Monica Seles

Class of: 2006

Sport: Tennis

Monica Seles (born December 2, 1973) is a former World Number 1 professional tennis player and a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. She was born in Yugoslavia (now Serbia) to Hungarian parents. She became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1994 and also received Hungarian citizenship in June 2007. Monica won nine Grand Slam singles titles, winning eight of them while a citizen of Yugoslavia and one while a citizen of the United States.

Seles, known for her trademark grunting noises, became the youngest-ever champion at the 1990 French Open at the age of 16. She was the World No. 1 player in the women’s game during 1991 and 1992, but in 1993 she was forced out of the sport for more than two years following an on-court attack in which a German spectator stabbed her in the back with a nine-inch-long knife. She enjoyed some success after returning to the tour in 1995, including a Grand Slam singles title at the 1996 Australian Open, but was unable to consistently reproduce her best form. Seles played her last professional match at the 2003 French Open, but her official retirement announcement was not issued until February 2008.

Seles currently resides in Orlando, FL.