Nine-time Grand Slam singles champion and International Tennis Hall of Famer Monica Seles has revealed she was diagnosed three years ago with myasthenia gravis, a chronic neuromuscular autoimmune disorder.
Speaking about it publicly for the first time in an Associated Press interview, the 51-year-old said she hopes to raise awareness ahead of the US Open, starting August 24.
Seles first noticed symptoms while playing tennis with family, experiencing double vision and muscle weakness that made even blow-drying her hair difficult. “When I got diagnosed, I thought, ‘What?!’” she said.
She is now partnering with Dutch immunology company argenx on its “Go for Greater” campaign to promote awareness and early diagnosis.
The former world No. 1 has faced major challenges before: leaving Yugoslavia for the US at 13 without speaking English, winning her first Grand Slam at 16, and surviving a 1993 on-court stabbing in Hamburg that sidelined her for over two years.
“Being diagnosed with myasthenia gravis is another reset,” Seles said. “Like in tennis, you have to adjust to how the ball bounces — and that’s what I’m doing now.”
