Monica Seles has been diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, or MG, a rare autoimmune condition.
The tennis legend was diagnosed with the condition three years ago and has decided to reveal her condition to the public to help raise awareness.
“It was 30 years ago that I came back to the [U.S.] Open … It was like a reset, and this was one of the reasons I decided to go public with my myasthenia gravis, because it’s been a huge reset in my professional life as a tennis player, also in my personal life,” she said this week during an appearance on Good Morning America.
“When I got diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, I had no clue what it was. I had a hard time pronouncing it,” she continued.
“It’s been a very challenging time dealing with it,” she added. “[But] knowing that there’s hope out there and a great community… has helped me tremendously.”
The 51-year-old said being so in tune with her body as a professional athlete helped her realise that something was wrong. One of the most worrying symptoms was seeing two balls, rather than one, coming towards her while she was playing tennis.
“I started experiencing these symptoms of extreme leg weakness, arm weakness, double vision. So I realised, ‘This is very unusual,'” she said. “Once I was diagnosed, it was like a relief, but also it was a challenge. Even coming here today — in the old days, traveling would be a no-brainer. Now I had to get packing tips. I had to learn a new way to live with MG.”
The Serbian-American tennis player was just 16 won she won her first major tournament at the French Open in 1990.
In 1993, during a tournament in Hamburg, Germany, Monica was stabbed in the back by Günter Parche, a disturbed fan who was obsessed with her rival Steffi Graf.
The psychological impact of the attack forced the tennis champ to step back from the game for two years. She eventually returned to professional tennis and won another grand slam before she retired for good in 2008.
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