Sarasota,
FL: Tennis Hall of Fame great Monica Seles will receive the
Key to the City Mon., October 5, 2009 at 6pm during a regular
City Commission meeting. Mayor Richard Clapp will make the
presentation on behalf of the City Commission.
Ms. Seles, a Sarasota County resident, is
considered
one of the most dominant female tennis players in the early
1990s. She won 53 WTA Tour singles titles, including nine
Grand Slam titles: the Australian Open four times, the French
Open three times and the U.S. Open twice. The world’s
former number one was inducted into the International Tennis
Hall of Fame earlier this year.
Receiving the Key to the City is an honor
reserved for remarkable citizens whose life and endeavors
have had a positive, significant impact. Symbolically, it
means the recipient is always welcome in the City of Sarasota.
America Idol contestant Syesha Mercado was awarded the Key
to the City last year.
 Originally
from the former Yugoslavia, Ms. Seles’ family moved
to Florida when she was 12-years-old so she could train at
the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton. Ms. Seles
roared onto the tennis scene in 1990, when she became the
youngest player ever to win the French Open, at 16, defeating
Steffi Graf in straight sets. She quickly became the top female
player in the world by the age of 17. From 1991-1993, she
dominated women’s tennis, capturing 22 titles and reaching
33 finals out of the 34 tournaments in which she played.
After becoming a U.S. citizen, Ms. Seles
helped the United States win the Fed Cup in 1996 and 2000.
She also won a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney,
Australia.
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