Monica Seles Reveals Her Struggle with Myasthenia Gravis: What Is It?

Liputan6.com, Jakarta Former world tennis player Monica Seles recently made a surprising revelation about her health.

She revealed that she had been diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis (MG), an autoimmune neuromuscular disease.

This revelation was made ahead of the US Open.

Monica Seles received her MG diagnosis three years ago, in 2022.

The decision to speak publicly was made only now, given the significant impact the disease has had on her daily life.

Seles, now 51, wants to share her experience to help others who may be facing similar challenges.

Tennis legend Monica Seles opens up about being diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis and how it’s affected her day-to-day life. Symptoms include weakness in the arm and leg muscles, double vision, fatigue, shortness of breath, difficulty speaking, and swallowing.🎥: SNTV/AP Photo pic.twitter.com/oAp2XVUJas

— TennisONE App (@TennisONEApp) August 12, 2025

Monica Seles is known as one of the most dominant female tennis players of the early 1990s.

Born in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia, on December 2, 1973, her tennis talent was evident early on, coached by her father in a parking lot.

At the age of 13, she moved to the United States to hone her skills at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy.

Monica Seles' professional career began in 1989, when she was 15 years old.

Just a year later, she made history by becoming the youngest Grand Slam champion at the French Open at age 16.

Finally, in March 1991, Seles became the youngest singles player to reach the WTA world number one ranking at age 17.

Monica Seles' dominance continued from January 1991 to February 1993, winning 33 of the 34 tournaments she entered, including six Grand Slam singles titles.

In total, she won 53 WTA Tour singles titles, including nine Grand Slam titles, eight of which came while representing Yugoslavia and the final one for the United States.

However, on April 30, 1993, Seles' career was cut short by a stabbing incident in Hamburg, Germany, by a fan.

After returning in August 1995, she won the 1996 Australian Open, before officially retiring in November 2008 due to a foot injury.

Monica Seles publicly revealed that she was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis (MG) on August 12, 2025.

Seles had actually received the diagnosis in 2022, but she only recently felt ready to share it publicly.

Monica Seles began experiencing symptoms of Myasthenia Gravis while she was still actively playing tennis, such as double vision, which caused her to see two balls.

She also experienced significant weakness in her arms and legs.

Simple daily tasks, such as drying her hair, became extremely difficult due to the progressive muscle weakness.

Seles admitted that it took a long time for her to accept her Myasthenia Gravis diagnosis and speak openly about it.

She described the diagnosis as another "reset" in her life, likening it to other major experiences like moving to the United States as a teenager or a life-changing stabbing incident.

“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.”

Myasthenia Gravis (MG) is a chronic neuromuscular disease that causes weakness in voluntary muscles.

This disease is classified as autoimmune, meaning the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells or proteins essential for normal body function.

This condition specifically disrupts communication between nerves and muscles at the neuromuscular junction.

In people with MG, antibodies produced by the immune system block, alter, or even destroy acetylcholine receptors at the neuromuscular junction.

As a result, muscles cannot contract properly, causing weakness, which is the main symptom of MG.

This weakness usually worsens during physical activity and improves after rest.

Common symptoms of Myasthenia Gravis include double vision (diplopia) and drooping eyelids (ptosis).

People may also experience weakness in the arms or legs, difficulty speaking (dysarthria), chewing, or swallowing (dysphagia).

In severe cases, MG can cause difficulty breathing, known as a myasthenic crisis, a medical emergency.

While there is no cure for Myasthenia Gravis, its symptoms can be effectively managed with appropriate treatment.

MG can affect anyone of any age, but it often begins in young women under 40 and older men over 60.