HAMBURG, Apr rhe man convicted of »ta-biting tennis star Monica Seles remained free Mondax <>n a two-year suspended prison sentence after a judge rejected an ap peal by prosecutors and the injured athletes attorney to put the attacker in prison, reports AP.

Judge Gertraut Goering upheld the sentence given In October 1993 to east German Guenter Parche after he knifed Seles in the back during a ten nis tournament, so that his idol. German tennis player Steffi Graf, could again become No. 1 in the world.

Seles. 21. has not played professional tennis since then.

She mid prosecutors had ap|M-al< d Parr-lies conviction on a • liame of grievous bodily injury .inking lor a conviction of altcinpied manslaughter, and a prison lenn instead of a suspended sentence.

The judge said testimony from Seles herself would have been needed to convict Parche on a more serious charge.

"We assume that Parche’s act Is the reason that Seles is not able to play tennis anymore. but this can’t be said with certainty because Miss Seles was not willing to testify in court.” the judge said.

Seles wrote a letter to the court, saying Parche’s attack had "destroyed my life."

The judge accepted testimony by police officers and . psychiatrists who said that.

askk from his fixaUon on Graf and Seles. I’.irc he was harm-

TIh- evaluations were both positive* Both expect that he will never be moved to do something like that again." the judge said.

"We can't rule out that he meant to do more than he did to Miss Seles, but we also can't prove this." the judge said.

The judge said Parche’s confession and Ills written

letter of apology to Seles counted to his credit.

Prosecutor Rolf Rosenkranz had acknowledged in his closing arguments. "From the previous life of the accused, there is nothing to show that he was aggressive."

But Rosenkranz said the 40-year-old Parche should be im-

prisoned because he had carefully planned the attack, because it was carried out In public, and was In part based on political prejudices.

Parche had spoken of his dislike of Serbs. Seles, an ethnic Hungarian, was born in the Serbian area of Yugoslavia and is now an American citizen.

On April 30, 1993. Parche stabbed Seles, then 19 years old. in the back while she was sitting on a bench during a break in her match at a tournament al Hamburg's Rothenvaum Stadium.

Seles' psychologist. Jerry Russel May of Reno. Nevada, testified that she was suffering post-traumatic stress disorder. She has trouble doing normal, public daily tasks, such as going to the grocery store, may testified.

But homicide detective Rolf Bauer, who headed the interrogation of Parche after the attack, testified at the appeal hearing that Parche had given a credible explanation that he didn't want to maim Seles for life, only put her out of action until Graf could regain the top spot in women's tennis.

"It was obvious to us all that the man belonged with a doctor and not in Jail." the detective said.