Heart of a Champion: Monica Seles

[scoop]

By Scoop Malinowski

This new Heart of a Champion series will share and celebrate memories and anecdotes that show a tennis player’s heart of a champion…

Sarasota Herald Tribune sports columnist Mic Huber was asked by Ray Collins of PLAY SARASOTA Magazine who his favorite player of all time is?

“Monica Seles. I’ve known her since she was eleven. She’s a truly nice person. She’ll stop and talk to a child and their parents on the street or someone with a pet – and she remains in contact with people she met on the street and befriended. I remember that I used to get a handwritten Christmas card from her when she was a teenager. Over the years I could call her any time and if she didn’t answer, she’ll call back. After he stabbing, when she was finally thinking about making a comeback, we met out on Longboat Key for an interview. I remember that she drove out there by herself.”

 

[Horsa]

I used to love her when I was in Middle School & we were learning to play tennis. I remember her playing like it was yesterday I remember her stabbing like it was yesterday too & was absolutely disgusted by it. Dad bought me white shorts, a white t-shirt & white plimsolls as well as got his old racquets & balls out (because I told him how we learnt at school & he didn't like the way they taught me to serve). We watched Wimbledon (I found McEnroe the most entertaining player but liked a few of them) & then ate strawberries & cream which we bought from a P.Y.O. & rinsed it down with orange squash. Of course we picked our own. Then we played tennis in the garden as we have a big back garden so had room for the dog kennel, flower garden & vegetable patch at 1 side & to play tennis at the other side. I was never any good at returning but learnt how to serve aces & had fun. (Other than long jump, squash, floor gymnastics & trampolining it was my favourite P.E. class) I was a big Cliff Richard fan so also enjoyed the music when rain stopped play as there was no roof & Cliff used to start singing.

 

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Scoop Malinowski writes:

Thank you Hartt, I just got another great story today from my friend about Ivan Lendl, which I will share soon...

 

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Scoop Malinowski writes:

Nice post Ann, you have a unique style of writing, so relentlessly unrestrained We all loved Seles and I think everyone liked her except that one cuckoo. I first saw Seles play at the Mahwah Open, which was an exo in July in north Jersey. I sat in the first row behind a baseline and Seles would quietly thank the ballkids every time when they tossed her a ball to serve.

 

[Horsa]

Scoop Malinowski writes:

Nice post Ann, you have a unique style of writing, so relentlessly unrestrained We all loved Seles and I think everyone liked her except that one cuckoo. I first saw Seles play at the Mahwah Open, which was an exo in July in north Jersey. I sat in the first row behind a baseline and Seles would quietly thank the ballkids every time when they tossed her a ball to serve.

Thank you very much, Scoop. I love to reminisce. I loved lots of other players too. I'm a good multi-tasker & very spontaneous so can change topic very quickly & move round in circles to get to the same point while still being understood most of the time. I write mainly in rhyme so normally write songs & poems though I do write stories & other things too. I'm more into oId books than new so sometimes use old-fashioned spelling, punctuation & grammar rules as well as vocab (of the British because I'm British). I like puns sometimes too. I say exactly what I think euphemistically. That sounds nice. What a polite, young lady!

 

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Scoop Malinowski writes:

I have to admit Equine Ann that I thought for a few moments that your post could have been spam comment which we strangely get sometimes here and have to delete. But after one review I managed to decipher it was the work of a unique wordsmither

 

[Horsa]

I often find links between things that not everyone gets or gets immediately, Scoop. There's always a link between what I put & the topic. Not everything in the middle is always relevant but the beginning & end are. I like puns too so sometimes add them in but whereas some people always make it obvious I can do it subtly. I am very unique & spontaneous. :0) I'm very articulate but although I facilitate things for people, not everyone always understands me. Me & some of my friends like my witticisms & think they're fun. Thank you very much.

 

[Nekro]

I love her Hungarian... It's standard Hungarian but from time to time she uses archaic variants of certain words, like in this video she says "magos" instead of "magas" (high) when she's talking about the ball's bounce.... It's something that you find in old books or in villages in certain counties like Somogy in Hungary for example.

She also says that this is a great time to watch tennis because there are so many good players with great variety of styles.....

 

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Scoop Malinowski writes:

Keep on wordsmithin'

 

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Scoop Malinowski writes:

Catherine; Steffi retired when her body shutdown, she played for many years after the stabbing and after Monica returned. Sometimes I wonder if the deranged Gunther Parche informed Graf in his love letters to her that he was going to stab Seles and if Graf had the prior knowledge of the crime but did not relay it to authorities.

 

[Horsa]

Scoop Malinowski writes:

Keep on wordsmithin'

Thank you very much. I love playing both pun & poetic ping-pong.

 

[scoop]

Scoop Malinowski writes:

Actually Graf had no rivals and then Seles burst on the scene like a young Mike Tyson and blasted Graf off the court by taking the ball early, super early and ripping incredible angles. Graf was totally dominant, winning most matches in twenty or thirty minutes. The rise of Seles was phemomenal. It was not unlike Federer dominating and then being sensationally knocked off his perch by Nadal.

 

[Horsa]

I liked Steffi Graf too. I remember watching the match where Monica Seles defeated her. It was sensational.

Scoop Malinowski writes:

Actually Graf had no rivals and then Seles burst on the scene like a young Mike Tyson and blasted Graf off the court by taking the ball early, super early and ripping incredible angles. Graf was totally dominant, winning most matches in twenty or thirty minutes. The rise of Seles was phemomenal. It was not unlike Federer dominating and then being sensationally knocked off his perch by Nadal.

 

[scoop]

Scoop Malinowski writes:

Catherine: I haven't finished Facing Graf yet but I've done I think 12 interviews and it's coming along nicely. Need about 15-20 more.

 

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Scoop Malinowski writes:

Bollettieri and some players told me no one took the ball earlier than Seles and her angles off the ball on the rise were game changing.

 

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Scoop Malinowski writes:

Why don't players play like Federer? Why don't artists paint like DaVinci? Why don't singers make music like George Michael? Why don't more players serve like Sampras? It's a bit easier said than done. Dimitrov looks pretty close to Federer's example, very close. He's no 3 in the world.

 

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Scoop Malinowski writes:

Catherine; I would say Bartoli is the closest style to Seles though Bartoli does not create the acute angles Seles could. Bartoli is more straight bash it back and forth tennis. Peng Shuai is another two hander off both sides but just not able to get those wicked angles Seles could. Hope to see Sabatini in Miami and if I do I will pounce on her for an interview. I read recently she is selling her condo in Key Biscayne.

 

[Horsa]

Scoop Malinowski writes:

Why don't players play like Federer? Why don't artists paint like DaVinci? Why don't singers make music like George Michael? Why don't more players serve like Sampras? It's a bit easier said than done. Dimitrov looks pretty close to Federer's example, very close. He's no 3 in the world.

Everyone has their own style. I wish more artists would paint like George Stubbs. I guess I could ask why more poets couldn't write like Geoffrey Chaucer, more singers sing like Celine Dion & more authors write like Charlotte Bronte or Charles Dickens going by your chain of thoughts.

 

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Scoop Malinowski writes:

Catherine, I will look that TB in Brighton up. Jana would have been a great interview for Facing Graf, anyone who played her even just in practice or in junior or just one pro match has a unique story to tell. I interviewed Elise Burgin who only played Graf once in singles and it was solid gold stuff, about ten minutes worth.

 

[britbox]

Scoop Malinowski writes:

Actually Graf had no rivals and then Seles burst on the scene like a young Mike Tyson and blasted Graf off the court by taking the ball early, super early and ripping incredible angles. Graf was totally dominant, winning most matches in twenty or thirty minutes. The rise of Seles was phemomenal. It was not unlike Federer dominating and then being sensationally knocked off his perch by Nadal.

Scoop, it's an urban myth that Seles "blasted Graf off court"...

Graf led the H2H before and after the stabbing. Even limiting the H2H to the two years where Monica finished #1, Graf still had the edge on a H2H. What isn't in doubt is that Seles blew the field apart during her rise...and we were denied some of her best years.