|
Gustavo Kuerten ((:ɡusˈtavu ˈkiɾtẽ); born September 10, 1976), also known as Guga, is a retired former World No. 1 tennis player from Brazil. He won the French Open three times (1997, 2000, and 2001), and was the Tennis Masters Cup champion in 2000, becoming the only player to defeat Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi in the same major tournament. Kuerten suffered many problems with injuries which led him to miss a number of tournaments between 2002 and 2005. After a few failed attempts of comebacks, he retired from top-level tennis in May 2008. Kuerten is commonly known as ''Guga'' (), an affectionate nickname which is a common abbreviation of the name ''Gustavo'' in Portuguese-speaking countries. ==Early life== Kuerten was born in Florianópolis in southern Brazil. He comes from an ethnically German family.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Gustavo Kuerten Became The First Male Brazilian To Win A Grand Slam Championship )〕 He began playing tennis when he was six, an early start to a life and career marked by family tragedy. His father, Aldo, a former amateur tennis player, died of a heart attack in 1985 while umpiring a junior tennis match in Curitiba, when Kuerten was only eight years old. His older brother, Raphael, is currently his business manager. His youngest brother, Guilherme, suffered prolonged oxygen deprivation and consequently irreparable brain damage during birth, and as a result suffered from mental retardation and severe physical disability until his death in 2007.〔(ATPtennis.com – Tennis news from around the world ) 〕 Kuerten was deeply affected by his brother's daily struggles, later donating the entire prize money from one tournament he has won every year of his professional career so far to a hometown NGO that provides assistance for people suffering from similar disabilities. He gave every trophy he won to his younger brother as a souvenir, including the three miniature replicas of the French Open men's singles trophy. His favourite football team is Brazilian Avaí Futebol Clube. As a young player, Kuerten first learned from Carlos Alves. Alves would continue to coach Kuerten for the next 8 years. When he was 14 years old, Kuerten met Larri Passos who would be his coach for the following 15 years. Passos convinced Kuerten and his family that the youth was talented enough to make a living out of playing tennis. The two started traveling all over the world to participate in junior tournaments. Kuerten turned professional in 1995. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gustavo Kuerten」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|