Steffi Graf German fan of Graf, Günter Parche. He claimed that he committed the attack to help Graf reclaim the world No. 1 ranking. More than two years elapsed before Seles competed again. Shortly after the stabbing, during a players meeting at the Italian Open in Rome, 17 of the world's top 25 WTA members voted against preserving Seles' world No. 1 ranking while she was sidelined. Since Graf skipped the Italian Open, she did not take part in the vote. During Seles's absence, Graf won 65 of 67 matches, three of four Grand Slam events and the year-end Virginia Slims championships.
1993 WTA Tour Championships 1993 WTA Tour Championships The 1993 Virginia Slims Championships was a professional women's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts at the Madison Square Garden in New York City, United States between November 15 and November 21, 1996. It was the end of the season event, eligible for the top-ranked singles and doubles players on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tour. First-seeded Steffi Graf won the singles title and earned $250,000 first-prize money. Steffi Graf defeated Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, 6–1, 6–4, 3–6, 6–1 Gigi Fernández / Natalia Zvereva defeated Jana Novotná / Larisa Savchenko Neiland, 6–3, 7–5 Doubles prize money