Archives

Monica Seles has thrown down the gauntlet directly at Steffi Graf’s feet. Not two hours after Graf had claimed her sixth Wimbledon singles title, by beating Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in one of the most stirring finals in Wimbledon history, Seles held a news conference on this side of the pond to announce her intention to play in the U.S. Openthe next major. To accentuate the moment Seles allowed her

By Gus Bode
July 13, 1995

Coincidence? I don’t think so. Nor do I think it was coincidence when Seles announced her upcoming exhibition match with Martina Navratilova during the second week of the French Open, stealing a headline from that event. Seles has always had a knack for selling Seles.

Perhaps Seles felt she had cover because the announcement was made in conjunction with her appearance at the Special Olympics in Connecticut. But Seles could have easily refrained from talking about her own tennis planswhich she knew would make newsfor a few days and let Graf glow in a solitary spotlight. Instead, Seles big-footed Graf’s moment. This is how you stoke a rivalry.

see SELES, page 11