Before Venus and Serena
There was Monica Seles. By 1992, a 19-year old Monica had over 200 wins and 30 titles 8 of which were Grand Slams.
Monica Was On Top Of The World
Monica seized the throne from former world's number 1 Steffi Graf but during a tournament in Germany tragedy struck.
She Was Playing In Quarterfinal Match
And during the 2nd set both women paused for a water break as Monica bent down to grab some water.
She Felt A Sharp Pain
In her back she turned around to see Gunter Parche, who stabbed her in between the shoulder blade with a 9 inch knife.
Obsession Kills
Turns out Gunter was an obsessed Steffi fan and thought that by injuring Monica Steffi would reclaim the throne.
Security Enhanced But At What Cost?
The attack resulted in sweeping changes to security but the damage to Monica was already done.
Still The Goat Of Tennis
To this day many tennis experts consider Monica Seles to be the greatest woman to ever pick up a racket.