Chris Evert sends her love to Monica Seles on anniversary of 'horrendous' attack on her by Steffi Graf fan

Chris Evert sent a compassionate message to Monica Seles on what marked the 32nd anniversary of the day the tennis star was stabbed in the back by a deranged fan. On April 30, 1993, Seles was playing a quarterfinal match against Magdalena Maleeva at the Citizen Cup in Germany when she was attacked at 4-3 in the second set while seated at the changeover of ends.

The attacker, named Gunter Parche, was an obsessed supporter of Steffi Graf. Parche was upset by Seles's Australian Open victory over Graf three months earlier, confirming her status as the world's number one player. Police confirmed later that Parche intended to injure Seles so that Graf could reclaim her No. 1 ranking. In the event, Seles stayed away from competitive tennis for two years.

18-time Major champion Chrissie Evert had retired four years before the tragic attack, but shared the tennis world's shock at Monica Seles's injury. This week, 32 years later, the tennis icon re-posted footage of the match on her X (formerly Twitter) account, and added her commentary:

"Just...diabolical and horrendous...We love you @MonicaSeles10s"

During Parche's trial, he was found to be psychologically impaired and was sentenced to two years' probation and psychological evaluation. Years after the event, Seles expressed her anger that her assailant was not imprisoned. Gunter Parche spent the remainder of his years in various nursing homes before passing away in August 2022.

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Chris Evert and others called for greater security for tennis stars after the attack

Chris Evert during the French Open Tennis Tournament. Roland-Garros 2024. - Source: Getty

Monica Seles was just 19 when she was stabbed. As a result, she suffered several years of psychological issues, withdrawing from the world and tennis. Chris Evert saw Seles at Miami airport in 1995, two years after the attack, and, per The Guardian, Evert insists Seles hid from her at the back of the plane. Evert told her:

'I can't pretend I didn't see you, Monica.'

Prompted by Chris Evert and others, the WTA increased security at its tournaments. At Wimbledon, three months after the incident, players' chairs were turned 90 degrees so that their backs were not exposed to the crowd. In 2011, many years later, however, Seles claimed that security for tennis players was still inadequate, as reported by the Irish Times.

"From the time I was stabbed, I think the security hasn't changed," she recalled.

Monica Seles returned to professional tennis in August 1995 and even won another Major, her ninth, at the Australian Open in 1996. She was still only 23 years old, but was a shadow of the player she had once been. She played her last match in 2003, but many observers contend that had she not been attacked, Monica Seles would have won many more Grand Slams.