Gustavo Kuerten

Gustavo Kuerten was the first Brazilian tennis player to win a Grand Slam tournament of (the four major international tennis tournaments) and the highest ranking came in the Association of Tennis Professional (ATP), the fifth place among the 100 best in the world, 1999. The greatest achievement of Guga, as is known, occurred in 1997, to win the Open of France in Roland Garros. By beating by 3 x 0 the Spanish Sergei Bruguerra, bicampeão Tournament (1993 and 1994), surprised the world and won the sympathy of the public. In 1999, won Montecarlo and Rome, two major tournaments in court of gravel. The same year, at Wimbledon, was the first Brazilian to reach the Quarter-final. Born in Florianopolis, Guga started in tennis at 6 years. He spent playing seriously for 13 years, coaching with the gaucho Larri Passos, which accompanies it today. In the youth category, was the third best player in the world in simple and double in the second. He was champion of the Sunshine Cup, the Junior Davis Cup, the double champion of Roland Garros finalist and the Orange Bowl, the largest youth tournament in the world, in simple and double. His first year as a professional was in 1995. In subsequent years, won tournaments challengers in Campinas (1996) and Curitiba (1997). In the 1998 season, won the tournament in Stuttgart and Majorca, was semifinalista competitions in Rome and Memphis, reached the Quarter-final at Lipton, in Hamburg, Umag and Long Island and was the double champion in Gstaad.