When Monica Seles stayed at former U.S. President Donald Trump's house following mysterious Wimbledon withdrawal

Monica Seles once sought refuge at former U.S. President Donald Trump's house after her withdrawal from Wimbledon in 1991.

One of the greatest players of all time, Seles dominated women's tennis in the early 1990s and won eight Grand Slam singles titles while still in her teens.

1991 was one of the two years during which the then-Yugoslav won three Majors. She won the Australian Open by beating Jana Novotna before successfully defending her title at the French Open, where she defeated Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the title clash.

Having already won the first two Grand Slams of the year, Seles was a heavy favorite to win Wimbledon but surprisingly withdrew from the tournament due to an injury just three days before its commencement.

Naturally, her withdrawal raised a lot of eyebrows and several reporters were present at her house. However, the then-World No. 1and her family took refuge in Donald Trump's residence -- Mar-a-Lago, a resort and national historic landmark located in Palm Beach, Florida. The New York Post reported that Seles was spotted in the estate. At the time, Trump was a successful real estate businessman.

Seles later spoke about her withdrawal and unwillingness to speak to the press before Yugoslavia's Fed Cup tie against Indonesia in July 1991. The nine-time Grand Slam champion declared that she didn't feel she made a mistake and that she felt a lot of pressure, thus deciding to avoid the media.

“I don’t think I made a mistake. I felt a lot of pressure, a lot of pressure inside myself. . . . I was confused. I just wasn’t ready to talk," Monica Seles said.

Speaking about her leg injury, Seles mentioned that she was visiting two doctors, both of whom were giving her different answers. One told her that she needed surgery while the other stated that she could play at Wimbledon. Eventually, she decided to heed the former's advice and skip the trip to SW19.

"I kept getting all these different answers. One doctor said I needed surgery, another said it was just shin splints and another said it was OK for me to play," Seles said.

Monica Seles finished her career without ever winning Wimbledon

Monica Seles had an illustrious tennis career during which she won nine Grand Slams. The former World No. 1 won four Australian Open titles, three French Open titles and two US Open titles.

However, she never won Wimbledon, with her best-ever performance at the grass-court Major being reaching the final in 1992. Here, she was beaten 6-2, 6-1 by none other than her biggest rival, Steffi Graf.

Seles never reached another Wimbledon final and her final appearance in the tournament came in 2002, when she reached the quarterfinals before losing to Venus Williams.