EXCLUSIVE: Monica Seles' Breathless Death Match — Inside Tennis Icon's Battle as She's Stricken With Incurable Respiratory Disease
Monica Seles has been facing a battle with an incurable respiratory disease affecting her breathing.
March 13 2026, Published 7:00 a.m. ET
Women's tennis legend Monica Seles – who defeated fellow great Steffi Graf a bunch of times – is now in a terrifying battle with an incurable, crippling breathing disease, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The nine-time Grand Slam winner, who was nearly assassinated at age 19 when a crazed Graf fan stormed the court and stabbed Seles in the back with a nine-inch knife, is now 52 and battling myasthenia gravis.
Tennis Legend Battles Autoimmune Disease
Tennis legend Monica Seles revealed she is fighting the autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis.
The former court queen, who notched her first Grand Slam win – the French Open – when she was just 16 in 1990, was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease in 2022.
The condition can cause drooping eyelids, double vision, difficulty swallowing, slurred speech, weakness in the arms and legs and even be life-threatening by attacking breathing.
Now, the gutsy tennis star is talking about bouncing back like she has throughout her life.
She said: "I had to, in tennis terms, I guess, reset – hard reset – a few times. 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."
Tennis Star’s Grueling Health Fight
Her recovery from the crazed stabbing took more than two years.
Her recovery from the crazed attack took more than two years, but she hit the courts again with ferocious determination that led the 5-foot-10 gal to win her comeback tournament, the 1995 Canadian Open.
As for her current condition, she first noticed symptoms of the disease while playing tennis with friends and family and was shocked to find she was missing the ball and even seeing double – two balls instead of the actual one.
Also, at times her arms got so weak she could barely hold a dryer to dry her hair.
Tennis Legend Adjusts to Diagnosis
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Diagnosed with myasthenia gravis in 2022, Seles said the condition is another 'reset' in a life that includes her rise to Grand Slam success.
Now, she views her condition as yet another "reset" – another challenge to beat as she has done all through her life.
"Really, being diagnosed with myasthenia gravis: another reset. But one thing, as I tell kids that I mentor: You've got to always adjust," she said.
"That ball is bouncing, and you've just got to adjust."
