Former World No. 1 Monica Seles opened up about being diagnosed with the neuromuscular autoimmune disease, Myasthenia Gravis, that significantly hinders her everyday life. Seles, who is now 51, admits that she was just as clueless as the second person on finding out about her diagnosis.
Seles’s tryst with double vision and extreme weakness in limbs began in 2019, following which she started seeking medical assistance. However, the confirmation on what she was actually experiencing came in 2022, after going through several tests for two years under the guidance of a neurologist.
Myasthenia Gravis, which is reportedly a fairly rare condition, affects about 150 to 200 people per million globally, which makes the diagnosis quite challenging. The common symptoms, as faced by Monica Seles as well, include weakness in the arm and leg muscles, double vision, fatigue, shortness of breath, difficulty speaking and swallowing.
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"I got diagnosed, I was like, what?" said the nine-time Grand Slam champion after finding out about her ailment. (via AP)
In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, the International Tennis Hall of Famer spoke about it for the first time, with hopes of raising awareness about the condition. She said:
"I wish I had somebody like me speak out about it and just raise awareness. When I would be playing with some kids or family members and I would miss a ball, I'm like, "I see two balls". These are obviously symptoms that you can't ignore 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."
Monica Seles explained how her adaptive nature acted as an effective tool in this.
Monica Seles on how 'resets' prove to be key in difficult times
In the same interview, Monica Seles explained how she had to deal with a few 'hard resets' throughout her life and a skill she continues to put to use when challenges come across. She recalled stepping into the US for the first time from Novi Sad, Yugoslavia (now Serbia), followed by her attaining fame as a teenager and said:
"I call my first hard reset when I came to the US as a young 13-year-old that [didn't] speak the language, left my family, and it's a very tough time. Then, obviously becoming a great player, it's a reset too because the fame, money, the attention change and it's hard as a 16-year-old to deal with all that."
Seles then added how her being stabbed in 1993 required a 'huge reset' to overcome the mental distress. She continues to channel the same mentality and claims that the only positive way to approach her condition is to 'adjust' and learn to live with it.
"Then obviously my stabbing had to do a huge reset and then really being diagnosed with myasthenia gravis another reset, but one thing is I just tell kids that I mentor you gotta always adjust. That ball is bouncing and you just gotta adjust and that's what I'm doing now," said Seles.
The two-time US Open champion will be back this year as well in a different role at the tournament. Partnering with the immunology company, Argenx, Monica Seles will promote their Go for Greater campaign and raise awareness about such conditions starting August 24.
