Monica Seles doesn't have secretaries. She doesn't have personal assistants. She doesn't have liaisons or lackeys, or go-betweens. She's the type of person who leaves messages on your machine. She's the type of person who when she can't reach you, calls until she does -without a trace of annoyance or impatience.

Everything about Monica is disarming. On the tennis court, the intensity burns in her eyes like a tiger catching up to its prey. She whispers to herself in between points, urging herself to step up the killer instinct one more notch. And when Monica is playing her best tennis, it's smothering. She doesn't let you up for air. It's a demolition of the highest quality.

But off the tennis court, Monica Seles is so gentle that you almost have to laugh at the disparity. She giggles, she smiles, she's perpetually upbeat. By the end of my interview with her, I understood why Monica--one of the most famous athletes in the world--left her own message on my answering machine. It's because Monica has no fronts, no walls around her. She lives simply and honestly.

Over the summer, a sports club I worked for held an essay contest for youth regarding their personal heroes--people who inspire them to do better everyday. The idea to interview Seles came when I noticed that even though she wasn't the subject of the most letters, her fans were undoubtedly the most passionate.

Seles' supporters truly believe that she is not only a role model for tennis, but a role model for life. Scanning the letters, it was clear how much Monica means to her fans-- "she's an angel, "she deserves everything in life," "she is an example for all of us," "she's an amazing hero." Confronted with those descriptions of her, Monica becomes quiet for a second.

"Oh that's just so sweet. My God. That's so nice, so sweet."

But there's still so much to be written. After all, Monica is only 25 years old and she likes to think that her best tennis is ahead of her. It's easy to forget that she's still so young when you realize the depth of her experience. She grew up in front of the world as a superstar-- a multimillionaire by age 14.

My earliest memory of Monica Seles is turning on the TV when I was ten and seeing a tiny 15 year-old girl romping around and grunting away at the French Open, having her way with a much more experienced Steffi Graf. No fear, no nerves, no intimidation. Just pure intensity. I've been a fan ever since.