Roland Garros waves Guga Au revoir!

The extraordinary romance began in 1997, somewhere on the dusty outside courts of the Stade Roland Garros. A 20-year-old Brazilian, world’s number 66, fought himself deeper and deeper into the draw of the world’s hardest Grand Slam tournament. After victories over former French Open champions Thomas Muster and Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Gustavo Kuerten found himself in the finals eventually. There, he faced Sergi Bruguera, the Spaniard who had already triumphed twice in Paris at that time.
Not so on the 9th of June 1997, when Kuerten subdued the Spaniard 6:3, 6:4, 6:2. With the shy curly head from Florianópolis, who had played himself into the hearts of the tennis fans in Roland Garros forever from that time on, a new star was born to the tennis sky.

Although the relationship was placed on a hard sample with the defeats in round 2 (1998) and in the quarterfinals (1999) – the French public never turned away from the Brazilian. And also Kuerten never turned away, remained the fighter year after year as whom he had presented himself to a wide public for the first time in 1997 so impressively.
And he was recompensed for doing so: In 2000, "Guga" was able to repeat the triumph of 1997, this time as the fifth seed, but not less impressing than three years before. In the third round, the Brazilian won against another Roland Garros hero, former champion Michael Chang from the US. In the finals, he beat the Swede Magnus Norman 6:2, 6:3, 2:6, 7:6(6). It was in the same year, when Kuerten was able to win the Masters Cup and became the world’s number 1 in December 2000.

After Kuerten’s third title in 2001, a long-standing dominance of the Brazilian with a German grandma seemed to be bound to occur. He had presented himself way too predominant during that fortnight which he topped with a victory over Alex Corretja from Spain 6:7(3), 7:5, 6:2, 6:0 in the finals.
But, everything should turn out differently. Several surgeries on his hips forced Kuerten to take breaks again and again in the following years. Walking back on the tennis court became harder and harder with every new break, of course.

The 2008 French Open should become the last Grand Slam entrance for Kuerten, and with the 3:6, 4:6, 2:6 in the rist round against Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu, the chapter "Roland Garros" - and probably also the business "professional tennis" – was closed for the Brazilian on May 25, 2008.

However, the mutual love and deep gratitude between "Guga" and his audience will remain forever. A fact, one was not only able to experience during the dismissal initiated by the French tennis association (FFT) on the “Court Centrale” right after the match, when the crowd gave enduring standing ovations again for the in the mean time 31-year-old. Just like back in 1997, 2000 and 2001.

Au revoir, Guga!

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Créer par: Tennisfan