Tennis: Monica Seles announces she has myasthenia gravis, a rare autoimmune disease

The former American player, winner of nine Grand Slam titles, announced her illness on Tuesday, three years after being diagnosed.

"It took me a while to really process it, to talk about it openly, because it's a difficult subject. It has a huge impact on my daily life." Three years after her diagnosis , American tennis champion Monica Seles announced on Tuesday, August 12, in an interview with the Associated Press , that she has myasthenia gravis. This "rare disease of immune origin," explains the AFM Téléthon website , is characterized in particular by "a transmission defect between the nerve and the muscle, responsible for fluctuating muscle weakness."

The 51-year-old former athlete, winner of 53 WTA Tour titles, including nine Grand Slam titles in the 1990s, recounted the early stages of her life-changing illness. "I was playing with kids or family members, and I would sometimes miss balls. I would think, 'Yeah, I see two balls.' There are definitely symptoms you can't ignore," she said. Beyond double vision, Monica Seles also explained that some everyday activities have become "very difficult," such as drying her hair.

By making her illness public, Monica Seles wants to raise awareness about this rare disease, which affects, according to data collected by the AFM Téléthon website, nearly 23,000 people in France, or approximately one in 3,000, and between 56,000 and 112,000 people across Europe.