Sports Nicknames - Moaning Monica, Little Mo

If you are a sport-loving person or at least feel a certain connection with the players, you cannot ignore the story of Monica Seles. A bright young tennis star who was the best in the world even before turning 20. However, an unfortunate stabbing incident robbed her of the heights that she could have easily attained.



Career Profile:

Monica Seles was a professional tennis player who represented Yugoslavia and United States at the highest level. In total, she played in 13 Grand Slam Finals and won 9 of them. What made her special was that she enjoyed most of her success even before turning 20.


Playing Style:

Seles was an aggressive player who preferred baseline play. She could play and manage the angels well because she had two-handed groundstrokes. It was unconventional, but it worked pretty well for her. Moreover, she also had a strong serve that allowed her to stamp her authority over the opponent. Her fitness, speed, and quick movement around the court made her a tough opponent to compete against.

Despite the stabbing incident, she was regarded as a confident, competitive, highly aggressive, and mentally strong player. Her mental toughness made her the toughest player to beat on the court.

Interestingly, her aggressive nature and mental toughness were the reasons behind her famous nickname.


Moaning Monica and Little Mo

Monica was notorious for her grunting during tennis matches.

Monica Seles was aggressive in nature. Moreover, she enjoyed most of her success in her early years. She had won 8 Grand Slams even before turning 20. She was the World's Number One.

She often had issues with referees and players on the court. She would complain about close calls and be often found grumbling about things. All of it was fine and justifiable since she continued to succeed.

On the basis of her attitude, she was nicknamed "Moaning Monica" since she complained so often.


Achievements and Accomplishments:

Seles became the youngest French Open champion at 16 when she won her first grand slam title in 1990. She won another two French Open titles in 1991 and 1992. In addition to that, she won two US Open titles(1991 and 1992) and four Australian Open titles (1991, 1992, 1993, and 1996).

Between 1990 and 1992, she also won three consecutive ATP tour Finals. At this point in time, Seles was the only star in global tennis. It all was working for her, and she seemed all set to be the ultimate tennis queen. However, an unfortunate sequence of events led to her tragic downfall.


Stabbing Incident:

In 1993, a spectator stabbed Seles in her back during one of her matches. Following that, she was side-lined from professional tennis for a couple of years. She did return to professional tennis in 1995. But she just was not as good as she once was. She won a bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.


Hall of Fame:

In 2009, she was officially inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

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