5 tennis legends who have quietly disappeared from the media radar ft. Pete Sampras, Monica Seles
Pete Sampras and Monica Seles have both silently disappeared from the limelight. Both tennis legends, among others, have managed to keep a low profile.
Over the years, there have been several tennis players who have mesmerized spectators during their playing days and have been able to be in the limelight even after retiring. The likes of Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and John McEnroe have been involved in the sport, with their analyst and commentary roles, not to forget that the former and her rival are also pretty active on social media.
Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf have kept themselves in the news with their Pickleball Slam appearances. However, there have been a few notable players who have kept things low-key and have been successfully able to avoid the limelight
On that note, let us take a look at five tennis legends who have quietly disappeared from the media radar.
#5. Evonne Goolagong Cawley
Evonne Goolagong Cawley is one of the greatest tennis players to have come out of Australia and had a stellar career, during which, she won seven Grand Slam singles titles. The Aussie retired from tennis in 1983 and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1988.
Over 40 years have passed since Goolagong Cawley bade farewell to the sport and she hasn't been as much in the limelight as some other players. In tennis circles, the Aussie has made appearances in several editions of the Australian Open, where she has either brought out the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup on the court or has presented the trophy to the winners.
This year, Goolagong did bring out the women's trophy to kickstart Day 1 of the Melbourne Major alongside Andre Agassi.
#4. Stefan Edberg
One of the greatest exponents of serve-and-volley, Stefan Edberg won six Grand Slams, two each at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. The Swede called it quits on his illustrious career in 1996.
Since retirement, Edberg's most notable tennis involvement was the period when he was Roger Federer's coach. However, the Swede hasn't been under the media radar compared to some other players from his generation.
Edberg most recently was present in this year's ATP Finals in Turin while also attending the Wimbledon final. The former World No. 1 was previously present at the 2022 Paris Masters final, where he presented the title to Holger Rune.
#3. Jennifer Capriati
Jennifer Capriati was one of the finest players of her era, having already become a Top-10 player and an Olympic medalist by the time she was only 16 years old. The American suffered numerous setbacks during the 1990s that affected her career. However, she bounced back in the early 2000s, winning three Grand Slams and becoming the World No. 1.
Capriati retired from tennis in 2004, five years before her appearance in the reality series The Superstars. 2013 was the year when she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Earlier that year, she was also charged with stalking and battery after an incident involving an ex-boyfriend. The charges, however, were dropped.
Since then, Capriati's only notable appearance came at the 2018 WTA Finals. The former World No. 1 has managed to keep a low profile, as not much has been said or heard of her over the past few years.
#2. Monica Seles
Monica Seles enjoyed an impressive career, during which, she won nine Grand Slam singles titles, eight of which came when she was a teenager. The Yugoslav-born might have won if not for her stabbing incident in Hamburg, which ruled her out for over two years.
Seles played the last tennis match of her career in 2003 and officially announced her retirement in 2008, the year after which, she got inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Since her retirement, Monica Seles played a few exhibition matches but she has otherwise been absent from the limelight. The former World No. 1's most recent tennis appearance came at the 2023 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells when she was in attendance to watch Carlos Alcaraz face Felix Auger-Aliassime.
#1. Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras is arguably the greatest tennis player to come out of the United States, given his incredible career. He won 14 Grand Slam titles, which was a record until Roger Federer broke it in 2009.
Pete Sampras retired from tennis in 2002 after winning that year's US Open, beating Andre Agassi in the final. Since then, the American was involved in a few exhibition matches while also attending a few tournaments. However, unlike his rival Agassi, Pete Sampras has managed to keep things low-key and has managed to keep himself away from the media radar.
The most notable news of late regarding the former World No. 1 was when he announced last October that his wife Bridgette Wilson was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.