Let’s get one thing straight: before there was Federer vs Nadal, before Serena vs Venus, there was Graf vs Seles — a rivalry so hot, so brutal, and so deliciously unpredictable that fans were obsessed.
And then?
Everything changed with one horrifying stab. Literally.
Back in the early ’90s, Monica Seles was steamrolling everyone — including Steffi. She was loud, fearless, and had no respect for Graf’s dominance. In 1991 and 1992, Monica took over the throne, collecting Slams like Pokémon cards while Graf looked… mortal.
The torch was being passed.
Until one deranged fan snatched it back with a knife.
In 1993, during a match in Hamburg, Seles was violently stabbed in the back by a Graf-obsessed lunatic who couldn’t stand seeing Steffi dethroned. It was horrific, surreal — and career-altering. Monica disappeared from the game for over two years. Graf returned to dominance.
But here’s the twist: it never felt the same again.
Steffi won more Slams — yes. But the edge, the rivalry, the fire? Gone. Fans were left wondering: Would Graf have stayed on top if Seles wasn’t attacked?
And here’s the kicker — Steffi never truly addressed it. Not in a juicy memoir. Not in teary press conferences.
She kept it classy, cold, and silent.
Which only made it all more mysterious. Did she feel guilty? Relieved? Haunted?
We may never know.
But one thing’s for sure: tennis lost something that day.
Not just Monica’s momentum — but a rivalry that could’ve redefined the sport.
Graf went on to become a GOAT.
Seles came back, but was never quite the same.
And somewhere in between, the game changed forever — and not even a scoreboard could explain how deep that scar went.