"She's tired of hanging around locker rooms, she's done it for so long" - When Monica Seles opened up about her mother's desire to live her own life
Monica Seles once explained the reason behind her mother Ester's decision to take a backseat when it came to supporting her at tournaments. Seles also shed light on how her mother's personality sharply contrasted with that of her father, Karolj.
Widely regarded as one of the all-time greats, Seles won nine Grand Slam titles, with eight of them coming before she turned 20. The former World No. 1 has often credited her father Karolj, a professional cartoonist who began coaching her when she was five, for his instrumental role in her success. Although her father took a more active role in her tennis journey, her mother also played an important part.
In a 2003 interview with Sportstar, Monica Seles described her mother Ester as the "backbone" of their family. The Yugoslav-born American also shared that she had inherited traits from both her parents, her father's outgoing personality as well as her mother's reserved demeanor.
"She's always been the backbone of the family. I seem to be a mix — very outgoing at times like my father, also quiet like my mother. In the beginning, mom was the worrier, specifically about the pressure. She'd say, "All this travel, all this competition. You're just a little girl, what's this thing going to do to you?"" Monica Seles said.
Seles' father Karolj passed away in 1998 at the age of 64 after a prolonged battle with cancer, and her mother Ester also began making fewer appearances at tournaments.
Monica Seles, who resided with Ester in Florida, explained that while her mother still accompanied her to tournaments in the United States, she decided against traveling internationally. The former World No. 1 shared that Ester grew tired of waiting around in locker rooms and chose to live her own life, surrounded by her beloved animals.
"She still comes to the U.S. Open and the California tournaments, but she's tired of hanging around locker rooms, waiting for me. She's done it for so long. So she does her own life now. She stays behind the scenes, with her animals," she added.
Monica Seles: "We have a mini-kennel at home, my mom babysits two dogs and pampers them just like our own"
During the same interview, Monica Seles fondly recounted how they had a "mini-kennel" back home in Florida, as her mother Ester looked after two other dogs alongside their pet Yorkshire terrier, Ariel.
Seles also revealed that she and her mother had been delighted when American tennis icon Lindsay Davenport named one of her pet rottweilers Zoltan since that was also her brother's name.
"We have a mini-kennel at home. My mom baby-sits two other dogs and pampers them just like our own, Ariel (a Yorkshire terrier). I mean, she boils chicken for Ariel! It's just non-stop love. So when we heard that Lindsay (Davenport) named one of her rottweilers Zoltan, we got a kick out of that," Seles said.
Additionally, Monica Seles revealed that her mother initially had reservations about her ambition to become a professional tennis player and frequently encouraged her to pursue more feminine interests.