SELES LEAVES HOSPITAL, OUT FOR 1-3 MONTHS

Monica Seles was released from a hospital and flew to the United States Sunday, two days after a man leaped from the stands and stabbed her in the back during a tournament match.

The attack caused tennis officials to step up security, assigning bodyguards to shadow players during the remainder of the tournament. Security was expected to be tighter at future events as well.Seles, 19, the top-ranked women's player in the world, did not suffer a major injury, but she will miss one to three months of tennis.

"I want to thank all the people who have helped me over these last few difficult days," Seles said in a statement.

"The greetings and the best wishes I received from so many people are a great support to me and I want everyone to know how much it means to me and how much it has helped."

Her agent, Stephanie Tolleson, said Seles was feeling "a little better," but would remain under medical supervision for an "undetermined period of time."

Her destination in the United States was not given. Seles was born in Yugoslavia, but has lived in the United States since 1986. Her residence is in Sarasota, Fla.

The man who attacked Seles told police he was an avid fan of Seles' German rival, Steffi Graf, and could not bear seeing Seles' dominance.

Hamburg police said the suspect was Guenter P., 38, a lathe operator from Nordhausen in east Germany. His last name was not released. They said he faced charges of attempted murder.

To tighten security after the attack, officials posted a bodyguard behind each player's chair. Sitting during play, the bodyguards would stand facing the spectators during changeovers. Seles was attacked during a changeover.Saturday, the bodyguards were on court, directly behind the players' chairs, but on Sunday they were moved into the first spectators' row, at Graf's request.

Graf said Saturday she felt uncomfortable with them so close.

Aranxta Sanchez Vicario said she felt much more secure with the guards around, especially since they followed players to and from practice as well.

In Munich, Juan Antonio Samaranch, president of the International Olympic Committee, said the Olympics had been fortunate to avoid problems for years, "but after what happened maybe, yes, we'll have to rethink the measures we'll have to take."