April 30, 1993. Hamburg tournament quarterfinals. Monica Seles, dominated her quarterfinal match against Bulgarian Magdalena Maleeva 6-4 and 4-3 as she prepared to sit in her seat for the mandatory break. That moment forever changed the career and life of the undisputed number 1 in the world.
A disturbed man approached him from behind and stabbed him with a knife., to the astonishment of those present. This is about Günther Parch, a 38 -year -old German obsessed with Steffi Grafthe great victim of Seles ’appearance on the WTA circuit, to an extent that he felt suicidal every time he lost his idol in a fight.
“At the break after a game, I rushed to the end because I still didn’t have water to drink and I suddenly felt severe pain in my back … I turned to look for where the pain was coming from and I saw a man behind me holding a knife at me.Seles declared a few hours later.
This invasion shortened the career of a tennis player called to enter the Olympus of racket legends. In 1990, and at just 16, he won Roland Garros, and before 20 he already had eight Grand Slam titles. (three Australian Open, three Roland Garros and two US Open) and became a great dominator of world tennis.
In fact, the year 1993 began in an unparalleled way for the Serbian, who stood in Hamburg after winning the Australian Open and the Chicago tournament and reached the final in Paris. Everyone pointed to the beginning of a dynasty that could make him the best player in historybut his stabbing put an end to it all.
Although the wound on his back healed within a few weeks, the psychological consequences kept him away from the paths for more than two years.. He didn’t show up again until the 1995 Montreal Open and, despite a long inactivity, his comeback was surprising: he won the title without losing a set and just 14 games in five games, against the likes. by Anke Huber, Gabriela Sabatini or Amanda Coetzer.
Two weeks later, he stood at the US Open, where he once again showed that he was still a champion in capital letters. Only Steffi Graf in the grand final (7-6, 0-6, 6-3) was able to break the dream of a Sele who had many psychological problems because of the aggression he suffered and because of the terminal cancer his father had diagnosed at the time.
Seles returned to the slopes with an obvious overweight. 15 extra kilos caused by an eating disorder which did not prevent him from continuing to win games, despite his lower mobility and his lack of spark and joy on the track.
That year, 1995, he never played again, and despite the fact that he started 1996 by winning Sydney and the Australian Open, he never became the same. In fact, that Australian Open was the last Grand Slam of his career, although he played three more finals. He also failed to regain the number 1 he held for 178 weeks. Steffi Graf’s reign was succeeded by Martina Hingis first and the Williams sisters later.
A painful defeat (6-4, 6-0 against Nadia Petrova) ended her athletic career. It was in 2003, in the first round of Roland Garros, the tournament that saw him born as a tennis star at the age of 16.
His tennis will be lost in history, always on attack, hitting hard and looking for lines. Furthermore the question of what would have happened if Günther Parch had not crossed his path on the deadly April 30, 1993. Perhaps we will attend the dedication of the best player in history.
Source: La Verdad
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
