Gustavo
Kuerten
Male
Brazil
1976-09-10
Florianopolis, Brazil
Gustavo “Guga” Kuerten is among clay-court royalty. Winning at Roland Garros three times (1997, 2000-01) the skinny, popular Brazilian has joined the Roland Garros aristocracy. Only Bjorn Borg, and Rafael Nadal, has won more titles. Not many others have won three: Henri Cochet, 1926, 28, 30 and Ivan Lendl, 1984, 86-87.
Sadly, Guga wasn’t able to add to his triple as a gimpy hip and other health problems hindered him. Following his 2001 win, Brazil issued a postage stamp featuring Kuerten with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Kuerten’s toothy smile and outlandishly colored clothes have made him an icon among Brazilian teenagers.
Guga started playing tennis when he was six years old, and his family was always very much part of his career. His father, a talented player himself, first taught Guga the game, before tragically passing away when Guga was just eight years old. Guga’s mother supported her son’s career emphatically. His older brother, Raphael, served as his business manager. His younger brother, Guilherme, who had cerebral palsy, was undoubtedly one of his biggest fans. Guga presented Guilherme every one of his tournament trophies, including the coveted Roland Garros trophies.
With his beaming smile, engaging personality, and high energy game, the lively atmosphere that Guga brought to tennis stadiums around the world was nothing short of extraordinary. Universally adored by both fans and peers, the Brazilian star is quick to state that the feeling is mutual, and that this support was integral to his success.
Kuerten is the first South American guy to reach the World No. 1 ranking in 2000 ( for 43 non-consecutive weeks) and the biggest tennis star at home since Maria Bueno won three Wimbledon and four U.S. singles championships between 1959 and 1966.
Guga would rather surf than play on turf. He has studiously avoided grass tournaments his game ever suited to clay. His place in Brazilian sporting history was assured in 1997 when he defeated three former champions — Thomas Muster, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Sergi Bruguera — on his unseeded way to claiming the French Open title. Just 20 years old, he was ranked a lowly No. 66 in the world, the longest shot to go all the way, finishing his first — yes, first in the bigs! — championship by dusting off Bruguera, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. He followed up in 2000 over Sweden’s Magnus Norman, 6-2, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (8-6), and the following year over Alex Corretja, 6-7 (3-7), 7-5, 6-2, 6-0, ending 2001 at No. 2.
Kuerten won five titles in 2000, climaxing his No. 1 season by seizing the Masters at Lisbon, getting past two Americans, Pete Sampras in the semis, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-4 and Andre Agassi in the final, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. With that, he edged Russia’s Marat Safin for the room at the top. In 2001, he lost the World No. 1 ranking to Aussie Lleyton Hewitt, but by 2002 he was down to No. 37, sliding fast as health problems increased, and hip surgery didn’t seem to help. He might have owned European clay for a while, having done more than capturing Paris. He won the Italian in 1999, Monte Carlo in 1999-2000-01, the German in 2000.
The sunny-natured man with the brilliant backhand won 20 singles titles (358-195 matches), eight doubles titles (108-95) and $14,807,000 in prize money. Guga retired in May 2008.
Guga was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2012.
His induction was announced in a special presentation in São Paulo at the offices of Banco do Brasil, a long-time sponsor of the tennis champion.
Source:Bud Collins
1997 - 2004
10
68
46
2003 - Auckland (ATP World Tour 250 series)
2001 - Monte Carlo (Grand Prix Circuit)
2001 - Roland Garros (Grandslam)
2001 - Abierto Mexicano (ATP World Tour 250 series)
2000 - Masters cup (ATP)
2000 - Roland Garros (Grandslam)
2000 - ATP World Tour Finals (ATP)
1999 - Italian International Championships ()
1999 - Monte Carlo (Grand Prix Circuit)
1997 - Roland Garros (Grandslam)
Round 4
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Feliciano López
6-3
7-5
6-4
Quarterfinals
David Pablo Nalbandian 1 *
Gustavo Kuerten
6-2
3-6
6-4
7-6(6)
Round 4
Tommy Robredo Garcés 1 *
Gustavo Kuerten
6-4
1-6
7-6(2)
6-4
Final
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Dominik Hrbaty
6-3
7-5
Final
Lleyton Glynn Hewitt 1 *
Gustavo Kuerten
6-1
6-1
Round 4
Alberto Costa 1 *
Gustavo Kuerten
6-4
7-5
6-4
Round 4
Sjeng Schalken 1 *
Gustavo Kuerten
6-3
7-6(6)
6-7(5)
7-6(4)
Quarterfinals
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Sjeng Schalken
6-7(1)
6-2
6-4
Semifinals
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Guillermo Coria
6-4
6-2
Final
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Hicham Arazi
6-3
6-2
6-4
Round 4
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Michael Russell
3-6
4-6
7-6(3)
6-3
6-1
Quarterfinals
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Yevgenni Kafelnikov
6-1
3-6
7-6(3)
6-4
Semifinals
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Juan Carlos Ferrero
6-4
6-4
6-3
Final
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Alex Corretja
6-7(3)
7-5
6-2
6-0
Round 4
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Alberto Costa
6-4
6-4
7-6(7)
Quarterfinals
Yevgenni Kafelnikov 1 *
Gustavo Kuerten
6-4
6-0
6-3
Quarterfinals
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Alex Corretja
6-2
6-3
Semifinals
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Andreas Vinciguerra
6-2
6-4
Final
Juan Carlos Ferrero 1 *
Gustavo Kuerten
3-6
6-1
2-6
6-4
6-2
Final
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Galo Blanco
6-4
6-2
Poule
Goran Simun Ivanisevic 1 *
Gustavo Kuerten
6-2
6-7(2)
6-4
Poule
Juan Carlos Ferrero 1 *
Gustavo Kuerten
7-6(3)
6-2
Poule
Yevgenni Kafelnikov 1 *
Gustavo Kuerten
6-2
4-6
6-3
Round 1
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Chris Woodruff
6-4
6-7(5)
7-5
7-6(5)
Round 2
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Justin D Bower
6-4
6-4
7-5
Round 3
Alexander Popp 1 *
Gustavo Kuerten
7-6(6)
6-2
6-1
Round 4
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Nicolas Alexander Lapentti
6-3
6-4
7-6(4)
Quarterfinals
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Yevgenni Kafelnikov
6-3
3-6
4-6
6-4
6-2
Semifinals
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Juan Carlos Ferrero
7-5
4-6
2-6
6-4
6-3
Final
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Leif Magnus Norman
6-2
6-3
2-6
7-6(6)
Round 1
Wayne Sean Arthurs 1 *
Gustavo Kuerten
4-6
6-3
7-6(4)
7-6(1)
Quarterfinals
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Alberto Costa
6-4
7-5
Semifinals
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Alex Corretja
6-4
6-2
Final
Leif Magnus Norman 1 *
Gustavo Kuerten
6-3
4-6
6-4
6-4
Quarterfinals
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Alberto Costa
6-4
7-6
Semifinals
Mark Anthony Philippoussis 1 *
Gustavo Kuerten
7-6(5)
7-6(11)
Final
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Pete Sampras
6-4
6-4
6-4
Semifinals
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Pete Sampras
6-7(5)
6-3
6-4
Final
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Andre Kirk Agassi
6-4
6-4
6-4
Poule
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Leif Magnus Norman
7-5
6-3
Poule
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Yevgenni Kafelnikov
6-3
6-4
Poule
Andre Kirk Agassi 1 *
Gustavo Kuerten
4-6
6-4
6-3
Round 1
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Chris Wilkinson
6-4
6-4
6-4
Round 2
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
David Prinosil
6-3
6-3
6-2
Round 3
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Nenad Zimonjic
6-4
6-4
6-2
Round 4
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Lorenzo Manta
7-5
6-4
5-7
6-3
Quarterfinals
Andre Kirk Agassi 1 *
Gustavo Kuerten
6-3
6-4
6-4
Quarterfinals
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Vincent Spadea
6-3
6-3
Semifinals
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Félix Mantilla Botella
3-6
6-3
6-4
Final
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Marcelo Andres Rios Mayorga
6-4
2-1
ret.
Round 4
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Bohdan Ulihrach
6-4
6-4
6-2
Quarterfinals
Andriy Olegovych Medvedev 1 *
Gustavo Kuerten
7-5
6-4
6-4
Round 4
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Leif Magnus Norman
7-6(4)
ret.
Quarterfinals
Cedric Adrien Pioline 1 *
Gustavo Kuerten
4-6
7-6(6)
7-6(14)
7-6(8)
Quarterfinals
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Karol Kucera
3-6
6-4
7-5
Semifinals
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Alex Corretja
6-4
6-2
Final
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Patrick Michael Rafter
6-4
7-5
7-6(6)
Quarterfinals
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Richard Krajicek
6-4
6-4
Semifinals
Carlos Moya 1 *
Gustavo Kuerten
6-3
1-6
6-1
Round 1
Jason Robert Stoltenberg 1 *
Gustavo Kuerten
4-6
6-3
6-1
4-6
10-8
Round 1
Justin Jeremy (Jim) Gimelstob 1 *
Gustavo Kuerten
6-3
6-4
4-6
1-6
6-4
Round 4
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Andriy Olegovych Medvedev
5-7
6-1
6-2
1-6
7-5
Quarterfinals
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Yevgenni Kafelnikov
6-2
5-7
2-6
6-0
6-4
Semifinals
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Filip Dewulf
6-1
3-6
6-1
7-6(4)
Final
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Sergi Bruguera
6-3
6-4
6-2
Quarterfinals
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Fabrice Vetea Santoro
6-3
7-6(6)
Semifinals
Gustavo Kuerten 1 *
Michael Chang
6-3
6-1
Final
Chris Woodruff 1 *
Gustavo Kuerten
7-5
4-6
6-3