Show notes
On April 30, 1993, one moment of madness changed the course of tennis history, and confronted the world of sport with an uncomfortable reality - how safe were its biggest stars?
Teenage phenomenon, Monica Seles, had taken the tennis world by storm, and was one of the most famous female athletes on the planet. But on that fateful day in 1993, she became the victim of a public and violent crime - in front of thousands of onlookers, she was ambushed on court and stabbed in the back by a spectator.
Hear what happened from those who were there; how shock and disbelief gave way to questions. But first we must answer: who was Monica Seles?
Clare Balding charts the meteoric rise of the pocket rocket from Yugoslavia, whose raw power took her from the brutalist concrete car park courts of Serbia, to the sun-soaked state-of-the-art courts of Florida - ushering in a new era of women’s tennis.
Before long, the young pretender comes up against the queen of tennis - Steffi Graf - but does Seles really have what it takes to take down Germany’s golden girl? At Roland Garros in 1989, the world got its first glimpse of the rivalry that would become one of the most talked about in the sport - but not for the reason anyone expects.
Warning: This episode contains descriptions of violence.
Presented by Clare Balding
Written & Produced by Emma Roberts
Additional reporting by Russell Fuller
Mixed by Gareth Iles
Executive Producer: Joe Haddow
Assistant Commissioner: Rob Green
Commissioning Executive: Stevie Middleton
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