Djokovic seeks record-breaking 25th Grand Slam at French Open
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New York Post
3 hours ago
- New York Post
Tennis legend reveals diagnosis with rare chronic autoimmune disease
Monica Seles first noticed the symptoms of myasthenia gravis — a neuromuscular autoimmune disease she discussed during a recent interview with The Associated Press — while she was swinging a racket the way she'd done so many times during, and after, a career that included nine Grand Slam titles and a place in the International Tennis Hall of Fame. '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 won her first major trophy at age 16 at the 1990 French Open and played her last match in 2003, said she was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis three years ago and is speaking publicly about it for the first time ahead of the U.S. Open, which starts on Aug. 24, to raise awareness about what is known as MG. Advertisement 4 Monica Seles said she was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis three years ago and is speaking publicly about it for the first time ahead of the U.S. Open. AP The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke calls it 'a chronic neuromuscular disease that causes weakness in the voluntary muscles' and 'most commonly impacts young adult women (under 40) and older men (over 60) but … can occur at any age, including childhood.' Seles said she'd never heard of the condition until seeing a doctor and being referred to a neurologist after noticing symptoms such as double vision and weakness in her arms — 'just blowing my hair out … became very difficult,' she said — and legs. Advertisement 'When I got diagnosed, I was like, 'What?!'' said Seles, who is partnering with argenx, an immunology company headquartered in the Netherlands, to promote their Go for Greater campaign. 'So this is where — I can't emphasize enough — I wish I had somebody like me speak up about it.' It's been three decades since Seles returned to competition at the 1995 U.S. Open, making it to the final, more than two years after she was attacked by a man with a knife at a tournament in Hamburg, Germany. 4 Monica Seles holds the trophy and a toy Kangaroo after winning the women's final over Germany's Anke Huber at the Australian Open tennis Championships in Melbourne, Jan. 27, 1996. AP 4 Seles reacts during a match against her Slovakian opponent Daniela Hantuchova, 02 June 2002 in Paris. AFP via Getty Images Advertisement 'The way they welcomed me … after my stabbing, I will never forget,' Seles said about the fans in New York. 'Those are the moments that stay with you.' She talks about learning to live a 'new normal' nowadays and characterizes her health as another in a series of life steps that required adapting. 4 Monica Seles first noticed the symptoms of myasthenia gravis while she was swinging a racket the way she'd done so many times during, and after, her career. AP '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 said. Advertisement 'And then, really, being diagnosed with myasthenia gravis: another reset. But one thing, as I tell kids that I mentor: 'You've got to always adjust. That ball is bouncing, and you've just got to adjust,'' she added. 'And that's what I'm doing now.'
USA Today
a day ago
- USA Today
Adam Walton defeats former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in Cincinnati Open
Former Tennessee men's tennis player Adam Walton defeated Daniil Medvedev, 6-7 (0), 6-4, 6-1, in the second round of the Cincinnati Open in Cincinnati, Ohio on Sunday. The former Vol totaled five aces in the match. He also converted 4-of-6 break points against former world No. 1 Medvedev. Walton had two double faults and recorded a .610 percentage on his first serve points, including 30 receiving points. He will next play Tuesday versus No. 22 seed Jiri Lehecka in the third round on Champions Court. Walton played for the Vols from 2017-22 under head coach Chris Woodruff, compiling a 124-25 singles and 101-47 doubles record. He was an All-SEC standout and earned All-America honors in both singles and doubles competition. In 2022, Walton combined with Pat Harper to win a doubles national championship. He has a professional singles record of 11-23. The former Vol is No. 85 in ATP Rankings. More: Two former Vols win first-round matches in 2025 French Open Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Emma Raducanu focused on leveling up at Cincinnati Open
Emma Raducanu has felt at home in Mason, Ohio... on the practice courts. With a bye to the Round of 64, the British 22-year-old has had extra time to work with newly hired Spanish coach, Francis Roig, who was a part of 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal's team between 2005 and 2022. Raducanu, who won the 2021 US Open, is not currently focused on grand slams, like the upcoming US Open in late August. She wants to level up her game, continuing that quest at the WTA 1,000 Cincinnati Open. 'I know there will be a time where I'll be targeting big tournaments, master's and slams, but to be honest, right now, that's not my goal,' Raducanu said. 'My goal is to improve as a player.' Raducanu starts Cincinnati Open well Raducanu looked decisive in her first match since she added Roig in a heat-ridden, 6-3, 6-2 victory against WTA No. 43, Olga Danilović. Despite entering the tournament at No. 39 in the rankings, she now projects to rise to No. 33. Raducanu was broken on her first serve, but got the break right back immediately to draw level, 1-1. Soon after, she won two straight sets to take a commanding 3-1 lead. She then broke Danilović's serve after fighting back from 30-0 and securing it after her opponent sent a groundstroke long. Danilović broke Raducanu's serve in the next game after double-faulting at 30-40, before she pulled level at 3-3. But Raducanu won the following three sets to close the first set, winning the final eight points and finishing with back-to-back aces. The second set followed a similar trajectory after both players held their first service games. Raducanu almost broke Danilović at 1-1, but the Serbian overcame the two break points and six deuces to draw ahead 2-1. But the Briton also held her serve without dropping a point before breaking Danilović's serve to go up 3-2. Soon after, Raducanu swept Danilović's serve to take a commanding 5-2 lead, securing the game with a down-the-line backhand, before finalizing the match on her serve. 'Bar the first game today, that was not very much fit, but other than that, I was pretty mature and disciplined in my performance,' Raducanu said. ' I took care of my service games really well. And I knew that playing Olga, who's really difficult and really dangerous as a lefty and with big strikes, it was going to be important.' Extra time on practice courts helped Raducanu Playing as a seeded player this week, Raducanu has had extra time to work on the practice courts, which she said is where she feels her game develops the most. Raducanu is looking to fill gaps in her game and improve her overall play while working on the quality of her shots. She added that she has taken a more mature approach, trusting the work she has done behind the scenes. Raducanu said she noticed four or five points in the match where she executed a point she worked on in training. Eventually, the grand slams will come. 'My home this week so far has been the site,' Raducanu said. 'I've been here (for) like, 13 hours a day, every day, so part of that is training, a lot (of it is) the rain in between … but it's actually a site that has been so nice actually to hang around, and it's so modern.' Raducanu could face WTA No. 1 next Next, Raducanu could face world No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka, in her Round of 32 contest, if the Belarusian defeats Markéta Vondroušová. She lost to Sabalaneka in a tightly contested third-round Wimbledon contest on grass, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4. Sabalenka and Vondroušová have played eight times, splitting the contests four apiece. Raducanu said that when she can see how she stacks up against top players when she plays one, but she also noted that day-of form can affect results. 'I'm reasonable enough, and I guess honest enough with myself, to know that different surfaces favor different people, and where my game is at in comparison,' Raducanu said. 'So, I think the grass gave me a bit of an advantage (against Sabalenka), but we'll see how it goes.' Regardless of how her Cincinnati Open run turns out, Raducanu is off to a positive start. She hasn't lost her opening match in a tournament since the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, as she has climbed the WTA rankings. But for now, winning appears just to be a bonus. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Emma Raducanu focused on leveling up at Cincinnati Open
