12/21/24
July 05, 2009
Monica Seles talks about her hair, her fridge, her body, and being stabbed in the back: The former teenage prodigy won eight grand slam events before being attacked at age 19 by a deranged fan. She came back to win a ninth, but was never the same again. In this interview she reflects on her career, and on being a teenage girl under the spotlight. "My generation was the last when you were marketed really as a tennis player - Graf, Hingis. But when Anna Kournikova came along, there was this whole other thing - suddenly it was all about looks. Tennis is pretty unforgiving if you are carrying weight. You are expected to wear short skirts, and you are compared to all these 16- and 17-year-olds.
What would like to see Drood? Wimbledon, at least, has live scores which have gotten better each year. And now they broadcast online via NBC. Not sure about the other Grand Slams. It seems like there isn't great coordination between the events when it comes to technology and presentaton.
posted by kokaku at 05:53 PM on July 05, 2009
I always liked Seles, and I really have no idea why. Good to see her doing well (although in the second picture, wow does she look skinny. Probably just the picture).
In fact the only real sex symbols (as far as the media were concerned) I remember back then were Capriati (before she went off the rails) and Sabatini.
Strange, I was a huge tennis fan back then, and Sabatini, yes, but I don't remember capriati being marketed as a sex symbol at all.
posted by justgary at 06:01 PM on July 05, 2009
I can't believe the tennis players voted unanimously to take Seles's #1 ranking away. That is cold. I have always held a grudge against Graf for benefiting for so many years from her own deranged fan. I consider all of her wins after the stabbing to be illegitimate.
posted by bperk at 10:30 AM on July 06, 2009
I can't believe the tennis players voted unanimously to take Seles's #1 ranking away.
That part hit me too. The jerk store was sold out that day.
posted by rcade at 11:14 AM on July 06, 2009
From the "I can't believe they admitted it so frankly" department:
When it comes to choosing which women play on [Wimbledon] Centre Court, good looks count for more than big shots.
While a succession of easy-on-the-eye unknowns have appeared in Wimbledon's prime arena, the top women's seeds have been relegated to lesser courts.
And last night the All England Club admitted that physical attractiveness is taken into consideration. Spokesman Johnny Perkins said: 'Good looks are a factor.' .....
..... Johnny Perkins said court selection is 'a great big mixture of where the players are in the draw, who they're playing, what their ranking is.
But at the end of the day, box-office appeal has to be taken into consideration.
'It's not a coincidence that those (on Centre Court) are attractive.'
This has pissed off a number of the higher ranked players who were shunted to Court 1 or Court 2.
posted by rumple at 01:51 PM on July 06, 2009
I can't believe that, rumple. That is offensive on so many levels. I look forward to watching the fall out from this.
Serena is very attractive. How does she end up on Court 2?
posted by bperk at 02:28 PM on July 06, 2009
kokaku: NBC doesn't do me any good here in Canada sadly. I'd like to actually watch. I mean in the UK it's on the BBC meaning NO COMMERCIALS! Which means you can really kick back and get into it.
I really do miss that.
posted by Drood at 02:11 PM on July 07, 2009
I liked Monica. The stabbing was horrifying. She always seemed like a really nice person. As did Graf. In fact the only real sex symbols (as far as the media were concerned) I remember back then were Capriati (before she went off the rails) and Sabatini.
I've not watched Wimbledon since I left England in 1996 but it seems that around then was where it started to turn into what Monica is saying.
I do miss obsessively following tennis for two weeks and then not really giving a crap for the next 50. I'd probably follow tennis a lot closer if it was easier to keep up with it all and see it. Again it's a situation where I wish a sport would take the lead from MLB. Say what you will about Bud Selig etc... MLB is the cutting edge of sports presentation online and is constantly pushing new technology.