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It's a stain on our sport; Seles' stabbing in '93! What are people's thoughts after 22 years? I came across this article and had no idea Graf visited Seles in the hospital! I know it's not her fault, but not sure I could have met like that and "made nice!" No one knows what would have happened if not for this maniac, but it's hard to believe Seles would have allowed Graf to win all those majors in her absence through Aug. of '95! Steffi may have felt bad this occurred in her name, but no one wants to hear about it!
- Graf Visits Depressed Seles...they Can`t Find Much To Say - tribunedigital-sunsentinel -
Graf Visits Depressed Seles...they Can`t Find Much To Say
May 2, 1993|By IAN THOMSEN, N.Y. Times News Service
HAMBURG, Germany -- Saturday morning Monica Seles greeted Steffi Graf -- the sad, solitary idol of her assailant. They did not know what to say to each other.
``I said to her how I felt, how it also hurt me in a way,`` Graf said. ``We both could hardly speak.
``I came into the room and saw her surrounded by her parents and her brother. She seemed to be feeling badly, especially mentally. We both found it difficult to talk. We just cried.
``I told her that I was very sorry and that we are all thinking about her. She is very depressed. It came back to her more this morning than last night.``
A hospital report said: ``The psychological condition of the patient has been attacked.``
A 38-year-old German lathe operator told police he had stabbed Seles, the world`s No. 1 tennis player, in the back during her match Friday so that Graf, No. 2, could surpass her in the rankings.
``It hurts me even more that it happened in Germany, (by) a German guy and a guy who is apparently a fan of mine,`` Graf said.
The assailant was identified by police only as Guenter P., from the eastern German state of Thuringia. He reportedly told police he had been planning his attack for some time and had stalked Seles all week at the WTA Citizen Cup in Hamburg.
The attacker approached Seles along the bottom row of the grandstand, where she sat resting during her quarterfinal against Magdalena Maleeva.
From behind her he turned and pulled a serrated knife with a 5-inch blade from a bag hidden under his clothing. Leaning over a short spectators` fence, he stabbed Seles between the shoulder blades. The knife made a wound about a half-inch deep.
He was apprehended by a security guard and two spectators. Police said he made ``an insane impression`` during two hours of questioning Friday night. They disputed reports that he had been drinking.
``He said about his motive that he is a fan of Steffi Graf and he could not bear Monica Seles being the momentary No. 1 of the world,`` a police spokesman said.
``He said several times that he did not plan to kill Monica Seles -- he only wanted to make her unable to continue playing. The way things look, he is saying the truth.``
Seles was to spend Saturday night at University Hospital. It was not known when she would leave the hospital or return to tennis. She is expected to miss the French Open, where she is three-time defending champion.
Most threatening to her, though, might be the psychological effect of being attacked on a court.
``When she realizes what has happened to her, I think that`s going to hurt her more than the injury itself,`` said Jana Novotna, who lost her semifinal to Graf 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.
``Now she has a good chance to prove to us that she is mentally strong on the court but also that she is mentally strong off the court. I do wish that she will be able to do that.``
Tournament doctors said the wound didn`t injure Seles` lungs or other organs. ``Monica had a lot of luck,`` they said in a statement. ``With this weapon she could have been killed.``
The tournament continued Saturday with the semifinalists admitting to being uncomfortable. The player benches were repositioned 5 feet from the wall, with guards on the stadium floor.
As Graf approached her bench, the guard would rise and turn his back to her and face the audience.
``It disturbed me that the security guard was behind me,`` Graf said, tears welling.
- Graf Visits Depressed Seles...they Can`t Find Much To Say - tribunedigital-sunsentinel -
Graf Visits Depressed Seles...they Can`t Find Much To Say
May 2, 1993|By IAN THOMSEN, N.Y. Times News Service
HAMBURG, Germany -- Saturday morning Monica Seles greeted Steffi Graf -- the sad, solitary idol of her assailant. They did not know what to say to each other.
``I said to her how I felt, how it also hurt me in a way,`` Graf said. ``We both could hardly speak.
``I came into the room and saw her surrounded by her parents and her brother. She seemed to be feeling badly, especially mentally. We both found it difficult to talk. We just cried.
``I told her that I was very sorry and that we are all thinking about her. She is very depressed. It came back to her more this morning than last night.``
A hospital report said: ``The psychological condition of the patient has been attacked.``
A 38-year-old German lathe operator told police he had stabbed Seles, the world`s No. 1 tennis player, in the back during her match Friday so that Graf, No. 2, could surpass her in the rankings.
``It hurts me even more that it happened in Germany, (by) a German guy and a guy who is apparently a fan of mine,`` Graf said.
The assailant was identified by police only as Guenter P., from the eastern German state of Thuringia. He reportedly told police he had been planning his attack for some time and had stalked Seles all week at the WTA Citizen Cup in Hamburg.
The attacker approached Seles along the bottom row of the grandstand, where she sat resting during her quarterfinal against Magdalena Maleeva.
From behind her he turned and pulled a serrated knife with a 5-inch blade from a bag hidden under his clothing. Leaning over a short spectators` fence, he stabbed Seles between the shoulder blades. The knife made a wound about a half-inch deep.
He was apprehended by a security guard and two spectators. Police said he made ``an insane impression`` during two hours of questioning Friday night. They disputed reports that he had been drinking.
``He said about his motive that he is a fan of Steffi Graf and he could not bear Monica Seles being the momentary No. 1 of the world,`` a police spokesman said.
``He said several times that he did not plan to kill Monica Seles -- he only wanted to make her unable to continue playing. The way things look, he is saying the truth.``
Seles was to spend Saturday night at University Hospital. It was not known when she would leave the hospital or return to tennis. She is expected to miss the French Open, where she is three-time defending champion.
Most threatening to her, though, might be the psychological effect of being attacked on a court.
``When she realizes what has happened to her, I think that`s going to hurt her more than the injury itself,`` said Jana Novotna, who lost her semifinal to Graf 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.
``Now she has a good chance to prove to us that she is mentally strong on the court but also that she is mentally strong off the court. I do wish that she will be able to do that.``
Tournament doctors said the wound didn`t injure Seles` lungs or other organs. ``Monica had a lot of luck,`` they said in a statement. ``With this weapon she could have been killed.``
The tournament continued Saturday with the semifinalists admitting to being uncomfortable. The player benches were repositioned 5 feet from the wall, with guards on the stadium floor.
As Graf approached her bench, the guard would rise and turn his back to her and face the audience.
``It disturbed me that the security guard was behind me,`` Graf said, tears welling.
