The seven biggest rivalries in women's tennis, part 4: Steffi Graf vs. Monica Seles
What if ... tennis fans should ask themselves this question when they take a closer look at the fourth part of our rivalry series for women: after all, there were only 15 matches between Steffi Graf and Monica Seles .
by Jens Huiber
last edit:
Mar 26, 2020, 08:10 pm
April 30, 1993 robbed tennis fans worldwide of continuing one of the most exciting rivalries in history - and, tragically, of course, brought Monica Seles a trauma from which the American, born in the former Yugoslavia, has not recovered for a very long time, probably never entirely. That day, a mentally confused fan of Steffi Graf climbed over the barrier at Rothenbaum in Hamburg and stabbed Seles in the back several times with a knife. The physical wounds were not as bad as feared. The mental but worse.
The influence of Monica Seles on women's tennis can hardly be overestimated: until the left-hander appeared on the WTA tour in the late 1980s, the matches took place as in the silent film era. Seles was the first player to give her punches an acoustic note. And these blows were, also a rarity in the top of the world, beaten with both hands, with forehand and backhand. Only the serve showed that Monica Seles was left-handed. Also a novelty in the professional tennis circus: Father Károly Seles, who was not too bad to applaud his daughter's opponents even with sensational points.
Seles only beats Graf once after his comeback
The assassination attempt in Hamburg completely changed the dynamic in the rivalry with Steffi Graf. At that time, the German head-to-head had 6: 4 victories, with the exception of the two encounters in 1989 and 1992 in Wimbledon, in which Seles had no chance, the matches were always on the knife edge. After her comeback in 1995, Monica Seles only managed to defeat her German competitor once more: in 1999 at the Australian Open.
As can be said at all, Graf and Seles rarely met outside of the biggest stages: the two played ten of their 15 matches at Grand Slam tournaments, and Steffi Graf was also ahead with 6: 4 on this record. The very last game was played by Graf and Seles in 1999 in Roland Garros, the countess prevailed in three sentences. And won her 22nd and last major title two days later in the final against Martina Hingis.
Here are the facts
| Steffi Graf | Monica Seles | |
| Year of birth | 1969 | 1973 |
| title | 107 (including 22 at Grand Slam tournaments) | 53 (including nine in Grand Slam tournaments) |
| Head to head | 10th | 5 |
Here are the matches between Steffi Graf and Monica Seles
| year | Tournament (rubber) | Winner | Result |
| 1999 | Roland Garros (sand) | Count | 6: 7, 6: 3, 6: 4 |
| 1999 | Australian Open (hard court) | Seles | 7: 5, 6: 1 |
| 1998 | WTA Championships (hall / carpet) | Count | 1: 6, 6: 4, 6: 4 |
| 1996 | US Open (hard court) | Count | 7: 5, 6: 4 |
| 1995 | US Open (hard court) | Count | 7: 6, 0: 6, 6: 3 |
| 1993 | Australian Open (hard court) | Seles | 4: 6, 6: 3, 6: 2 |
| 1992 | Wimbledon (lawn) | Count | 6: 2, 6: 1 |
| 1992 | Roland Garros (sand) | Seles | 6: 2, 3: 6, 10: 8 |
| 1991 | Hamburg (sand) | Count | 7: 5, 6: 7, 6: 3 |
| 1991 | San Antonio (hard court) | Count | 6: 4, 6: 3 |
| 1990 | Roland Garros (sand) | Seles | 7: 6, 6: 4 |
| 1990 | Berlin (sand) | Seles | 6: 4, 6: 3 |
| 1989 | Brighton (hall / carpet) | Count | 7: 5, 6: 4 |
| 1989 | Wimbledon (lawn) | Count | 6: 1, 6: 0 |
| 1989 | Roland Garros (sand) | Count | 6: 3, 3: 6, 6: 3 |