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Tennis fans recently reminisced about Monica Seles' stellar achievements as a teenager, speculating about the possible impact her continued presence in the sport would have had on the likes of Steffi Graf and Serena Williams.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest teen prodigies of all time, Seles won eight of her nine Grand Slam titles by the time she turned 19. Furthermore, she clinched five WTA 1000 titles, triumphed at the year-end championships on three occasions, and maintained a stranglehold on the World No. 1 ranking during her teenage years.
However, Seles' promising career was derailed in 1993, when an obsessed Steffi Graf fan stabbed her in the back during a tournament in Germany. Subsequently, the then-19-year-old took a break from competitive tennis for two years. While she made a return to the tour, she only won one Grand Slam title, at the 1996 Australian Open.
Tennis fans recently revisited Monica Seles' remarkable achievements as a teenager, with one hailing her as the most accomplished teen player in the sport's history.
"Fair to say she was THE most accomplished teenager?" the fan posted.
Meanwhile, another fan asserted that Seles and Serena Williams, in their prime, would have formed the greatest rivalry in tennis history.
While the duo did face each other in five tour-level matches, these encounters took place when Williams was just starting and Seles was nearing the end of her career.
"Prime Seles vs Serena would have been a GOAT rivalry," the fan wrote.
One questioned whether Steffi Graf would even be included in the GOAT conversation if Monica Seles wasn't stabbed, given Seles' dominance on tour.
"Would Graf even be part of the GOAT conversation without the Seles incident?" the fan questioned.
Here are a few more reactions from fans on Reddit:
A brief look at Monica Seles' rivalries with Steffi Graf and Serena Williams
Seles and Steffi Graf established one of the most compelling rivalries on tour in the late 1980s and the 1990s. The duo locked horns in 15 tour-level encounters, with Graf triumphing 10 times.
Seles and Graf also met 10 times at Grand Slams, with the German winning six of them. Graf claimed a 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4 victory in their final encounter in the 1999 French Open semifinals.
Meanwhile, Serena Williams enjoyed a 4-1 lead in her head-to-head record against Monica Seles. Williams emerged victorious in their first three meetings, at the 1997 Chicago Open, the 1999 Miami Open,and the 1999 US Open.
Seles claimed her first win over the American in the 2001 Los Angeles quarterfinals, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(2). Williams triumphed in their final meeting in the 2001 Toronto semifinal 7-5, 7-6(5).
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