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The Grand Slam champion nine times, Monica Seles, talks about her health for the first time after being diagnosed three years ago with a rare Neuromuscular autoimmune disease.
THE International tennis renown temple revealed her diagnosis of serious myasthenia in a recent interview with the Associated Press, with the hope of raising awareness of the disease, which she recognized that she did not know before.
Monica Seles is preparing to serve the ball at the Lipton 2000 tennis championships in Crandon Park in March 2000. (RVR Photos / USA TODAY SPORTS)
“When I was diagnosed, I said to myself:” What?! “” Said Seles at the exit. “So that’s where – I can’t emphasize enough – I would like someone like me to talk about it.”
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Seles, 51, was diagnosed with the disease in 2023. She told the AP that she was worried when she noticed a double vision during tennis. Missing a ball was something that stood out for the legendary tennis star, whose career presented four Australian open titles, three French open titles and two We open victories.
“I would play with children or family members, and I would miss a ball. I said to myself:” Yeah, I see two bullets. “These are obviously symptoms that you cannot ignore,” said Seles. “And, for me, that’s when this trip started. And it took me a while to really absorb it, talk about it openly, because it is difficult. It affects my daily life a lot.”
Serious myasthenia is described by the Cleveland clinic Like an autoimmune disease that causes skeletal muscle weakness. It affects around 20 people out of 100,000 worldwide and is more frequent in women around the age of 40 and men over the age of 60.
Monica Seles keeps her eyes on the tennis ball as she used Shaun Stafford in the United States in their single women’s Women’s Open match on September 1, 1989 at the USTA National Tennis Center in Queens, New York. (Simon BRUTY / ALLSPORT / GETTY Images)
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The blur and double vision are only some of the current symptoms, which also include muscle weakness in the arms, hands, legs and necks and difficulty speaking, swallowing or chewing. There is no remedy for serious myasthenia, but treatment is available to help manage symptoms.
Seles called her approach to the diagnosis of “reset”, which she had to do several times during her tennis career.
“I had to, in terms of tennis, I suppose, reset – resets hard – several times. I call my first reset hard when I came to the United States as a young child of 13 years (from Yugoslavia). I did not speak the language; I left my family. Handling – I had to make a huge reset.”
Monica Seles talks to a press conference on day 4 of the BNP Paribas WTA final in Singapore at Singapore Sports Hub on October 26, 2016 in Singapore. (Images Clive Brunskill / Getty)
Seles moved away from sport for about two years after being stabbed in Germany in a match in April 1993. She returned to win her fourth Australian Open Title in 1996, his latest Title du Grand Chelem in Simple.
“Being diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis: another reset. But one thing, as I tell the children that I mentor:” You must always adapt. This ball bounces, and you just have to adjust yourself “, said Seles au AP. “And that’s what I’m doing now.”
