Retired tennis champion and MG advocate Monica Seles works to elevate awareness for myasthenia gravis. She was diagnosed with this rare neuromuscular disease three years ago. In a recent public interview before the US Open, she opened up about her health issues for the first time. She shared the symptoms that have changed the course of her life and career.
It was in this atmosphere that Seles, at the age of 16, won her first major title at the 1990 French Open. Since then, she’s laid the foundation for an extraordinary career. During her storied career she captured an astounding nine Grand Slam singles championships. She held the No. 1 ranking in the Women’s Tennis Association rankings for 178 weeks, ranking her sixth all-time on that list. Despite her achievements, Seles faced significant challenges after an incident in 1993 when she was stabbed during a tournament in Germany. Her resilience was on full display when she made her triumphant return to the US Open in 1995. More than two years after the attack, she finally made it to the final!
Her most recent health ordeal started more insidiously, with signs appearing only while in the middle of games. During play, Seles would go on to report visions of double vision and weakness in her arms and legs. Myopia “I’d be playing with friends or family and I’d miss a ball, and I was just like, ‘Yeah, I see two balls,’ ” she remembered, describing her battle with the condition.
Determined to learn more about her condition, Seles began consulting with a neurologist in an attempt to understand what was happening to her. She shared how myasthenia gravis had changed her day-to-day life, explaining that everything from brushing her teeth to getting dressed felt overwhelming. “I had to, in tennis terms, I guess, reset – hard reset – a few times,” she noted, emphasizing the need to adapt continuously.
These days, Seles is adjusting to life with this “new normal.” She describes her health experience as just another developmental milestone in life that calls for some adaptation and grit. “You’ve got to always adjust. That ball is bouncing, and you’ve just got to adjust,” she explained, reflecting her athletic mindset.
Seles’s dedication to raising awareness about myasthenia gravis could not be more timely. By making her diagnosis public, she wants to help others who will find themselves in the same situation and have to make the same tough decisions. “And, for me, this is when this journey started. And it took me quite some time to really absorb it, speak openly about it because it’s a difficult one,” she shared.