Monica Seles named to tennis Hall of Fame

NEWPORT, R.I., Jan. 15 (UPI) -- Monica Seles, who won 53 singles titles, including nine Grand Slams, was elected Thursday to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I.

The 35-year-old Seles won the Australian Open four times, the French Open three times and the U.S. Open twice in her 15-year career.

Seles won eight of her nine slams by age 19.

Others chosen for the the Hall of Fame Class of 2009 are Andres Gimeno in the master player category and Dr. Robert Johnson and Donald L. Dell in the contributors category.

Seles was born in the former Yugoslavia and moved with her family to the United States in 1987, when she was 13.

In April 1993, a fan attacked Seles during a match in Hamburg, Germany, and stabbed her in the back. The injury knocked her out of competitive tennis for more than two years.

Seles won her final Grand Slam, the Australian Open, in 1996.