Does Monica Seles Have a Serious Medical Condition? Why Hasn’t She Joined Novak Djokovic’s Coaching Team Yet?

17 years ago, Monica Seles announced her retirement from tennis after 19 years of playing professional tennis, with 9 major titles to her name. Post-retirement, Seles has been an advocate for raising awareness about disordered eating, specifically binge eating disorder (BED), after she herself struggled with it due to the pressures of professional tennis. Though Seles has slowly but surely managed her BED and improved her relationship with food, she’s recently had to deal with another health condition: a rare autoimmune one. Seles will be appearing at the US Open later today to witness Novak Djokovic in action. Ahead of that encounter, let’s explore the tennis legend’s medical condition.

Monica Seles’ health status: Does she have a serious medical condition?

During an interview with Good Morning America recently, Seles explained that she was suffering from a neuromuscular autoimmune disease called myasthenia gravis. It’s a condition that causes voluntary muscle weakness, which affects stamina and endurance. Though diagnosed in 2022, Seles only made her battle with the disease public in August 2025.

No stranger to swinging a tennis racket (to say the least), it was when she was performing that action so ingrained within her that she noticed something was off. “I would be playing with some kids or family members, and I would miss a ball. I was like, ‘Yeah, I see two balls.’ These are obviously symptoms that you can’t ignore,” she said.

But it wasn’t just tennis. As Seles would find, the condition impacted her day to day tasks as well like blowdrying her hair. “It took me quite some time to really absorb it, speak openly about it, because it’s a difficult one. It affects my day-to-day life quite a lot,” revealed Seles.

Talking about her condition, Seles said, “It was 30 years ago that I came back to the [U.S.] Open … It was like a reset, and this was one of the reasons I decided to go public with my myasthenia gravis, because it’s been a huge reset in my professional life as a tennis player, also in my personal life.” Nonetheless, she is very active in the tennis world, with a potentially huge assignment coming up.

Novak Djokovic and Monica Seles: Potential coaching collaboration

It has been a difficult year for Djokovic as a whole. In the Slams, injury hampered his Australian Open run, while he was dumped out of both the French Open and Wimbledon courtesy of Jannik Sinner. Add to that a tumultuous coaching situation with Andy Murray hired and fired within a span of 6 months. And Dušan Vemić gone after the French Open and Wimbledon. But is another top ex-player, a.k.a Seles, in Djokovic’s coaching pipeline?

Seles was in fact spotted watching Djokovic at the practice courts ahead of his semifinal clash against Alcaraz, fueling coaching rumors. “I came here to support Novak in his match against Carlos Alcaraz. I know he needs all the energy possible and I will do my best to help him from the stands,” Seles told SportKlub.

Despite the fact that Seles remained coy, the possibility remains that she could join Djokovic’s team after the US Open. “We won’t talk about that now. The focus is only on the semi-final so as not to waste energy. All this other stuff is not important,” she said, not quite denying nor confirming the rumors. Nonetheless, she will be offering her mental support from Djokovic’s player’s box as he takes on Alcaraz.

Why hasn’t Monica Seles  joined Djokovic’s coaching team yet?

With her struggle against myasthenia gravis, Seles has found it difficult to complete certain tasks, as mentioned above. If the possibility of coaching Djokovic was a serious proposition, her condition could have played a role as to why it hasn’t happened yet. As for Djokovic, he’s kept his cards close to his chest while teasing the partnership.

“I’m smiling because it’s like you’ve read my mind, but I can’t tell you anything. I’ve been stirring the pot a little, talking… We’ll see, you’ll be informed,” Djokovic told Serbian reporters when discussing a replacement for Vemić. “We’ll see. These are just initial talks, and it’s more about the emotional aspect than a long-term partnership. That would mean a lot to me. I think you know who I’m talking about, but let’s not go into names now, so I don’t jump the gun. If it even happens… We’ve had some interesting conversations,” he said.

What a Seles and Djokovic partnership could mean for tennis?

Interestingly, Seles has yet to coach any player, and she could begin her coaching career with Djokovic. Meanwhile, the Serb could use Seles’ vast experience as he looks to clinch an elusive 25th Grand Slam title. Although Djokovic’s partnership with Murray didn’t work out, Seles could prove to be an inspiration for him, and the duo could become a force to be reckoned with on the tour.

After all Monica Seles was indeed one of Djokovic’s childhood heroes. And when he was asked about the possibility of being coached by a woman earlier in the year, the Serb stated that the only person he could envision was Seles. Not to mention, she and Djokovic have been in touch for years, with the 51-year-old often acting as a mentor of sorts to the 24x Major winner.

However, before that, Seles would watch Djokovic from close lens as he takes to the court today against Carlos Alcaraz. Do you think that Seles’ potential partnership with Djokovic could bear fruit? Let us know your views in the comments below.