"If it affected her, Steffi Graf would've forged stronger bond with Monica Seles": When Martina Navratilova slammed German for ignoring Seles stabbing

Martina Navratilova is known for speaking her mind and never holding back when addressing uncomfortable truths. She once criticized Steffi Graf for not showing enough concern or taking a stronger stand after the shocking on-court stabbing of her former rival, Monica Seles.

Seles made history as a teenager, winning eight Grand Slam titles before she even turned 20—an achievement still unmatched in tennis. But in 1993, her career took a devastating hit.

While playing a quarterfinal match against Magdalena Maleeva at the Citizen Cup in Hamburg, she was suddenly stabbed between the shoulder blades by Gunter Parche, a fan obsessed with Graf. The attack left her physically injured and emotionally shaken. Parche targeted Seles because he saw her as a threat to the German's dominance in the sport.

In a 2013 interview with espnW, Navratilova shared her thoughts on the incident, acknowledging that Steffi Graf must have been shaken by the stabbing. However, she doubted it affected her as profoundly as many believed. She suggested that if Graf had been deeply impacted, she would have developed a closer relationship with Monica Seles, rather than distancing herself.

“I’m sure it shook [Graf] up, but she won a lot more than she would have otherwise. If it affected her that deeply, she would have forged a stronger bond with Monica instead of ignoring her. It was nice initially [for Graf to see Seles in the hospital], but after that?” the 18-time Grand Slam champion commented.

However, Graf herself later claimed that Seles refused to take her calls after she visited her in the hospital to offer support.

Martina Navratilova believes Monica Seles would have won more Slams than Steffi Graf if not for the attack

Martina Navratilova | Image Source: Getty

Monica Seles had already accomplished a great deal before the stabbing, but Martina Navratilova believes she would have achieved even more if the stabbing hadn't occurred. Navratilova stated that Seles would likely have ended up with the most Grand Slam titles, surpassing Margaret Court’s 24, Serena Williams' 23, and Steffi Graf’s 22.

Navratilova said (via espnW):

“She would have won so much more. We’d be talking about Monica with the most Grand Slam titles [ahead of] Margaret Court (who has 24) or Steffi Graf. Steffi had 22, but she didn’t have anyone to play against. This guy changed the course of tennis history, no doubt about that.”

The incident shattered Seles' momentum, forcing her to take a two-year break from the sport. Despite the setback, the Yugoslav-born American made a comeback in 1995 and went on to win her last Major at the 1996 Australian Open. However, she was never able to fully regain her peak form.