Tennis legend Monica Seles diagnosed with rare autoimmune disease, reveals struggle with ‘difficult’ symptoms

Monica Seles, nine-time grand slam champion and one of the greatest tennis players of all time, revealed that she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called myasthenia gravis. The former Serbian-American world number one explained that she has been struggling against this disease over the last five years, and decided to speak out about it in a bid for awareness. FILE - International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee Monica Seles waves to the crowd as she holds her plaque during ceremonies in Newport, R.I., July 11, 2009. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, file)(AP)

In an interview with the Associated Press, Seles explained how the signs were slow to come at first, but slowly grew to a level where it could not be avoided.

“I would be playing [tennis] with some kids or family members, and I would miss a ball. I was like, ‘Yeah, I see two balls.’ These are obviously symptoms that you can’t ignore,” explained Seles.

The former star, who won eight of her nine slam titles as a teenager, revealed it required her to build up the courage to speak up about it as she battled with the implications of the disease: “It took me quite some time to really absorb it, speak openly about it, because it’s a difficult one. It affects my day-to-day life quite a lot.”

As per NHS.co.uk, myasthenia gravis is a “a rare long-term condition that causes muscle weakness. It most commonly affects the muscles that control the eyes and eyelids, facial expressions, chewing, swallowing and speaking. But it can affect most parts of the body.”

Now 51 years old, Seles explained that she realised the significance of someone with her profile speaking up about such a situation, which prompted her decision to take her diagnosis public. “When I got diagnosed, I was like, ‘What?!’ So this is where — I can’t emphasise enough — I wish I had somebody like me speak up about it.”

‘Then obviously my stabbing…’

This is the latest in a career that has been full of setbacks for Seles: after her incredible start to her career which saw her well on the way to being the greatest tennis star in history, she was infamously stabbed in the upper back during a match in Hamburg as a 19-year-old, after which she was only able to add one more grand slam to her tally.

Seles reflected on how those experiences had helped her resolve herself against this diagnosis, and made it just the next occasion on which she had to roll with the punches and remember how to ‘adjust’.

“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,” explained the tennis great. “And then, really, being diagnosed with myasthenia gravis: another reset.”

“But one thing, as I tell kids that I mentor: ‘You’ve got to always adjust. That ball is bouncing, and you’ve just got to adjust.’ And that’s what I’m doing now,” concluded Seles.

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