Monica Seles was the child prodigy of the 1990s. The American tennis player wins eight Grand Slam tournaments, passes Steffi Graf in the world rankings – and is not yet 20. Seles’ carefree life ends on April 30, 1993. At a tennis tournament in Hamburg, a Graf fan rammed a knife into her back during a match against the German. Now the “world” is reporting that the assassin from back then, Günter Parche, is dead.
Parche died last August at the age of 68, the newspaper said. Accordingly, before his death, he lived for 14 years in a single room in a nursing home in Nordhausen/Thuringia.
Parche was a fanatic of Steffi Graf in the 1990s. He couldn’t bear it when his idol had to cede number one in the world rankings to Seles. He testified in court that his plan was to “injure the then 19-year-old so much that she couldn’t play tennis for a long time”.
Tennis: Seles was never the same
What happened then? When Seles plays Graf in the quarterfinals in Hamburg, Parche sneaks up on the Serbian from behind during a break in the game and stabs him.
Seles with blood on his back
Seles is lucky that she is leaning forward a little, the 23 centimeter long knife “only” penetrates two centimeters into her back.
The cry of the US tennis goes through marrow and leg – and around the world.
Seles’ physical injuries are more harmless than the damage her soul takes.
After the assassination, she struggled with mental problems for years and never regained her old self on the court, although she still won a Grand Slam tournament. In 2008 she ended her career.
Only three and a half months in prison
Parche was sentenced to two years’ probation for aggravated assault in two trials.
He was in prison only for the months between the crime and his conviction on October 13, 1993. He was then released.
