London, Apr 13 : Former World No. 1 tennis star Monica Seles has said that food became her best friend to overcome loneliness after her father's death in 1998.

Seles spoke for the first time about her nine-year battle with an eating disorder, The Sun reported.

Seles, 35, said she started binge eating after being knifed in the shoulder by a Steffi Graf fan during a 1993 match and turned to food to cope with her father's death in 1998.