What is Myasthenia Gravis? Monica Seles opens up after rare disease diagnosis

Monica Seles has opened up about her battle with myasthenia gravis, a rare neuromuscular autoimmune disease that has altered her life to a great extent. The nine-time Grand Slam champion compared the experience of adapting to this 'new normal' to the difficult period she endured after being stabbed by a spectator during a tournament in Hamburg, Germany, in 1993.

In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Seles recalled the moment she first noticed symptoms of the disease. While playing tennis with a group of children, she was startled to realise she was seeing two balls coming towards her.

"I would be playing with some kids or family members, and I would miss a ball. I was like, Yeah, I see two balls.' These are obviously symptoms that you can't ignore," Seles said. "And, for me, this is when this journey started. And it took me quite some time to really absorb it, speak openly about it, because it's a difficult one. It affects my day-to-day life quite a lot."


The 51-year-old Seles, who claimed her first Grand Slam title at just 16 at the 1990 French Open and last competed professionally in 2003, revealed that she was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis three years ago.

Speaking publicly about the condition for the first time, Seles chose to share her story ahead of the upcoming US Open, beginning August 24, in hopes of raising awareness about the disease, commonly referred to as MG.

What is Myasthenia Gravis?

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke describes myasthenia gravis as 'a chronic neuromuscular disease that causes weakness in voluntary muscles, most often affecting young adult women under 40 and older men over 60, though it can appear at any age, even in childhood.

The troubling symptoms include weakness in the arm and leg muscles, double vision, fatigue, shortness of breath, difficulty speaking, and swallowing.

It has been 30 years since Seles made her emotional return to competition at the 1995 US Open, reaching the final more than two years after she was stabbed by a man during a tournament in Hamburg, Germany.

Now, as she faces myasthenia gravis, Seles describes her life as another chapter of adaptation - learning to embrace a 'new normal' and adjust to each challenge as it comes.

"I had to, in tennis terms, I guess, reset - hard reset - a few times. I call my first hard reset when I came to the U.S. as a young 13-year-old (from Yugoslavia). Didn't speak the language; left my family. It's a very tough time. Then, obviously, becoming a great player, it's a reset, too, because the fame, money, the attention, changes (everything), and it's hard as a 16-year-old to deal with all that. Then obviously my stabbing - I had to do a huge reset," Seles told news agency AP.