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A ring, some memories and a father's love
Riding wave of emotion, Seles 1 win from French Open crown
Posted: Friday June 05, 1998 03:13 PM
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Seles is 14-2 against Sanchez Vicario, including a 6-3, 6-4 win in the 1991 French Open final (Clive Brunskill/Allsport) |
PARIS (AP) -- The ring dancing around her neck and the black outfit are signs it will be a special match for Monica Seles when she meets Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the women's final on Saturday.
On May 14, Seles was at her father's side when he died in Sarasota, Florida, after a five-year battle with cancer.
Now Seles is back in the final of the French Open, the tournament where she won her first Grand Slam title in 1990 with her father in the stands.
After Seles beat Steffi Graf in the final eight years ago, Seles raced to the player's box and to her father, Karolj, who kissed the red tie he was wearing and handed it to his daughter.
Now Seles is wearing another memento from her father, a ring that bounces around her neck on a chain as she hits the ball.
She came to Paris to play in the French Open, her first tournament since her father's death, because she couldn't bear staying in a house that holds memories of him in every corner.
"My dad just wanted me to do what I wanted to do. Tennis is one of the things that I love to do. He was the one who started me with it," Seles said. "I miss him tremendously."
Her father was with her when she won the title again in 1991 and 1992. But her career was interrupted when a crazed fan stabbed her during a match in Germany in 1993.
Seles said it has been tough to concentrate on tennis since her return to competition in August 1995.
Sanchez Vicario won the French Open title in 1989 and 1994 (Mike Powell/Allsport) | |
"When there's so many things going on outside your life it's difficult to keep my mind talking about life and things, then go on a tennis court and be really excited about hitting a ball," she said.
She has had only patches of brilliance in the past two years, as her father's illness weighed on her. She missed this year's Australian Open, and advanced to the semifinals of only one of four tournaments this year before the French Open.
At the French Open, though, Seles has seemed like her old dominating self. In the semifinals, she beat top-seeded Martina Hingis 6-3, 6-2.
She credits new coach, Gavin Hopper, with changing her. Until shortly before his death, Karolj Seles was her only coach.
"Gavin has just helped me so much in my tennis game, my off-court game, just really mentally, too," Seles said. "We just work very well together. We have the same goals, the same philosophy. He reminds me a lot of my dad, how he is with his two daughters."
Seles is 14-2 against Sanchez Vicario, including a 6-3, 6-4 win in the 1991 French Open final. But Seles quickly points to the last time they played, at the WTA Championships in November, when Sanchez Vicario won in three sets.
Sanchez Vicario advanced to Saturday's final with a victory over an error-plagued Lindsay Davenport.
"I knew we were both very nervous, but I probably handled it better at the end. I was able to get the ball into the court and she made some mistakes," Sanchez Vicario said.
Sanchez Vicario won the French title in 1989 and 1994. When she shocked Graf in 1989, the German's only Grand Slam loss between 1988 and 1989, the Spaniard was the youngest woman to win a major title at 17 years, five months. Seles eclipsed that the following year, winning the French Open title at 16 1/2.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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