Tennis' Darkest Hour

In the early 1990s, things were changing at the top of women's tennis. The long-held supremacy of Steffi Graf was finally being challenged by the sport's latest teenage sensation, Monica Seles. It quickly became clear that Seles was different. The pocket rocket from Yugoslavia brought a new aggressive style to the court, breaking records as well as conventional ideas about femininity in tennis. By the age of just 19, she had already won eight Grand Slam titles, more than many of the sport's all-time greats had achieved at the same age.

A new rivalry was born between Graf and Seles. It would become one of the most talked-about rivalries in tennis history, though not for the reasons anyone expected. One moment of madness would bind them forever, a criminal act that sent shockwaves through the world of tennis and beyond.

On 30 April 1993, one of the most shocking incidents in sporting history turned Seles' life upside down and brought her dominant reign at the top of the game to an abrupt halt. During a match in Hamburg, she was stabbed by a spectator. Although her physical injuries healed relatively quickly, the psychological impact was profound. A career that was being hailed as one of the most successful in tennis history seemed to be extinguished in a single frenzied moment.

But that is only half the story. This series explores why and how this shocking crime took place, why some regard it as a miscarriage of justice, the darker realities that can exist behind the money and glamour of women's tennis, and how player safety has evolved in the decades since the attack.

Former champions and leading experts help tell the story of Seles' battles away from the court. They examine how a teenage phenomenon disappeared from public life at the peak of her powers and fought a private struggle, before returning to complete one of the greatest comebacks in sporting history.

Far more than simply "the player who got stabbed", this is the story of a forgotten champion who transformed the way women's tennis is played and whose legacy extends well beyond the shocking crime she endured.