ความคิดเห็นที่ 4
37. Gustavo Kuerten Guga, as he's affectionately known, wears a perpetual smile and sports unkempt reddish-brown hair that makes you wonder if he just rolled out of bed. When he walks, his 6-foot-3 body bounces like a marionette, arms and legs moving awkwardly, head bobbing up and down.
But the casual demeanor belies his intensity, for Kuerten is a master of the trench warfare called clay-court tennis. Throughout his career, he has used deft footwork, an underrated serve, and explosive ground strokes to maximum effect on the slow red clay of Europe and South America.
Although Kuerten will forever be linked with Roland Garros, where he's a three-time champion, his defining moment came in 2000, on a fast indoor court in Lisbon, Portugal, at the Tennis Masters Cup. After almost pulling out of the event because of severe thigh spasms and back pain, he went on to beat Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Pete Sampras, and Andre Agassi in succession to win the year-end championships and become the first South American to finish the season No. 1.
"Guga has the vibrations," says his coach, Larri Passos. "We come from Brazil and we need to play everything with our heart." Guga illustrated that sentiment after winning his last French title. Using his racquet, he drew a giant heart in the clay to express his appreciation for the fans who'd supported him, Brazil's lone Grand Slam champion. --James Martin
จากคุณ :
Holden Caulfield
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9 เม.ย. 49 16:35:51
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