Brave, Braver, Bravo - Monica Seles

In the face of massive handicaps, some stars have overcome incredible odds. Their stories have inspired millions and continue to do so. This time, we look at the story of Monica Seles.

She was three time Australian Open Winner, a two time US Open winner and the youngest ever French Open winner (a competition she won three times).

Between 1990 and 1993 Monica Seles was the golden girl of tennis, and it seemed that nothing could stop the World Number One.

Gunter Parche knew this. Stocky, balding, 38 year old Parche was a deranged, obsessive fan of Steffi Graf, Seles' main tennis rival at the time. Parche was in the crowd when Seles played against Magdalena Maleeva in a match at Hamburg, Germany. He was determined to stop her.

Leading 6-4, 4-3, Seles took a breather on her courtside seat during the rest break. While she towelled hersfelf down, Parche emerged from the crowd, leaned over the three foot high barrier, pulled a knife from his pocket, raised it with both hands and - in full view of a 6,000 strong crowd - stabbed Seles in the back.

Monica Seles let out a chilling scream, and stumbled out onto the court. Parche's weapon, a 10 inch butchers knife, fell to the floor.

The crowd was stunned. Umpire Stefan Voss leapt from his chair and ran to Seles's side. "Nobody saw him coming," Voss would later lament.

Nineteen year old Seles was rushed to hospital with an inch deep wound in her upper back. Her injuries were serious, but, thankfully, not life threatening. Tournament doctor Peter Wind confirmed this: "Neither the lungs nor the shoulder blades were affected. She was very lucky."

Parche inexplicably was never jailed for the attack.

While many in Seles's position would have gone into hiding, the determined young woman immediately started planning her return to the game. It took her two years, but Seles eventually returned to competitive tennis, winning the 1995 Canadian Open and the 1996 Australian Open within months of her return.

While never quite as good as she had been before the attack, Monica Seles stayed at the top for several years.