Monica Seles, winner of nine Grand Slam titles and a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, has spoken publicly for the first time about being diagnosed with myasthenia gravis. She received the diagnosis three years ago and chose to share her experience now to raise awareness before the US Open begins on 24 August.
“I would be playing 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,” Seles told The Associated Press. “And, for me, this is when this journey started. And 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.”
What is myasthenia gravis?
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke describes myasthenia gravis as “a chronic neuromuscular disease that causes weakness in the voluntary muscles” and notes it “most commonly impacts young adult women (under 40) and older men (over 60) but can occur at any age, including childhood.”
Seles said she had never heard of the illness before her diagnosis. The first signs appeared when she began experiencing double vision and weakness in her arms and legs. “Just blowing my hair out ... became very difficult,” she said.
“When I got diagnosed, I was like, ‘What?!’” Seles said. “So this is where I can't emphasise enough, I wish I had somebody like me speak up about it.”
She has since partnered with argenx, an immunology company based in the Netherlands, to promote their Go for Greater campaign aimed at increasing awareness of the disease.
Who is Monica Seles: A career defined by resilience
Seles’s career was marked by early success, with her first major win at the 1990 French Open aged just 16. She last played professionally in 2003.
Her resilience was tested long before her diagnosis. In 1993, she was stabbed by a man during a match in Hamburg, Germany, and was away from the sport for more than two years. She returned at the 1995 US Open, reaching the final. “The way they welcomed me ... after my stabbing, I will never forget,” she said of the New York crowd. “Those are the moments that stay with you.”
Seles describes her diagnosis as another moment in life that required a complete readjustment. “I had to, in tennis terms, I guess, reset — hard reset — a few times,” she said.
“I call my first hard reset when I came to the U.S. 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.”
(With inputs from AP)
“I would be playing 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,” Seles told The Associated Press. “And, for me, this is when this journey started. And 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.”
What is myasthenia gravis?
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke describes myasthenia gravis as “a chronic neuromuscular disease that causes weakness in the voluntary muscles” and notes it “most commonly impacts young adult women (under 40) and older men (over 60) but can occur at any age, including childhood.”
Seles said she had never heard of the illness before her diagnosis. The first signs appeared when she began experiencing double vision and weakness in her arms and legs. “Just blowing my hair out ... became very difficult,” she said.
“When I got diagnosed, I was like, ‘What?!’” Seles said. “So this is where I can't emphasise enough, I wish I had somebody like me speak up about it.”
She has since partnered with argenx, an immunology company based in the Netherlands, to promote their Go for Greater campaign aimed at increasing awareness of the disease.
Who is Monica Seles: A career defined by resilience
Seles’s career was marked by early success, with her first major win at the 1990 French Open aged just 16. She last played professionally in 2003.
Her resilience was tested long before her diagnosis. In 1993, she was stabbed by a man during a match in Hamburg, Germany, and was away from the sport for more than two years. She returned at the 1995 US Open, reaching the final. “The way they welcomed me ... after my stabbing, I will never forget,” she said of the New York crowd. “Those are the moments that stay with you.”
Seles describes her diagnosis as another moment in life that required a complete readjustment. “I had to, in tennis terms, I guess, reset — hard reset — a few times,” she said.
“I call my first hard reset when I came to the U.S. 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.”
(With inputs from AP)
You may also like
25 PPP projects worth Rs 13,355 crore awarded by major ports in 5 years: Sarbananda Sonowal
Samantha's rare 2007 ad video goes viral, see her then vs now
Mum 'robbed of justice' after 'beautiful' 12-week-old son killed by his own dad
Love Island fans convinced Harry is secretly loaded after he shows off huge home and pool
Gypsy-Rose Blanchard's unexpected career change leaves people baffled
