Monica Seles was a teenage phenom, winning eight Grand Slam singles titles before her 20th birthday and becoming the youngest ever to win a French Open at the tender age of 16. She added a 9th major championship at the 1996 Australian Open and that one must have been her sweetest, coming three years after her tragic stabbing at the hands of a deranged Steffi Graf fan in Germany. Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009, the Yugoslavia-born and USA-naturalized citizen is considered one of the greatest women's players ever. If not for the unfortunate stabbing incident, who knows how many titles she would have racked up.
Featured here is an early 1990's Seles match-used and autographed racquet from her dominant pre-stabbing era when she held the #1 world ranking. The Yonex brand 'RQ-380' model racquet has a purple rim and yellow-taped grip and shows ample court use. The strings are still tight and it is ready to play. Seles has signed the handle in slightly faded black marker that is still perfectly legible. The style and colors seem to match photos from 1991-93 tournaments.
It comes from the collection of the late Dave Rahn, former Director of Operations for the San Francisco 49ers. Includes LOA from his widow. Autograph pre-certified by PSA/DNA.
Provenance: From 1986-2002, Dave Rahn served an integral role within the San Francisco 49ers organization. Starting as a public relations and media coordinator, he soon took over as director of travel and team services where he was responsible for all football operations, including travel and accommodations, practice schedules, lodging and meal planning. He later managed the concert tours for Fleetwood Mac, Sheryl Crow and Lionel Richie. In 2014, Dave Rahn passed away after a courageous 2-year battle with cancer. His collection included dozens of items gifted by athletes and other celebrities with whom he had the good fortune of meeting and working alongside.