There are memories we would like to erase. Moments we never want to experience because they are terrible and cruel. April 30, 2023 will mark a very terrifying anniversary. 30 years ago, Monica Seles was attacked with a knife by an unbalanced mid-game during a quarterfinals of the tournamentHamburg. A terrible trauma for the player but also for all witnesses and tennis fans…

On April 30, 1993, the unthinkable, the unthinkable…

The famous April 30, 1993 at Hamburgthe Yugoslavian-turned-American in 94 leads 6-4, 4-3 against Magdalena Maleeva and sits quietly in his chair. The spectators are stretching their legs, preparing for the victory of the world number 1, who has already won 8 Grand Slam tournaments. And the unbelievable happens…Gunter Parche, a German worker, evades the guards’ surveillance and stabs the poor player in the back with a kitchen knife. great admirer of Steffi Graf, so the man hoped to secure him the No. 1 spot. A gesture as frightening as it is crazy. The wound is superficial, however Seles is mentally devastated, on this April 30th … And how not to understand …

A judicial charade…

Although various hypotheses, including the political one, were mentioned at the beginning, the investigators quickly realized that the gesture was associated with tennis. Gunter ParcheDescribed as “confused and unbalanced”, he was therefore an admirer of the German champions Steffi Grafgreat rival of Moncia Seles. He hoped that his favorite player would retake the number one spot in the world. A completely crazy justification that sends shivers down your spine. But the court decisions are perhaps even more frightening. In October 1993 before the court of Hamburgthe attacker decided to defend himself by declaring that he had no intent to kill Monica Selesjust to hurt her. For this reason, Gunter Parche as mentally handicapped and was therefore acquitted of the attempted murder charge and found guilty only of the injuries inflicted. The sentence was a two-year suspended prison sentence combined with an obligation to undergo psychiatric treatment. Only… According to the media at the time, the judge justified her decision by expressing the attacker’s “sincere remorse”. Quite logical Monica Seles and his family appealed this verdict, but were unsuccessful. A legal charade that will have contributed to the psychological destruction of the poor Monica Seles. Note that the German media announced the death of Parche at the age of 68 just days before the sad 30th anniversary of this tragedy.

The return of a broken Monica Seles in 1995

Can you imagine being attacked and taken back like that on a pitch? It took 2 years Monica Seles to be able to step out onto a tennis court in front of the crowd again. August 1995 at theCanadian OpenAt the age of 21, the player starts her second career with a victorious comeback, but nothing will be the same again. Mentally broken, she had to work on herself to get well again. In January 1996 she won theAustralian OpenHis very last Grand Slam crown was neither at its best nor the WTA throne, mainly for weight reasons. A problem solely related to his aggression. I then tried everything to find a champion’s body, but it was impossible. I had no choice but to eat to hold on. I knew what I had to do, but emotionally I couldn’t do it.” she had explained. On May 27, 2003, Seles played his very last game, a loss against Nadia Petrova To Roland Garros. The only positive thing about this drama is the implementation of tighter security measures in the enclosures to keep players safe. None of this takes away from the tragedy experienced by Monica Seles and the incredible impunity of his attacker…