Amidst the crowds descending upon this year’s U.S. Open in Flushing, Queens to watch the current greats of tennis warm up and play their opening matches, a legend of the game quietly amasses a huge following of her own off in the background. Monica Seles, hall of famer and 9-time Grand Slam winner, is posing for photos with seemingly zillions of fans at the American Express fan experience venue. Unlike during the height of her storied career in the 1990s, many of the fans probably quickly upload the photo to something called Instagram. Judging by the throngs of people in line, the fans miss seeing the 2-time U.S. Open winner kicking butt on the courts. The feeling is mutual. ‘I am really excited that U.S. Open time is here, I loved my playing days at the Open and it’s good to be back. The energy here is awesome, that’s the one thing when you retire from playing professional tennis you miss the fans and that energy when you walk out there,’ Seles told TheStreet in an interview. These days, the soft-spoken Seles is enjoying the quiet life, which entails pursuing her passion for photography and book writing. That relaxing regimen doesn’t include coaching any of the current crop of tennis stars. ‘I am not involved with anyone on the professional level — really the reason why is because I just don’t want to travel. Being on the professional tour for 18 years, I did a lot of traveling and it’s kind of nice now to be at my house and not have that crazy schedule,’ Seles, who retired in 2008, said. But just because Seles isn’t doing the weekly tennis grind, doesn’t mean she is completely detached from what’s happening in the game and the history that could unfold at this year’s U.S. Open. Serena Williams will try to surpass Seles’ long-time rival Steffi Graf’s 22 Grand Slam title mark after tying it with a dominating win at Wimbledon. ‘Serena is hungry, after last year’s U.S. Open semifinal loss I think she wants to prove it that she can add another one,’ said Seles. She added, ‘I never liked playing Serena — I played her when I think she was 16. I remember calling my agent and saying I am in trouble, I won’t be number one much longer,’ recalled Seles.
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