Give Seles Top Ranking On Return

No one ever thought we’d miss the grunting, but we have. Very much.

“U-n-n-n-h-h-H-E-E-E!” Monica Seles used to bray at opponents.

“U-n-n-n-h-h-H-E-E-E!” she will soon be braying again.

But that annoying squeal won’t be the only discomfort Seles’ return will cause at the highest reaches of women’s tennis. Already, there is the troublesome question of where to rank her:

No. 1? No. 3? Or No. 300?

Those numbers, and more, have been mentioned this week at Wimbledon as WTA Tour officials try to read the mood of the membership. In closed-door meetings, some high-ranking players have insisted anything lower than No. 1 makes a mockery of the game. A few don’t see why she shouldn’t go to the end of the line.

As the debate simmers, the only point on which everyone agrees is this: The last person whose opinion should count is the lunatic who put Seles on the sidelines.

For the sake of the argument, it’s worth keeping in mind what he set out to accomplish. And for the sake of justice, it’s worth remembering where she was ranked when it happened: at No. 1. That is reason enough to restore Seles to her rightful place, or at the very least, ranked co-No. 1, along with Steffi Graf.

When Gunther Parche climbed out of the stands at a tournament in Hamburg, Germany, during a changeover and stabbed Seles in the back, he did so with the wish that his countrywoman, Graf, would replace Seles at the top.

Twenty-seven months later, that desire has become an enduring reality. Graf has occupied the throne ever since, save for a handful of weeks when Arantxa Sanchez Vicario got to try on the crown.

Make no mistake, Graf is a worthy champion. And she brings to the game any number of admirable qualities - courage, intelligence, toughness and efficiency come to mind almost immediately.

But that’s precisely the problem. The rivalry between Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert brought out the best in both - and women’s tennis in the bargain. Without the counterbalance of Seles’ funky game and her funkier personality, women’s tennis has become a limited exercise: Steffi against herself.

When Seles formally announces her return Saturday, she does so without conditions.

“She’s not worried about her ranking,” Seles’ spokeswoman, Linda Dozoretz, said. “She feels that if and when she comes back, she’ll earn her own ranking.”

Not that many of the players doubt Seles will be back at the top soon enough. “She’s too much of a fighter not to,” Mary Joe Fernandez was quoted as saying. “So these debates will be academic fast. She’ll show that she belongs at the top.”

It’s important that Seles start there, too.

Seles’ plans call for an exhibition against Navratilova on July 29, followed by one or two tour events on the West Coast and then the U.S. Open in August.

It’s all well and good to expect Seles to hit the ground running. But fitness, a good attitude and all the mental and physical preparation in the world still won’t guarantee tournament toughness. Only playing against real competition brings that. And without the protection and time that a top seeding buys, Seles could run into Graf or Sanchez Vicario in the first round of any tournament and be run out of the building. That way, everybody loses.

Players who oppose granting Seles top ranking look out for themselves when they should look out for their sport. Only then will they realize how much tennis misses her. Even the grunting.