Seles Says in Statement She Had Stress Fracture

Monica Seles ended her self-imposed silence and seclusion on Monday.

In a statement issued by her Cleveland-based agent, International Management Group, Seles revealed that the celebrated injury that led to her withdrawal from Wimbledon last month was “shin splints and a slight stress fracture in my left leg.”

Seles said in the statement: “ . . . I did not want to make a statement with contradicting facts in it because I might have misled my fans and the public. Now that I have a clear idea of what my injury is and how to prevent it from happening in the future, I feel comfortable speaking about it. I do not know the exact medical terms, but the doctor who has worked with me diagnosed shin splints and a slight stress fracture in my left leg. The injury first occurred in March 1991, and at the French Open during practice I hit my left leg with my racket on the same spot and re-injured the leg.”

Seles, whose whereabouts and health have been a mystery, is scheduled to re-emerge this week for an exhibition in New Jersey.

Her brother and manager, Zoltan, confirmed Monday that the world’s top-ranked player will play in an exhibition tournament at Ramapo College.

Seles will hold a news conference at Ramapo on Wednesday, the day before she plays her opening match in the event.

Seles, 17, hasn’t played since beating Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the French Open final on June 8. Citing an unspecified injury caused by a “minor accident,” she withdrew from Wimbledon three days before the tournament started.

Since then, there have been rumors about her physical status, including reports that she was pregnant, had shin splints and was in an auto accident.

Because of the mystery surrounding Seles, her appearance in Mahwah could turn into a media circus. The tournament has issued 141 press credentials, three times more than it did last year when Steffi Graf and Jennifer Capriati were the main attractions.

Reporters, however, aren’t the only ones who want to speak with Seles.

Gerard Smith, executive director of the Women’s Tennis Assn., has been trying to get in touch with her since she pulled out of Wimbledon and was fined $6,000. Smith would like to know why she skipped the most important tournament in the world and ruined her chances for a rare sweep of the four Grand Slam titles.