"The crowd threw boos and whistles at me..my face flushing with embarrassment" - When Monica Seles was mortified after 6-0, 6-0 loss to Martina Hingis
Monica Seles once opened up on how she felt extremely embarrassed after losing 0-6, 0-6 to Martina Hingis in the semifinals of the 2000 Miami Open.
Seles' defeat to Hingis marked the worst loss of her career up until that point, as it was the first instance of her experiencing a double-bagel. Before that, her most challenging defeat had been a 0-6, 1-6 loss against Steffi Graf at Wimbledon 1989 when she was just 15 years old.
In her 2009 autobiography, 'Getting a Grip: On My Body, My Mind, My Self,' Monica Seles looked back on her loss to Hingis. The American admitted that she was "mortified" as she briskly walked off the court with a sprained ankle — an injury she had sustained in her quarterfinal match against Amy Frazier — all while enduring whistles and boos from the crowd.
"It was the worst defeat of my career and the quickest: a measly thirty-nine minutes. I was mortified. The fighter in me had refused to default even though it would have been the smarter choice," the nine-time Major champion wrote.
"As the crowd threw raucous catcalls, boos and whistles at me, I could feel my face flushing with embarrassment and I hobbled off the court as quickly as my ankle would let me. For the first time in my career I had failed to win even one game. Not one," she added.
Martina Hingis went on to secure the 2000 Miami Open title by defeating Lindsay Davenport 6-3, 6-2 in the final. Her impressive performance included not losing a single set and conceding only 21 games throughout the tournament on her way to lifting the trophy.
Monica Seles: "I feel very disappointed; I expected a lot more of myself than what I showed"
Monica Seles attended a press conference following her defeat to Martina Hingis at the 2000 Miami Open, offering insight into her emotions. She expressed deep disappointment in her performance, stating that she had expected more from herself on the court.
"Well, it's hard not to be down after a performance like today," Seles said. "If you're an athlete, when you're out there not playing at all well, that would be terrible if I would be feeling happy after a match like this. I definitely feel very disappointed. It's the semifinals. I really expected a lot more of myself than what I showed today."
When asked if she still had a passion for tennis following the defeat, the former World No. 1 replied that it was a "tough" question to address and a matter she would prefer to keep private.
"Today, after a match like this? It's tough. In general, even yesterday, before this match took place, how much passion do you still have for tennis? That's a tough question. I mean, that I'll keep to myself," Monica Seles said.
Seles played her last tour-level match at the 2003 French Open, even though she formally retired from the sport in 2008.