Tennis icon Monica Seles recently disclosed her battle with a life-altering neuromuscular condition she was diagnosed with three years ago. The 51-year-old, who is a nine-time Grand Slam winner, opened up about her rare disorder, myasthenia gravis, just before the upcoming US Open tournament.
Having triumphed at the Australian Open four times, the French Open three times, and the US Open twice during her illustrious career, the former world No.1 athlete now faces the challenges of this rare condition that leads to muscle weakness and can impact various body parts. Seles first noticed symptoms approximately five years ago.
Seles shared with the Associated Press, “I would be playing [tennis] with some kids or family members, and I would miss a ball. I was like, ‘Yeah, I see two balls.’ These are obviously symptoms that you can’t ignore. It took me quite some time to really absorb it, speak openly about it, because it’s a difficult one. It affects my day-to-day life quite a lot.”
The tennis legend expressed her initial shock upon being diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a condition she had never heard of until consulting a doctor and being referred to a neurologist. She experienced symptoms such as double vision and arm weakness, even finding simple tasks like blow-drying her hair challenging.
Seles, who is married to Tom Golisano, 83, and has two children, is adapting to her “new normal,” likening her current health battle to the traumatic incident in 1993 when she was attacked with a knife at a tournament in Hamburg, Germany. Despite facing setbacks, Seles remains resilient and emphasizes the importance of being adaptable in the face of adversity.
Reflecting on her turbulent journey, Seles remarked, “I had to, in tennis terms, I guess, reset – hard reset – a few times. I call my first hard reset when I came to the US as a young 13-year-old (from Yugoslavia). Didn’t speak the language; left my family. It’s a very tough time. Then, obviously, becoming a great player, it’s a reset, too, because the fame, money, the attention, changes (everything), and it’s hard as a 16-year-old to deal with all that. Then obviously my stabbing – I had to do a huge reset. And then, really, being diagnosed with myasthenia gravis: another reset. But one thing, as I tell kids that I mentor: ‘You’ve got to always adjust. That ball is bouncing, and you’ve just got to adjust.’ And that’s what I’m doing now.”
