"I have been confronted every interview every time, doesn't make it easier": When Steffi Graf spoke on blocking out Monica Seles' injury situation

Steffi Graf once claimed that persistent interviews made it difficult for her to completely block out Monica Seles' injury situation.

Seles was at the forefront of one of the biggest mishaps in tennis history when she was stabbed by a fan of Graf's in Hamburg and was out of tennis for two years.

The German won the 1995 Lipton Championships (now known as the Miami Open) by defeating Kimiko Date in the final. She did not drop a single set during the tournament.

Graf was asked in her post-match press conference if she was able to block out Seles' situation. The German responded by saying that it was difficult to completely do so as she had been confronted with it in every interview. Graf also said that the best she could do was try not to think about it.

"It is not totally to block it out. Last ten days I have been confronted every interview every time again, so that doesn't make it easier. It doesn't make it possible to block it out - not at all," Graf said.

"Even the months before, you still -- you still times think about it, so it is not very possible to block it out. You try as good as you can, and, you know, you hope you don't have to think about it too much. That is all,"she added.

Steffi Graf won four out of five matches against Monica Seles after the latter's injury comeback

Steffi Graf in attendance at a basketball game

Steffi Graf and Monica Seles faced one another on 15 occasions, five of which came after the latter's injury return. Until Seles' Hamburg incident, the German led 6-4 in the head-to-head but the Yugoslav-born won three of the four Grand Slam finals between the two.

After Seles returned from injury, they locked horns five times, the first of which was the memorable US Open final in 1995, which Steffi Graf won 7-6(6), 0-6, 6-3. They faced one another in the title clash of the New York Major the following year as well, with the German winning 7-5, 6-4

Graf beat Seles 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the 1998 WTA Tour Championships (now known as the WTA Finals). The only time Graf lost to her rival was in the quarterfinals of the 1999 Australian Open. The last meeting between the two came in the semifinals of that year's French Open, with the German winning 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-4.