Monica Seles

Following her accolades in her home country, it seemed there was nothing left for Seles to accomplish as a child superstar in her own country. Soon after she won the Sportswoman of the Year honors, her family flew to Florida, where she competed in an American junior tournament.

It was in Florida that she drew the attention of tennis coach Nick Bollettieri, who also coached the likes of Andre Agassi and Jim Courier. Bollettieri offered to coach the young standout, but like many other tennis stars, Seles and her family had a tough decision to make: Bollettieri would not be traveling back to Yugoslavia, and so if they wanted a standout coach for their daughter, the Seles family would have to part either with their country or their daughter. They chose to leave their country, giving up their jobs in Yugoslavia and moving the family to Florida. Seles's career became the entire family's focus, and she soon devoted her life to developing her game at Bollettieri's academy where she excelled both on the court and in the classroom.