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20th Anniversary of Monica Seles Stabbing

 
 
Reply Tue 30 Apr, 2013 12:43 pm
Twenty years ago today, a deranged sports fan hatched a wildly successful plan to completely change the history of women's tennis. With the days of Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova fading a young upstart German named Graf had come to dominate tennis circuit without rival until 1991. Suddenly, a second young upstart started blowing everyone including Graf away, changing how the game was played and winning tournament after tournament. Twenty years ago today, Monica Seles had won SEVEN OF HER LAST EIGHT slam titles (didn't play Wimbledon in '91) and had compiled one of the most lopsided records ever recorded by a tennis player. Twenty years ago today, a Graf fan walked out of the crowd in Hamburg and stabbed Seles in the back, effectively terminating her career. With her only competitor gone, Graf went on to win 22 slams. What happened to the nutcase fan?
ESPN wrote:
Despite Parche's confession and the hundreds of eyewitnesses who saw him stab Seles, an attempted murder charge was dismissed. He was found guilty of the lesser charge of committing grievous bodily harm and was given a suspended sentence and probation. The judge believed a psychiatrist who testified to Parche's diminished capacity and also credited Parche for his full confession and ultimate show of remorse.

Seles was off the tour for two years, came back without the fearless exuberance that marked her earlier play and won one more slam event.

ESPN article
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Type: Discussion • Score: 6 • Views: 3,673 • Replies: 11
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Region Philbis
 
  1  
Reply Tue 30 Apr, 2013 12:49 pm
@engineer,

http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0905/si.cover.history.may3/images/monica-seles.jpg
0 Replies
 
rosborne979
 
  2  
Reply Tue 30 Apr, 2013 12:56 pm
@engineer,
It really did change the course of tennis history. I remember thinking at the time that we had all probably lost one of the greatest tennis rivalry's in history. Seles and Graff would have improved each other's game for years to come, altering the stage that we now see.
engineer
 
  2  
Reply Tue 30 Apr, 2013 01:01 pm
@rosborne979,
I think that is really true. We saw how Martina's emergence changed and improved Evert's game and I think Seles would have done the same to Graf. However great Graf was, she was never really forced to continue to improve and we lost a rivalry for the ages.
rosborne979
 
  1  
Reply Tue 30 Apr, 2013 01:07 pm
@engineer,
Indeed. And I never heard Graff say it, but I suspect (being the competitor that she is) that she felt robbed of a great opponent, at a time when nobody else could really compete with her. Graff's own game may not have blossomed into what it could have been without Seles.

That asshole stole something from Seles and Graff and the whole world that day.
engineer
 
  1  
Reply Tue 30 Apr, 2013 02:15 pm
@rosborne979,
And he got away with it.
0 Replies
 
ossobuco
 
  1  
Reply Tue 30 Apr, 2013 02:53 pm
@engineer,
Thanks, I didn't know that denouement, except about Seles. Or, if I did, I don't remember it.
engineer
 
  2  
Reply Wed 1 May, 2013 06:37 am
@ossobuco,
The ending really isn't all that terrible. Seles ended up her tennis career as a fan favorite even if she never came close to her pre-stabbing potential performance wise. She retired and is very active in humanitarian work around the world. I think she is doing Dancing with the Stars this year and every now and then you see her in the tabloids. She turns 40 in December.
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izzythepush
 
  1  
Reply Wed 1 May, 2013 02:40 pm
@engineer,
That was when all the **** was going down, and there was talk one Wimbledon of whether or not Goran Ivanisevic, a Croat, would dance with Seles, a Serb.
engineer
 
  2  
Reply Wed 1 May, 2013 02:55 pm
@izzythepush,
The initial press reports after the stabbing were talking about whether it was poltically motivated.
rupert567
 
  1  
Reply Mon 9 Jun, 2014 06:14 am
@engineer,
That was horrible. Never seen something that tragic in a tennis match. I'm so sorry for her, although it's still good she's doing fine with her life. I truly hope there'll be no situations like that anymore in any tennis match !
0 Replies
 
bobsal u1553115
 
  1  
Reply Mon 9 Jun, 2014 06:17 am
In that the Germans are not known for soft handling of criminals, I think there was something really wrong the attacker and that justice was served.
0 Replies
 
 

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