‘Never Got the Feeling She Was Panicked or P***ed Off’ – When Martina Navratilova Drew Parallels Between Monica Seles and Chris Evert

The former Czech-American tennis player, Martina Navratilova, has always been very vocal about her opponents. Even after her retirement from professional tennis, she often gives her opinion about many current and former tennis players. In the past, she talked about the great potential of a former Yugoslavian-American tennis player, Monica Seles.

Notably, Seles was undoubtedly one of the most talented players on the tour. Moreover, Navratilova faced her on multiple occasions but did not have a great record against her. In an interview, the 18-time Grand Slam champion drew parallels between Seles and another American legend, Chris Evert. Moreover, she thought, Seles could have won more titles if it wasn’t for that unfortunate incident in 1993.

Martina Navratilova talked about Monica Seles’ incredible career

In an interview in 2013, Martina Navratilova compared Monica Seles with Chris Evert as she said, “Mentally she was just so tough, she was right up there with Chris [Evert]. You couldn’t crack her, you never got the feeling she was panicked or pissed off. Nothing. You could not read her body language. Up 6-4, 4-0 or down 6-4, 4-0, she was immaculate, and she lost a little bit of that, not hardness, but supreme confidence.… She lost her edge.”

Read More: ‘Have Another Beer and Shut Up’- Martina Navratilova Once Lashed Out at a Rowdy Spectator for Brash Behavior During Epic Contest Against Chris Evert

However, Navratilova also felt that Seles had the prowess and the ability to surpass the likes of Margaret Court and Steffi Graf, in terms of Grand Slam titles. “She would have won so much more. We’d be talking about Monica with the most Grand Slam titles [ahead of] Margaret Court or Steffi Graf. Steffi had 22, but she didn’t have anyone to play against. This guy [Guenther Parche, who stabbed Seles] changed the course of tennis history, no doubt about that,” Navratilova further said. 

Notably, a guy named Guenther Parche, a Steffi Graf fan, stabbed Seles while playing a match against the German tennis player. At that time, Seles was only 19 years old and had already won 8 Grand Slam titles in just three years. After that unfortunate incident, she only won one Grand Slam title, i.e. the 1996 Australian Open. After suffering from many injuries, she stopped playing in 2003, and finally ended her professional tennis career in 2008, at the age of just 34.

A look at Seles’ incredible career

In terms of her overall career, Seles won 9 Grand Slam singles titles with a staggering 86 percent win record in Majors (180-31). Moreover, from 1991 to 1993, she won 7 Major titles out of 8 finals.

Watch This Story: Most horrendous incident in tennis when Monica Seles was stabbed in the middle of a match by a Steffi Graf fan

Seles made her debut in 1989 at the age of 15 and immediately received plenty of attention, as she beat Chris Evert to win her first tournament on the clay court in Houston. At the age of just 16, she became the youngest ever woman to win the French Open title by beating Steffi Graf.

Although she started her career pretty well, she did not end her career the same way. Nevertheless, she will go down in the history of the sport as one of the best female players in history.