HAMBURG, Germany - It seems impossible now that it could have ever happened - the top tennis player in the world attacked and stabbed on court in the middle of a match. But that's exactly what happened to Monica Seles, at a time when she seemed to be unbeatable.
Seles appeared on the women's tennis scene like a rocket, winning the 1990 French Open at age 16, the youngest ever to win that event. Proving her success was no fluke, Seles won all three majors she entered in 1991, then went three-for-four in Grand Slam events in 1992, losing only in the Wimbledon final to Steffi Graf, the woman she replaced as the world's No. 1 player.
One of the first players to grunt loudly when hitting shots, Seles' vocal stylings sometimes overshadowed her play, which was often brilliant. When she won the 1993 Australian Open, it capped a stretch where she had gone 55-1 in the Grand Slams. At the top of the tennis world, Seles went to a tournament in Germany in April.
In the quarterfinals of that event, while Seles was seated on the bench during a changeover, a man describing himself as a fan of Graf's ran down from the stands and stabbed Seles in the back with a boning knife. He admitted later that he did so to help Graf retain the world No. 1 ranking. Seles was immediately taken to the hospital; while she was physially healed within a few weeks, she didn't play competitive tennis for two years after the stabbing.
When she returned in 1995, despite being only 22 years old, she was unable to consistenly regain her previous form. She returned to win the 1996 Australian Open, where she had never been defeated, for her final major championship.
The stabbing on April 30, 1993, wasn't the only reason Seles' career got derailed. As she attempted her comeback, she lost her father (and coach) to cancer and had self-described battles with depression and food addiction. But rarely has any elite athlete's career been so irreparably damaged by something completely out of their control. Seles retired with nine Grand Slam titles to her name, but it's easy to believe she could have had twice that many.
HONORABLE MENTION:
April 30, 1986: EDMONTON, Alberta - Only one franchise has won the Stanley Cup five straight times - the Montreal Canadiens of the late 1950s. If not for one errant pass, the Edmonton Oilers of the 80s might have joined them. Attempting a cross-ice pass in his own zone five minutes into the third period of Game 7, Edmonton defenseman Steve Smith accidentally shot the puck off his own goaltender's leg and into the net. The goal gave Calgary a 3-2 lead that they would not relinquish in an upset of the two-time defending champions. Edmonton would bounce back to win the next two Stanley Cups, but the 1986 series still haunts them. It remains the only time Calgary has won a playoff series between the two in the heated Battle of Alberta.
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