Tennis great Monica Seles opens up about myasthenia gravis years after shocking diagnosis

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Nine-time Grand Slam champion Monica Seles is speaking out about her health for the first time after she was diagnosed three years ago with a rare neuromuscular autoimmune disease. 

The International Tennis Hall of Famer revealed her diagnosis of myasthenia gravis in a recent interview with The Associated Press, with the hope of bringing awareness to the disease, which she acknowledged she had not known about before. 

Monica Seles prepares to serve the ball at the 2000 Lipton Tennis Championships at Crandon Park in March 2000. (RVR Photos/ USA TODAY Sports)

"When I got diagnosed, I was like, ‘What?!’" Seles told the outlet. "So this is where — I can’t emphasize enough — I wish I had somebody like me speak up about it."

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Seles, 51, was diagnosed with the disease in 2023. She told the AP that she was concerned when she noticed double vision while playing tennis. Missing a ball was something that stood out for the legendary tennis star, whose career featured four Australian Open titles, three French Open titles and two U.S. Open wins. 

"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."

Myasthenia gravis is described by the Cleveland Clinic as an autoimmune disease that causes skeletal muscle weakness. It affects about 20 out of every 100,000 people worldwide