Gustavo Kuerten

Born: September 10, 1976 in Florianópolis (Santa Catarina)
Height: 1.91 m
Plays: Right-handed

Gustavo “Guga” Kuerten, of German descent, had a paternal great-grandfather named “Kürten” and a maternal great-grandfather named “Thümmel“. In 1995, Kuerten made his first trip to Germany as a young professional to play in the qualifying rounds in Hamburg (ATP) and Dresden (Challenger). He failed on both occasions. The following year, he transitioned from a Challenger to a main-level player, but without spectacular results.
When the “fairytale” French Open ’97 began, Kuerten was one of many young South American players who hadn’t attracted much attention (without a Davis Cup tie in which Brazil lost to the United States, he would be virtually unknown outside his continent). Everything changed after his third-round match against Thomas Muster, arguably the best clay-courter of the 90s. Muster, although not as dominant as in 1995-96, was still a Top 5 player and one of the main favorites for the title. Kuerten, ranked 66th and having never won three main-level matches in a row, stunned the former champion in a short five-setter.
When the Brazilian won another round against Andrei Medvedev in a similar five-set encounter, he suddenly became a serious contender for the title because the draw was wide open. In the quarterfinal, he faced the defending champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who had been playing poorly on clay before the event. Kuerten prevailed in another five-setter, his third in a row, winning by a two-game margin in the decider again. He won his last two matches more easily, defeating two-time French Open champion Sergi Bruguera in the final. “I did every shot perfectly,” Kuerten said after the final. “Today was my best match of the tournament. I didn’t think, ‘Wow, it’s a final and I have to win.’ I just played like I practice. I was pretty relaxed.”
Kuerten captured the hearts of the French public and tennis fans worldwide with his “samba” tennis. Unlike previous French Open champions of the 90s, who wore down opponents with consistent heavy topspins, Kuerten displayed an all-court versatile game with better serving, a more variable backhand, and numerous points won at the net. Before Kuerten, inexperienced players had won in Paris (Björn Borg ’74, Mats Wilander ’82, and Michael Chang ’89), but they were tennis prodigies with great futures anticipated from the start, while before French Open ’97, the refreshing 20-year-old Kuerten seemed to be just another clay-courter from South America; yet he soon confirmed his game suited hardcourts as well, reaching the Canadian Open final and Cincinnati quarterfinal, thrashing Chang and Andre Agassi with the same scoreline (6-3, 6-1).
Although the end of the 90s was somewhat disappointing, the years 2000-01 brought more than could have been expected from him. Kuerten conquered his second title in Paris, became the best player in the world, spending 43 weeks at the top, 31 more weeks than the great Boris Becker! He secured the No. 1 ranking at the end of 2000 in the nick of time claiming the title in Lisbon (against all odds surpassing Marat Safin) and lost this position in similar circumstances exactly a year later to Lleyton Hewitt. “As a tennis player, nothing could be higher than becoming No. 1 at the [Tennis Masters Cup], beating Pete and then Andre back-to-back. This is the highlight of my career by far,” stated the Brazilian.
In 2001, he enjoyed the best period of his career, winning three prestigious titles between June and August (Roland Garros, Stuttgart, Cincinnati), moreover reaching final and semifinal in two hardcourt events. However, including the US Open quarterfinal, he suffered 11 defeats within 12 matches afterwards. Struggling with a hip injury, he underwent surgery on February 26, 2002, in Nashville, Tennessee. After his comeback, Kuerten continued his career for another six years, but his fantastic footwork, allowing him to hit freely off both wings, was compromised. Between 2002-04, there were sporadic good results and some great matches, but Kuerten was unable to maintain a high level over several day-by-day matches. The last three years were miserable, and he was a shadow of his former self despite his relatively young age.
In 2006, for instance, he played just two pro matches, losing both to players who combined won fewer main-level matches in their careers than Kuerten had within one event! Kuerten played his last career match on Philippe Chatrier in Paris (after skipping nine consecutive majors), the court where he felt the best outside his native country. Wearing Diadora‘s blue-yellow outfit, almost the same in which he triumphed in 1997, he lost in straight sets to Paul-Henri Mathieu, then drew a heart inside the court, something he had done for the first time seven years before, miraculously surviving a unique contest against an inspired U.S. journeyman Michael Russell. “In terms of emotions, it’s the finest moment of my career. Nothing compares to that moment,” said Kuerten about the ‘Russell match’. “It’s the match – the one that I would take with me if I could choose only one. My connection with the fans was so strong… This heart was my way of thanking them for their support and for the emotions that we were going through together at that moment.”

Career record: 358–195 [ 198 events ]
Career titles: 20
Highest ranking: No. 1
Best GS results:
Roland Garros (champion 1997, 2000-01; quarterfinal 1999 & 2004)
Wimbledon (quarterfinal 1999)
US Open (quarterfinal 1999 & 2001)
Masters champion 2000