think. In my opinion the number one female player, still is and will continue to be: MARTINA NAVRATILOVA, in every way! Peace and love to all.
Still think a prime seles 90-93 would blow away every player in womens tennis history past or present. Such a shame she got stabbed- was never quite the same after. Hit the lines so hard consistently!
@Ilya Kuryakin Graf great player and had seles measure on grass but in the early nineties seles was blowing Graf away on every other surface it was almost embarrassing.
@Ilya Kuryakin hey bloke don't take it so personal- is Steffi ya mum? Just stating apart from grass seles had it all over Graf until she got stabbed, and if it didn't happen she would have dominated Graf and everyone else for the rest of the nineties.
Unfortunately, the truth is, had Monica not been stabbed, she would have dominated the game through, possibly, 2000. There is no other player in history with the mental tenacity, backed up by an absolutely ferocious game. Yes, Chris Evert had the mental fortitude. Graf had the forehand. Martina had the serve and volley. Monica could have possibly have ended with 25 GS titles. She may have even been able to sneak in a Wimbledon title or two. Is Serena a comparable match to Monica's mental approach and game? Not sure. Serena certainly has the advantage of being physically superior, but she also didn't really put as much in during the non-Slam events, as evidenced by her total tournament title count and there were many years, she practically only showed up for the majors due to "injuries". I also believe that Serena benefited from players like Henin and Clijsters retiring early and the lack of consistency in the women's game over the past decade or so. In those years, players like Safin, Jankovic, and Wosniacki ruled the #1 rankings without winning a Grand Slam. They were dominating the non-Slam events. While Serena was winning the Grand Slams but not winning or even participating in non-Slam events. Not knocking Serena at all, but just comparing career trajectories.
These two were drawn to meet in the Wimbledon semi-finals a few weeks later. It would have been interesting, no doubt. It's too bad Monica couldn't quite overcome Zina Garrison in the quarter-finals who played the tournament of her life.
Never forget that Graf blew Seles away each time they played a match in Wimbledon : Graf won 6/0 6/1 in 1989 and once again in 1992 when Seles was destroyed 6/2 6/1 in Wimbledon's final. I don't know why and how it would have been different in 1990.
@@rolandgreen7484 Shut up, huge brain. 8 slam and 3 masters under 20Y, more than your darling. 3-1 monica on slam finals H2H pre stabbing, and indisputed N#1, and your darling indisputed N#2, not bad. Go and learn how to play tennis, loser tennis champion,
Let's do a calculation now, if Seles hadn't been stabbed, she already had 8 Grand Slams in her pocket.Hingis, the Williams sisters and Davenport were still 3/4 years away from their debut, and their debut would have been their rookie period.If we count the Graf factor, if she wins 1 Grand Slam every year, including 2000, in the worst case scenario, that's 8+7=15 Grand Slams.There are 4 Grand Slams a year, and there are 3 Grand Slams left from 93.2000 Including the year, that makes a total of 31 Grand Slams...Now I ask you, out of these 31 Grand Slam tournaments, how many do you think Seles would have won if she had not been stabbed, if she had not gotten stronger and stronger every year and if she had not been injured?
seles was simply better than graf , who just came off winning 7 out of the last eight slams she played and monica straight setter her here and in berlin..seles was better than graf in her utmost prime level, amazing
Me encantaría haber visto que hubiese pasado, probablemente Stefanie Graf hubiera callado muchas bocas. Que vergüenza da leer ciertos comentarios.Algunos estáis llenos de odio .Es una pena.
Fact is everyone eventually figured out Seles' weak game: her two-handling everything. Steffi figured it out and so did others. Many athletes only last among the best only for a short while, and that was Seles, too. When she came back from her break, other players said 'no-no.' She won the 1996 AO but that was it. Steffi was better before Your whatever, and after. 6-4 before, 10-5 after. Honest people know this, only pop culture stupidity says Seles was would have won more if not for the stabbing--a minute cut that did Zero damage to her. Steffi: 22 slams, without modern tech rackets, without the creaming, without the power of todays players. Had she been born to play today, her game back then would be added to what her game would be today: Likely Very strong, maybe the strongest (not only in power but in overall technique namely, and power).
Steffis already great ability (she did win 22 GS), would have made her completely outstanding currently or this current era: her coaching and instructions would have added to her already great talent in that she would be serving fast and hard and adding double-handing, too. Yes, Steffi would have been on fire now and in the past 10-15 years.
Graf was not at the top of her game. She broke her thumb earlier that year in a skiing accident. When she came back from that injury during the claycourt season, many noted that she was hitting her backhand much closer to her body than before, making it go from a hard and vicious slice backhand in the late 80s into a short and choppy one. So not only was she hitting it with as much spin or block as before, but she was hitting it crosscourt most of the time which made it very predictable.
The match was decided in the first set, that Steffi trew away. But well done to Monica! The compliments deserve them all: to 16 years old was already an hurricane!
Seles have the best Grandslam Champion record as a teenager. She would have won more if not for the horrific knife attack in her arch rival’ s country?
What’s really impressive is to see the game patterns Seles was using to win this match. Graf on the other end didn’t seem to be able to come out of her comfort zone and played the tennis that usually won her matches. At that point in time no one had beaten her in a year except for Seles twice (72-2).
Graf won 3 slams between jan 1990 and jan 93... and why was that because Monica won 8 of the others, you Graf fans make me laugh Monica was going to continue winning slam after slam, do I agree with how much time Monica took away from the game NO, but no one can know or begin to know how Monica felt about stepping back on court
Graf would have won only 3 or 4 slams that period even without Seles. It was simply a bad period for her. Seles made almost no difference. The only slam she might gain is the 90 French which might have gone to Maleeva. Sabatini beats her in the 92 French.
Yes, sure! Maureen Connolly. She and the great Steffi even won the Grand Slam as teenagers. Whereas Seles was destroyed in Wimbledon, the most important and prestigious tournament on the planet.
I remember this match as if it was yesterday ; I was 16 too ; I still feel a great emotion watching her playing here in RG at that time...her smile is so natural and lovely ; Monica is a legend !😍
She is. Unfortunately, the stabbing incident more or less ruined her career. She could have been the GOAT.
She very nearly took Graf out the year before as a 15 year old playing in only her third tournament. She made the semis of her first tournament. Won her second event beating Evert in the final and handing Chris 1 of only 22 losses on clay in her 20 year career. Then made the semis of the FO and faced Graf coming off her Golden Slam and 5 straight slam titles. Graf was losing in first rounds and getting bounced out of the quallies in her first several years. She didn't do a damn thing for 3 years. Monica was destined to be the GOAT until Mrs. Parche's fan took care of that.
I still keep thinking that Seles is the greatest of all time. Her record before being stabbed was unbelievable.
So sorry that such a foolish event changed the course of tennis history...
What a dick!@@rolandgreen7484
@@rolandgreen7484 Haha Seles fans are all nuts.
@@ninjaboy68 Why, he simply spoke the truth.
@@rolandgreen7484 Yes of course Seles fans are crazy. Graf fans rewrite history and think Graf actually deserved the wins she got after Graf's biggest fan Parche stabbed Seles. But Graf fans aren't nutters at all! You just show that Graf fans like you ARE complete nutters like Parche. Pathetic....
@@tylerbam7183 are you aged 12 or thereabouts?
And the legend was born.
Monica Seles is my favorite player of all time, male or female!
Graf is better.
@@martinthiel6498 Too bad her fans aren’t.
Monika is the best!
Seles is about the only player who could hammer the Graf forehand. Brilliant player.
100% accurate and that is why I fell in love with her. Before she joined the tour Graf would just clean the court with every player 6-2, 6-1 etc. Women's tennis became boring. And then this kid joined the tour that actually would beat her. Even Graf could not believe it. Watch the ceremonies Graf was actually crying cause she could not understand how on earth she was suddenly losing.
She would attack it, and win the point. Seles was also adept at attacking the backhand - at her height, she had Steffi flummoxed, eg. Aus Open 1992 final
Seles is untalented. She can just play with the backhand. Graf can play with forehand and backhand very well.
@@martinthiel6498 lol riiight. No.
Seles was the GOAT of womans tennis who had a slow serve. IMagine a strong serve? She would beat Williams sisters in their prime, . How does any human win 8 grand slams before reaching 20 yrs old with tough competition?
Seles’ skill here, just at the beginning of her career, is absolutely extraordinary - the power, the angles, the accuracy, the anticipation, the fighting spirit. People don’t appreciate just how much Seles influenced and changed the game, for men and women. One only has to look at this game in context to realise this level of play has never been equalled again - not by a long shot.
Nah this is playing patty cake now. Venus & Serena changed the game. Matches require more athleticism, bigger serving, more power and more endurance now. Graf & Seles will forever be All Time greats. But did either ever set foot in a gym?
@@JohnSmith-qg3jb 😂😂😂😂 is “Smith” your real NAME?
@@seensay2132 Every generation adds to the game. Graf is the best ever, IMO
@@seensay2132They would evolve with the times just like everyone else, so what are you talking about? Graf was a superior than athlete than both Williams, despite ''never seeting foot in the gym'' and Seles is a superior fighter and ball striker than both of them.
@@Al-ji4gd 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 thanks, can always use a good laugh. Have a nice life!
Monica was so matured here for a 16 year old girl... no tantrum whatsoever, keep on moving after points... Really a classy player and a lady.
GeorgeHenryThomas well just don’t talk trash about Monica
What do you mean all those wins? I'm a Graf fan, and anyone who watched tennis at that time knows Steffi lost the majority of matches they played at that time; in particular, the major tournaments.
@@uchihadayne6506 I love how you keep repeating the bullshit I am a Graf fan line to justify your weak and biased arguments, when everyone can see you are a Seles fanatic who hates Graf.
@@ralphbourgeois5875 and who are you? a stefanatic who hates monica? rememeber, the worst nightmare of your darling and of all stabby boys
@@rolandgreen7484 And Golden Knife Slam: 11 slam won with kind help of mr.parke, wow
Miss Seles! She was a legend!!!
Is!!
Yes she was unplayable. Some people like to pretend otherwise
and cute!!
@@mahirus910 yea, you are right
She seems like an incredible human being.
It sounds in fact so innocent and cute that she was addicted to food.
And that she is ready to accept the what iffs and think she has had beyond that and didn't really need that success to be happy.
I think in some way, that incident, did better to her to keep her satisfied and happy and explore her beyond the world of recognition and fame.
Seles was the reason I started watching Tennis.
Me too
so do i
Me too! First match i saw her play she lost to Zina Garrison in 1990 Wimbledon.
Me too
Me too! I then starting playing tennis because monica was so strong and different!
Jamie Owen you post the best video. This is the best version of highlights for this match EVER! Monica was so good, she was so young. I will love her style forever.
You'll never get another Monica Seles. Big server? Stand inside the baseline to return. Problem on the court? Gimme the ball. Just lost a tough point? Well, there's no way I'm losing the next one. Match getting close? Aim for the line and hit it spot on. Match there for the taking? Just do it!
Monica's first slam win! Wonderful memories! Thanks for posting :)
She grunted her opponents into losing out of annoyance.
@@cush6827 Günther is that you????
@@paddylewis6818 hahahaha
@@cush6827 Yawn.
@@cush6827 If you compare her to tennis these days, her grunting was nothing. When the Williams sister first joined you thought they were murdering someone. They became quieter, but if Serena was pressured she would still grunt loud. And look at players like Sabalenka now. She does not grunt but screams. And don't get me started on Sara Errani...
Just 16. Unbelievable.
This actually is unbelievable, this level of skill is ridiculous.
GeorgeHenryThomas Oh really, Gunther?!
@GeorgeHenryThomas lol,she didnt ,she was stopped at 19 after 8
@GeorgeHenryThomas oh pls lol
i am too old for getting into this,enjoy x
Seles is and will be legend forever.....love and respect from India.
Monica Seles, my best number one forever and ever, thanks to you , i've started to love tennis :)
This is fearless, fiercest tennis. Monica was on the highway to become the GOAT. What a tragedy.
i love Seles as a teenager. she was awesome
This was Seles’s second consecutive win over Graf in less than a month. Monica beat Steffi at the German Open in Berlin in May which had great significance.
East and West Germany reunited as one country earlier in 1990. To celebrate the occasion, Graf wanted to win the first tennis tournament sponsored by a united Germany.
But not to be. Seles took her out in straight sets in the final. Her win also ended Graf’s 66-match win streak in Germany.
Monica wrote in her first autobio, after that match in the locker room, a pissed-off Graf came in and smashed her racquet into the wall making a big hole.
@Ilya Kuryakin No imbecile! You conveniently forgot that you're on every Seles video to troll. You have no job and no life. You dedicated your entire life as a psycho Graf fan just like your brother, Gunther...
@Ilya Kuryakin You're an imbecile as usual. I don't care if I spelled your brother's name incorrectly. I'm not German. You are a German fart. You cannot accept the fact the Graf would've indeed won less Slam if not for the Seles stabbing. You are on many Seles videos being offensive to her whether the topic is about less Slams or not. You're obsessed with Seles. You have no job and no life. You're lonely and being constantly ridiculed here. LOL!
@Ilya Kuryakin All you said are lies and you know it! LOL! You don't have a job, you don't have a life, Parche is your brother, you lurk on many Seles videos and you definitely are NOT more intelligent than I am. Simply said, YOU'RE AN IMBECILE! Everybody here knows that! LOL!
@Ilya Kuryakin OMG! LOL! You have the chutzpah to say what you said? You're really an imbecile! Or a psycho like your brother Guenter? Your relentless efforts to trash Seles on many of her videos speaks volumes! You, having multiple accounts disguising as different psychopaths just so to sway the people to Graf's fence! And many Seles fans know that! Give it up loser! LOL!
@Ilya Kuryakin Nope, you have the chutzpah to act like you're normal but the truth of the matter is, you're a deranged psychopath Graf fan like your brother Guenter. Having multiple accounts and on most Seles videos to attack are NOT NORMAL. There you go! LOL!
watched her semi final against graf the year before and she def improved by hitting deeper and closer to the lines
I cry every time, she was robbed, but that’s her story!! God always be with you…Monica. Your my platonic love and goat
you are pathetic
Seles is not the person who many people belive. She ever was very bad to Graf. Seles is not a great player and person.
@@martinthiel6498You are not for real, are you?
@@martinthiel6498 Stop hating on Seles, she didn't do anything wrong. She had lots of respect for Graf.
Platonic love?! You need to get a life! Or a hot date at very least.
Seles was so quick.
Martina Navratilova had some interesting comments on that - she felt that Monica wasn't the quickest, but (a bit like Margaret Court) seemed to have very long arms that allowed her to reach a lot of shots. I think that, added to Monica's brilliant ability to anticipate and read the game, allowed her to seem very speedy.
@@zeddeka which is an odd thing to say as Seles played double fisted both sides so if anything hindered her reach, anticipation spot on but the reach comment can’t say j agree with that
I love Seles forever
Illya Kuryakin stop bashing Seles everywhere.. how do you live with so much hatred? Get well soon !
@Illya Kuryakin woOOOww i was missing you..this was the start of the GOAT!!..and from then on every statistic crumbled behind her groundstrokes
@Illya Kuryakin sometimes it happen!!
@@criotermic tyler Bam, Dustin Gabe, Ralph Bourgeois
especially Ilya Kuryakin. These are sore losers who don't have a life, especially Ilya... Ilya has no job and no life. It constantly lurks on almost every Seles video out there being offensive to Seles all the time. It has multiple accounts to show that there are many Graf fans against Seles. It's an imbecile. It's a psycho like its brother, Gunther.
@@saintelmosfire85 i don't know why they act like that!! They are obsessed with Monica!
Brilliant match from Monica. Probably in many ways her best performance in a grand slam final. Her level of maturity was just incredible and I think we can safely say she was the best young player there's ever been. Bit of an odd performance from Steffi. She seems to not quite be fully there and doesn't have a clear idea of what she should be doing. In a strange way she was sort of going through the motions. I noticed too that her backhand hand no bite on it at all and Monica was lapping it up. I think she said afterwards that she was so badly affected by what was happening with her dad that she should have withdrawn.
This particular match was the beginning of Seles's domination of Graf....until the stabbing anyway. That changed history and IMO the only reason why Steffi holds as many grand slams as she does... Ugh! Love me some Steffi but, you have to know that things would have been very different had that mad man not made his way down to the court?
@Illya Kuryakin - Whatever Bitch!
Whatever Max....What's with the name calling? Don't want to fight or argue on-line. I wasn't aware of them facts, not that I care. All I know is that things would have been very very different without that stabbing. Anyway- Can't unscramble eggs so it is what it is.
Steffi didn’t have a backhand only a slice Seles would have destroyed her on clay for next decade.
@@wilf18 funny that their last match on Clay seles couldn't handle her slices. Guess who won that match!?
ruclips.net/video/j8RibH0lB3w/видео.html
it was 6-4 for Graf before the stabbing, Seles mostly dominated on clay
This was such a golden age of women’s tennis.
seles and Hingis both have mature played in age of teenager ,
Monica is simply the best ever. She is the goddess of tennis
Monica seles is the best female player of all time in my view
@Illya Kuryakin see my point is she is the only player to beat stefi who was no.1 in consecutive grandslams. And she iimproved her game by every tournament and as she would have grew older she would have won more n more grandslams look at federrer. But she was just atttacked by stefi fan only because she is winning over stefi more n more. Please consider all around aspects.
@Illya Kuryakin you might be fan of stefi or a hater of seles your opinion will not be only one to be considered. I have my own opinions
I cant be more agree with you,Monica had n't even reached her prime time,when she got stabbed by Graf's fan,she was only 19 when tragety happened and that mentally changed her dramadically,any human being can understand exept Graf fans ,how can a teen handle such a terrifying and humiliation in front of the whole world,it was just so unfair for what Graf's fan has done to a rising young star.And it was a Shame 'accident' for all Graf's fan forever,cos it was so evil that no graf fan should even talk anything against Seles cos one of your crews just killed a teen rising star.
compare to Seles Graf just a hard tennis worker who play more physical than mental tennis,Seles was a mater of tennis art,who play much smarter tennis than Graf.
It was a pity that Seles couldn't make that after the stab.
But she is the best player for sure ,especially compare to the hard worker Graf.
Seles is the queen of tennis.
For me it's gotta go to Serena or Steffi
We never know. So many what if. Could be yes or could be no. But if seles not got stubbed, the GOAT will be Martina Navratilova. I just calculated that Monica and Steffi superiorities would be end in 1997 because young players are coming such as Hingis, Davenport, Williams sisters etc
Her 2nd year as a professional, and in just 3 years from this point on she would go on to amass 8 Singles Grand Slams [before the stabbing] 😮 Absolutely phenomenal.
The third year. She started in March 1988.
@@carrerau7138Yes she played three tournaments as an amateur in 88, but turned professional in February of 1989. So March 1988 to March 1989 would be considered one full year, and from March 1989 to March 1990 would be considered 2 years. She had not been playing for 3 years yet.
@@carrerau7138 or in simpler terms. 3 years worth is 36 months, and when Seles won here she had only been playing tournaments from March 1988 to May 1990 which is only 26 months. Certainly not 3 years worth.
@@jamesr2164 The point is that Seles won the FO 90 in her 3rd ( and not her 2nd) year on the tour. Same as Tracy Austin.
BTW, Hingis won even THREE slams in her 3rd year on the tour.
None of them came even close to their success they had at age 16-18 in later years.
@@carrerau7138 Well you are more than welcome to consider her three tournaments as an amateur in 88 as a full year, but it wasn't. And 26 months is certainly not 3 years.
According to your logic that means since Steffi played her first tournament in October 1982, that would be considered her first full year on the tour. So by the time of the stabbing in 1993 she was sitting at 11 singles grand slams after 12 years on the tour. Where as Monica was sitting at 8 already in half that time, but then the stabbing stopped her "historical" momentum. No one to this day in the open era has won as fast and as much as she did, from her first professional tournament until the stabbing before her 20th birthday (not even Navratilova, Evert, Steffi, or Serena). As I stated in my original post, Seles was an absolutely phenomenal tennis player.
No love lost between these two. Steffi KNEW that the tide had changed on this day.
@Ilya Kuryakin Seles would only have gotten better but she was attacked in her prime, whereas Graf had already reached her prime.
@@showmebear tyler Bam, Dustin Gabe, Ralph Bourgeois
especially Ilya Kuryakin. These are sore losers who don't have a life, especially Ilya... Ilya has no job and no life. It constantly lurks on almost every Seles video out there being offensive to Seles all the time. It has multiple accounts to show that there are many Graf fans against Seles. It's an imbecile. It's a psycho like its brother, Gunther.
@Ilya Kuryakin You really are way beyond being an imbecile. Where did I say Graf fans are losers?? Or you mean to say your likes?? LMFAO!
MARTINA NAVRATILOVA: "She would have won so much more. We'd be talking about Monica with the most Grand Slam titles [ahead of] Margaret Court or Steffi Graf. Steffi had 22 [Navratilova and Evert have 18 apiece], but she didn't have anyone to play against. This guy [Guenther Parche, who stabbed Seles] changed the course of tennis history, no doubt about that."
CHRIS EVERT: "I'll frame it better. If Monica wasn't stabbed, she would have won more GS's."
MELISSA ISAACSON OF ESPN: "Once a legitimate threat to break Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles; once a source of constant frustration to Steffi Graf, who is No. 2 with 22 Slam wins; once one of the toughest competitors in all of sports, Seles didn't just have her career altered on that awful day 27 years ago. It was stolen from her."
PAM SHRIVER: ""She was dominating Steffi Graf, who, prior to Seles, dominated everyone else."
MARY JOE FERNANDEZ: "If you look at [Seles'] record, she has nine Grand Slams, which is an amazing career. But she would have had double that at least. . . . She took our game to another level."
SERENA WILLIAMS: "I always want to play like Monica. I love Monica, she's my favorite player."
LINDSAY DAVENPORT: "Monica would go down as the best, if not, one of the 2 or 3 best competitors that I've ever played the game. She was well on her way to winning multiple, multiple Grand Slam titles when that stabbing happened."
Monica was simply unbelievable!!
The best number one in the world.Monica Seles miss you
Watching this, it's incredible how fast they both were... ESPECIALLY Graf. Seles was soooo much more fitter before the stabbing that it was crazy how intense she played.
I’m going to tell you right now I’ve watched Monica play and Serena and I think Monica before the stabbing would have kicked her ass, her defensive style of play and speed would have wore Serena completely out
Taylor Pack different generations.. Serena has better serve and she's a better mover on court. This comes from a die hard fan of Seles
GeorgeHenryThomas yes .. I know. But if Serena’s serve works , Seles will have hard time putting back returns in play and Seles’ serves are easier to break than Serena’s. So I still believe, even with the lack of movement Serena has now, and could still beat Monica. But like I always said, they r two different generations, it’s stupid to compare both. Serena learnt her game looking at Seles. I’m
still a die hard fan of Seles. The best ever !
Thomas Zacharia Your premise of comparison is wrong. If you say Serena has a better serve and better movement, you need to imagine and bring the teenage Seles into Serena’s era. If Seles is emerged in 2000 era, she would have definitely have the standard of 2000 era which is better serve.
Thomas Zacharia they were just completely different players. Serena is all power and serve Monica was all return, speed, and ground strokes placement. Prime to prime I give it to seles. I think she would have hit them corners accurately and wore Serena down.
@@taylorpack7705 Definitely. Monica’s ground game would have proven too strong. Even the watered down Monica was able to beat Serena in 1 of their 5 matches. Her lack of movement and shattered confidence is what lost her those matches, and the many others she would have won. Still, I’m glad Monica did come back after the stabbing. Even watching Monica play between 50-80% of herself during those years was a joy to watch.
Quote from Wikipedia - the Seles - Graf rivary. Only facts, as someone told me once:
"Graf won eight of nine majors before Seles won her first. Seles surpassed Graf as the No. 1 player in 1991, and won seven of eight grand slam titles during the period of 1991-1993. Graf in the end did recapture the No. 1 ranking from Seles in June 1993, after Seles was forced out of the sport due to her stabbing."
I think Steffi contributed to tennis so very much, but in my opinion, and I still think that all the results (Monica vrs other players too, not just Graff, in the period from 1990. to 1993.), prior to Monica's stabbing are simply confirming, in spite of the totally different style of playing, that Graff would have never achieved the glory she did later on, if Monica was not so brutally stopped in her tennis journey.
In that period of Monica's dominance Graf was only able to be visibly stroger on grass court, everything else was on Monica's side. Both of them are trully great players, but again, there will always be a question mark in my mind about Graff's achievements in tennis afterwards. None actually talks about that, and Graff is indeed a very nice person, probably, but...the question will always remain... and there is also that political aspect - Monica was playing for the country, Yugoslavia, which was actually under the nationalistic outburts in every part, exactly in the time when she started to win and make her way towards nmb. 1 place. She actually went to the US later in her life, in my opinion, only because after the Yugoslavia fell apart she did not want to be associated with particular nationalistic interests in one of the republics where she was from, that is Serbia.
In my mind she still represtents LAST GREAT YUGOSLAV ATHLETE who wholeheartedly played for her country, country that was dying at the end of 80ties. She could not stand the chance in that sense, especially along the line of the entire machinery of support (read - money) that players from US or Germany, if you will had as support for their achievements
At the same time when Graff was a hero of again united Germany, Monika on the other hand was loosing her own country. In that period it was so easy for alegedly mad man to stop her. For me that act will always be, although impossible to ferify, an act of stabbing the LAST GREAT YUGOSLAV athlete, ans will have an everlasting dark political background.
Furthermore, one may or may not agree, but Graff could not deal loosing from Monica in the period from 1990. to 1993., which is exactly, when Monica overtook number 1 place.
Monika još te volimo, nemoj zaboraviti ljude u ex-Yu. Mi te nikada nećemo zaboraviti. Peace and love to all.
@Illya Kuryakin: Nope, that's 7 out of 8 Seles entered in.. It's not Seles' fault if Graf had a 'slump' year.. Although it's not Graf's fault about Monica's stabbing. she clearly benefited from it whether you agree or not.. Up until the stabbing, the Grand Slam count between the two is 11 to 8 in favor of Graf.. That's just a mere 3 Slams difference.. And Seles' mentality is different when it comes to Grand Slams..
that's the point.. Seles' mental toughness had deteriorated.. she was really affected psychologically about the stabbing, her father diagnosed with cancer and endorsements she nearly signed which went to Steffi.. Graf's blackmail scandal?? i don't think so.. Graf's confidence has deteriorated during Monica's peak years simply because Monica just kept on beating her specifically in the Slams..
it was not Monica's problem if Graf didn't make it to the finals of the Slams '92 except for Wimbledon and even in '91.. Monica was waiting in the finals but Graf......... well, she was beaten by other players which in turn minimized their H2H count.. Same thing with Monica, she was at her strongest in '93 and just kept on getting better...
What facts? The winning percentage? It's not a big deal for me. Why? Simply because Monica reached 33 out of the 34 tournaments she had entered in between 91 & early 93, if I'm not mistaken and won 22 of them. Majority of her loses came in the FINALS. I can't say the same with Graf though. And yeah, I believe Seles would have won most Slams from 93 - 96 without the stabbing. Now, that's not a fact, that's an opinion...
@GeorgeHenryThomas you're kidding, right??? Seles struggled against Graf pre-stabbing??? Again, you're kidding, right????? Or delusional??? Which one are you????
Love Monica❤🌷❤
Monica's best ever... No matter how much records Steffi has she was nothing before seles... N she's knows it
Illya Kuryakin
Yes, Graf won those - when Monica was not around yet. Just like the next 4 in a row, after Seles was stabbed on the tennis court... Btw she is not Serbian , not that her nationality has anything to do with any of this.
the only obvious thing is that you have some problems with logic - there was no mature Seles or even no Seles at all when Graf was winning that, ergo Graf did not have her as competition in that period, just like post stabbing. not to mention that you think that criteria can be as simple as some percentages...
Graf's "slumping" = she realized that she is not the best anymore, which is why she lost her confidence (but regained it after the stabbing when she started winning against the rest again;). speaking of slumping, it was Mandlikova in the late 80s, while Navratilova and Evert were not only older, but not as good and as dangerous for Graf as Seles. and again you with the winning percentage, have you ever heard of context? or at least other stats...
then why did she lose the key matches in 1992 and 1993 - finals of RG and australia? because Monica was a little better ;) they were both great players, it was a wonderful rivalry, but Seles had the mental edge. then the stabbing happened and ruined all of it, Graf started winning all the slams again.
record against Seles is the way it is BECAUSE OF THE STABBING. speaking of stabbing - how come That Graf's "slump" ended when Monica was stabbed? get real mate...
Monica❤️❤️❤️
Monica Mental Edge was so unbelievable. So focus and hit the ball so early blasted to the corners and Steffi lost her confident after losing from Monica 1 month before in Berlin and also had father scandal djring that tournament. Steffi lost momentum for more than 2 years. Steffi developed her game to chase Monica but unfortunately the rivalry was end due to Gunther Parche. He changed tennis history
When she was only 16 ..... Whew..,!
Seles had figured out steffi... no doubt !!!
Seles had very good control over the ball... awesome.
The guy that stabbed Monica one of the greatest sports person ever got only 2 years probation ..... what an injustice... he robbed the world of her magic and ruin her life and career,😥😡
@Max E What an awful thing to say. Unless you were once ranked #1 in pro tennis and then were stabbed, you have no idea what Monica went through.
monica seles to this day is my all time favorite player,. i play with both two hand forehand and backhand and let me tell you how much more control i get and how much more power. i miss the good old days when i was soooo good. i wasn't even 13 yet, and i was so good. if i kept on playing i would have been one of the greatest male two hander player like monica. but we didn't have the money back in the day, we were poor
The day it was official. There's a new Queen in town, and her name is Monica !!
No, at the end of that year (1990) Steffi had a bigger lead in the WTA rankings than Seles ever had.
@@carrerau7138 Graf couldn't beat prestab Monica only on grass...
@@riveraharper8166 Plus twice on clay, once on indoor carpet, once on hard court.
I feel sad watching this because she should have played longer and win more championships if it wasn't for the stabbing... SELES THE BEST
Say what you will about Monica she has 8 slams by the age of 20...... you Graf fans may bash Monica but how many slams did Graf win between jan 1990 to jan 1993........
No no, no ignoring the Seles that came back wasn’t the same pre93!... she wasn’t the same and the eating disorder is also terrible, but No one can ignore the fact she was just getting better..... it’s all coulda woulda shoulda now but I believe she would have cleared up for a good couple more years, grafs a legend I’m taking nothing from her either, just having my say and opinion on Seles that’s all :)
@Illya Kuryakin so she was just going to get worse after 93 ok Jesus I’m not deluded about what went on but Graf was gonna win the French in 93 if Monica was around? Absolutely not.
What I like most about Monica against Steffi is unlike so many other players that was afraid of Steffi's forehand (rightfully so), Monica played Steffi forehand with ease. She was like I want to be you playing your strength Steffi although her slice backhand was a thing of beauty.
The perfect angles in women's tennis in the early 90's and of course the cute grants that modified women's tennis into a power tennis.
Seles was just better. Just the eye test tells you that . She won 7 of the 9 slams she played in before the stabbing and was on a fast track for many many more slams. Even Navratilova believes Seles was better
@Illya Kuryakin you s'd work upon yourself for a better understanding of tennis, you are just a child happy with her howling🙅♂️
She won 8 before the tragidy, n only won aus open in 96
@Max E if you're on the court you're on the court stuff those horseshit excuses which nobody in any sport respects and Seles won 7 of the last 8 slams she played in before the stabbing . Suck on that FACT and suck it good !
Cold shake hands between the two players always.
This was the moment that Monica Seles arrived as the dominate player of Women's Tennis. 1990 was an incredible year. Each grand slam singles title was won by different players.
1990 Australian - Graf
1990 French - Seles
1990 Wimbledon - Navratilova
1990 USA - Sabatini
no it wasnt't the moment was when she beat graf earlier in the year at berlin in straight sets
@@archangelmusic13 That wasn't a grand slam event and it wasn't a grand slam final. There's a difference. Graf is a lot tougher in grand slam finals. Many players defeated Graf in non slam tournaments, but failed to defeat Graf in grand slam events. Martina Hingis being one of those players. Hingis defeated Graf in Tokyo and in Rome, but wasn't able to defeat Graf at the French Open Final. A critical match. I do fault Hingis' temper and why linger so long on one line call?! A match that Hingis would regret; especially, when Hingis defeated Graf in Rome earlier. Oh well.
@@archangelmusic13 Despite being the tail end of Graf’s career, she finished with a winning record against Hingis. After all was said and done, Graf held a commanding 7-2 lead. For the most part, Graf held the edge in Grand Slams, while Hingis was able to beat Graf in Premier WTA tournaments such as Tokyo. However, these two will forever be remembered for their meeting at the 1999 French Open final. Hingis came into the tournament as the number one seed and heavy favorite. Graf as the sixth seed and plagued by injuries for two years.
@@michaellee888 well seles had a winning head to head over graf in grand slam finals, that's why she was stabbed by a graf fan
@@archangelmusic13 Yes!! That man was deplorable! And evaded prison time!! Can’t believe it!! The tennis 🎾 world was forever changed!!! Imagine the wonderful matches they could have had!!! Gone forever. The timeline altered because of that miserable man.
We wasn't allowed to watch the French open or the US open until pay tv came in in the late 90s in Australia which was a shame I only ever heard who won on the news. This is what we missed out on great matches like this.
@Ilya Kuryakin it is more re prestigious but it doesn't hold more value . !
@Ilya Kuryakin they are the same value . Just Wimbledon has the most prestige out of the four . It's the same you don't have extra majors if you win wimbledon it's still only one it's ever so slight
@Ilya Kuryakin you have to stop spreading lies and misinformation. We was there we know. We know why Gunter stabbed monica there's no point trying to pretend
Great performance, nice to hear the crowd support as well as this certainly wasn't always the case.
Andrew Moores I agree. It was nice to see the trophy ceremony. And Monica's smile.
Right, that's pretty typical of both women's and men's tennis: The fans vocally support a player as they rise in the rankings because they like fresh faces and styles, at least up until they reach the top and seemingly no one can beat them. There are exceptions, though, like Chris Evert, Roger Federer, and Rafa Nadal (as their support from fans never really waned once they reached the top).
Great Monica!!!♡♥♡
Oh my, Seles was 16 years old here....and I was like before she beat Graf in Berlin. And I thought who is Seles??? And then I saw here on TV in the final of French Open, and I was just amazed by her gaming style etc...
Steffi was nowhere near. Poor backhand slice and reluctance to attack at the net cost Steffi many grandslams
que lindos fines de mayo principios de junio pase con estos partidos!!!!
que recuerdos!!!!! te extraño monica
Mónica seles siguiera jugando y fuera siempre la mejor del mundo lastima lo que sucedió en aquel tiempo ..
Great game of tennis. Seles was extra ordinary.
Seles made grafs usually effervescent footwork look sloppy. She wasn't afraid to hit to Steffi's forehand side and was able to take offense returning grafs serve. Monica being lefty was also problematic for graf because Seles could slice her serve to grafs backhand. A nice chess match when these two played
@Max E between 91-93 Seles was 55-1 in Grand slam matches. That sounds to me like she won 7 majors and was runner up in another. How many slams did Graf win from Australia 91 through Australia 93?
@Max E considering Seles was not playing professionally in 1988, zero. She made it to the semis at the french in 89 in her first year as a professional. In 1990, she dominated Graf to win The french open after playing professionally for just a year. By the way, how many years was Steffi playing professionally before she won her first major? (The answers 5) she was a slow learner unlike Monica.
@Max E She turned professional Feb 1989. Won a slam in 90 a little over a year later. Graf turned professional in 1982, won first slam in 1987. Do the math
@Max E do you really not know what amateur and professional mean, especially in terms of junior tennis eligibility?
Can you tell me what exactly you think Steffi Grafs peak years are?
@Max E sounds like her peak years all revolved around when Seles was not active, or returning from a returning from injury. What an amazing coincidence!
Monica was great to watch. The only player to show and execute her plan with ease and brilliance
Steffi executed her plan with far more ease and brilliance.
And that is why she is generally accepted as the GOAT whereas Seles barely counts among the top 10 of all time. 😍
@@carrerau7138 Graf biggest advantage is Luck and a thank you note to the stabber only...
@@riveraharper8166 Which player had more bad luck than Steffi?
1) 1990-92 blackmail scandal
2) 1995-97 tax scandal
3) 1997 reconstructive knee surgery
4) 1999 premature career end due to multiple injuries
Seles?
A small stab wound that needed just one stitch to close. 😄
I’m a black dude living in Jersey and I thought Venus in her prime was the best player I’d seen with my eyes, (who cares if I’m black or white) Monica Seles is the best female tennis Player I’ve ever seen. If it doesn’t matter why’d I say it? Just cus.
Steffi graph amazing tennis player
V. &
generous personality
We love her so much
Usually when a player wins his/ her first major, he/ she would be overwhelmed by excitement and emotions. Monica certainly didn’t look too joyous when she won the final point! It seems so vintage.
Yes, very classy and respectful by Monica!
Monica was never one for extended post match celebrations after winning a slam. I think this was probably the most celebratory gesture I ever saw her do post slam win.
Steffi would have never been able to achieve what she did after Monika appeared if that terrible event in 1993. did not happen. Steffi was magnificent, but at her prime was almost unable to beat Monika from 1989. to 1993.
I more and more admire Monika - she was superb and mentaly extremely strong on the court. Stefi had her ups and downs in reacting to players who managed to beat her and was basically never adjusted to loosing. I remember her running away from podium after one of the finals, cannot remeber where exactly, I think it was clay court somewhere in Europe - she could not stand beeing the second best.
She even stopped her career, in my opinion only because she estimated that after Williams sisters started playing, she would be unable to dominate as much, and she made the right choice. Everything Graf did was legitimate and great, she moved and lead her career in a very smart way, I think.
In my opinion the number one female player, still is and will continue to be:
MARTINA NAVRATILOVA, in every way! Peace and love to all.
@Illya Kuryakin stop. Graf won Wimbledon 91 92 there wasNOTHING WRONG WITH HER WHAT SO EVER
MONICA SELES SIMPLY THE BEST PLAYER WOMAN OF THE HISTORY AND THE GOAST
Backhand down the line and the general returning ... dont you see Novak's similarity with her? The had the same trainer at young age.
Que increíble jugadora monica seles.
Seles, cambió la forma de jugar en el tenis femenino
Seles simply the best! 💕
After watching the playing style of both, i'm feeling like Rafael and Federer are playing. Am i the only one to notice this?
I would say Federer against Djokovic
16 wow
So incredible!!
Still think a prime seles 90-93 would blow away every player in womens tennis history past or present. Such a shame she got stabbed- was never quite the same after. Hit the lines so hard consistently!
@Ilya Kuryakin Graf great player and had seles measure on grass but in the early nineties seles was blowing Graf away on every other surface it was almost embarrassing.
@Ilya Kuryakin hey bloke don't take it so personal- is Steffi ya mum? Just stating apart from grass seles had it all over Graf until she got stabbed, and if it didn't happen she would have dominated Graf and everyone else for the rest of the nineties.
@Max E seles smashed Steffi.
Seles....one of the best female player all the time...she is a greatest and still my favorit until now....
before the attack Seles was a killer. And she could beat Graf. She stayed away from the killer forehand and finished her off. She was unbelievable.
Amazing Monica Seles ❤️❤️❤️
Unfortunately, the truth is, had Monica not been stabbed, she would have dominated the game through, possibly, 2000. There is no other player in history with the mental tenacity, backed up by an absolutely ferocious game. Yes, Chris Evert had the mental fortitude. Graf had the forehand. Martina had the serve and volley. Monica could have possibly have ended with 25 GS titles. She may have even been able to sneak in a Wimbledon title or two. Is Serena a comparable match to Monica's mental approach and game? Not sure. Serena certainly has the advantage of being physically superior, but she also didn't really put as much in during the non-Slam events, as evidenced by her total tournament title count and there were many years, she practically only showed up for the majors due to "injuries". I also believe that Serena benefited from players like Henin and Clijsters retiring early and the lack of consistency in the women's game over the past decade or so. In those years, players like Safin, Jankovic, and Wosniacki ruled the #1 rankings without winning a Grand Slam. They were dominating the non-Slam events. While Serena was winning the Grand Slams but not winning or even participating in non-Slam events. Not knocking Serena at all, but just comparing career trajectories.
Hard to say wich one is the most focused and skilled. But I guess I have a little bit more symphathy for Seles.
These two were drawn to meet in the Wimbledon semi-finals a few weeks later. It would have been interesting, no doubt. It's too bad Monica couldn't quite overcome Zina Garrison in the quarter-finals who played the tournament of her life.
Never forget that Graf blew Seles away each time they played a match in Wimbledon : Graf won 6/0 6/1 in 1989 and once again in 1992 when Seles was destroyed 6/2 6/1 in Wimbledon's final. I don't know why and how it would have been different in 1990.
vield1 because Monica would have had more experience playing in grass and maybe had a chance a few years later defeating Graf as Nadal beat Federer
Maybe, but unlikely.
@@rolandgreen7484 Shut up, huge brain. 8 slam and 3 masters under 20Y, more than your darling. 3-1 monica on slam finals H2H pre stabbing, and indisputed N#1, and your darling indisputed N#2, not bad.
Go and learn how to play tennis, loser tennis champion,
What a vile and cold comment, for everyone to see, no less.
Let's do a calculation now, if Seles hadn't been stabbed, she already had 8 Grand Slams in her pocket.Hingis, the Williams sisters and Davenport were still 3/4 years away from their debut, and their debut would have been their rookie period.If we count the Graf factor, if she wins 1 Grand Slam every year, including 2000, in the worst case scenario, that's 8+7=15 Grand Slams.There are 4 Grand Slams a year, and there are 3 Grand Slams left from 93.2000 Including the year, that makes a total of 31 Grand Slams...Now I ask you, out of these 31 Grand Slam tournaments, how many do you think Seles would have won if she had not been stabbed, if she had not gotten stronger and stronger every year and if she had not been injured?
At least 25
seles was simply better than graf , who just came off winning 7 out of the last eight slams she played and monica straight setter her here and in berlin..seles was better than graf in her utmost prime level, amazing
Seles was Graf's worst nightmare. I only wish that incident never happened.
Me encantaría haber visto que hubiese pasado, probablemente Stefanie Graf hubiera callado muchas bocas.
Que vergüenza da leer ciertos comentarios.Algunos estáis llenos de odio .Es una pena.
10.01 amazing seles
6:10 unbelievable rally the best rivalry in my books in the game of ladies tennis
Such a calm reaction when Monica won!
She may have lost this match but I still love watching Graf wallop a forehand.
Her strokes are so mechanical to me, not naturally flowing...and that block backhand..ugh.
@@showmebear well Monica strokes are beautiful and flowing LMFAO!!!
@@peterhammer6915 not really. I was never a fan of two fisted off both sides.
@@peterhammer6915 seles reached a level in tennis that you could only dream of.
Demolishing graf in 2 sets while graf was at the top of her game...too bad seles was demolished too soon by graf's lunatic fan
Fact is everyone eventually figured out Seles' weak game: her two-handling everything. Steffi figured it out and so did others. Many athletes only last among the best only for a short while, and that was Seles, too. When she came back from her break, other players said 'no-no.' She won the 1996 AO but that was it. Steffi was better before Your whatever, and after. 6-4 before, 10-5 after. Honest people know this, only pop culture stupidity says Seles was would have won more if not for the stabbing--a minute cut that did Zero damage to her. Steffi: 22 slams, without modern tech rackets, without the creaming, without the power of todays players. Had she been born to play today, her game back then would be added to what her game would be today: Likely Very strong, maybe the strongest (not only in power but in overall technique namely, and power).
Steffis already great ability (she did win 22 GS), would have made her completely outstanding currently or this current era: her coaching and instructions would have added to her already great talent in that she would be serving fast and hard and adding double-handing, too. Yes, Steffi would have been on fire now and in the past 10-15 years.
@Illya Kuryakin Monica clearly dominated the match after first set tiebreaker.
Then why didn’t she beat Monica here???
Graf was not at the top of her game. She broke her thumb earlier that year in a skiing accident. When she came back from that injury during the claycourt season, many noted that she was hitting her backhand much closer to her body than before, making it go from a hard and vicious slice backhand in the late 80s into a short and choppy one. So not only was she hitting it with as much spin or block as before, but she was hitting it crosscourt most of the time which made it very predictable.
The match was decided in the first set, that Steffi trew away. But well done to Monica! The compliments deserve them all: to 16 years old was already an hurricane!
pourquoi tant de haine dans les commentaires............elles sont toute deux exceptionnelles............mais je préfère seles................
Seles was robbed of such a promising career.
So cool she was just a kid raising the throne
Seles have the best Grandslam Champion record as a teenager. She would have won more if not for the horrific knife attack in her arch rival’ s country?
Illya Kuryakin the Open Era
That is replica of Rafa vs Roger for you in Women Tennis way before they arrived.
Monica seles était ma favorite, ma préférée !
1990-93 was her prime before the stabbing came in in 95 didn’t play herself than going into the late 90s early 2000s she re gained her strength again
What’s really impressive is to see the game patterns Seles was using to win this match. Graf on the other end didn’t seem to be able to come out of her comfort zone and played the tennis that usually won her matches. At that point in time no one had beaten her in a year except for Seles twice (72-2).
I’m not messing around with Graf fans before the stabbing Seles was 3-1 in grand slam wins over Graf! She was going to challenge that slam total.
Graf won 3 slams between jan 1990 and jan 93... and why was that because Monica won 8 of the others, you Graf fans make me laugh Monica was going to continue winning slam after slam, do I agree with how much time Monica took away from the game NO, but no one can know or begin to know how Monica felt about stepping back on court
Graf would have won only 3 or 4 slams that period even without Seles. It was simply a bad period for her. Seles made almost no difference. The only slam she might gain is the 90 French which might have gone to Maleeva. Sabatini beats her in the 92 French.
I don't think Monica would have ever won at Wimbledon!! Sorry!
Had anyone won 8 GS titles at the age of 19, female or male, please!
Yes, sure!
Maureen Connolly. She and the great Steffi even won the Grand Slam as teenagers. Whereas Seles was destroyed in Wimbledon, the most important and prestigious tournament on the planet.