''Guga''–the man with feet of clay: part I
法網的官網寫了一系列Guga的文章
第一篇是2001年的成功之下,隱藏了逐漸嚴重的傷痛
http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/news/articles/2008-04-29/20080428120938710367
1.html (請自行貼上)
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
By Eric Frosio, Rio de Janeiro
Before the 2008 French Open gets underway, we take a look back – in a
four-part retrospective – at the final chapters of Gustavo Kuerten's
illustrious career. From the lows of his hip operation to what will surely be
the bitter-sweet highs of his 2008 farewell tour, we pay tribute to the
Brazilian former champion who is about to tread the Paris clay – the scene
of his crowning glory – for the last time.
January 2001 – December 2001: The beginning of the end
Victory dulls the pain, or so they say. When players hoist a trophy aloft,
they think that they can move mountains and tend to ignore the alarm bells
that their bodies may be setting off. And this is exactly what happened to
Gustavo Kuerten in 2001.
On court, he was invincible, winning titles in Buenos Aires, Acapulco,
Monte-Carlo, Roland Garros, Stuttgart and Cincinnati. All of this success
however made Guga overlook the growing pain that he was feeling in his hip
and which was threatening to put a premature end to his career.
Monte-Carlo: where it all began to go wrong…
Rewind to Monte-Carlo: this is where the Brazilian began to feel the first
symptoms. During his victories in the opening rounds over El Aynaoui and
Vicente, Kuerten began to feel pain in the pelvic region which doctors
diagnosed as a groin strain, but in actual fact it was a problem with the
player's hip. This misdiagnosis would cost him dearly and its effects are
still being felt to this day.
At the time, the pain was not enough to keep him from winning the tournament.
Kuerten had daily sessions with physiotherapists and was lucky enough not to
have to face a single player in the top 20, overcoming Haas, Schalken, Coria
and then Arazi in the final. He then went on to reach the final of the Master
Series in Rome, going down in an epic five-setter against Ferrero despite the
growing discomfort.
Picasso traces a heart on court
Next up was Roland Garros. Coria, Calleri and Alami were all brushed aside
before he found himself up against world No. 122 Michael Russell. Kuerten
somehow found himself two sets down and he even had to save two match points
in the third before finally downing his little-known American opponent. Guga
fell to his knees in exhaustion and traced a heart in the red dust of
Philippe Chatrier court – a heart which he dedicated to the fans in the
stands.
"I experienced something incredible that day," the Brazilian recalls. "I
could feel the fans behind me and there was a synergy between us. It was a
magic moment – I've never felt anything quite like that!" Despite the pain,
Kuerten was on a higher plane and went on to beat Kafelnikov, Ferrero and
then Corretja in the final to win his third and final "Coupe des
Mousquetaires". "Picasso", as he was being called by then, drew another heart
on centre court, to the delight of the fans…
The American summer leg of the tour which followed was almost as successful
as the European spring, with a semi-final spot in Los Angeles (where he lost
to Agassi) followed by victory in Cincinnati over Rafter, before the Aussie
got his revenge in the final in Indianapolis. As the US Open approached,
Kuerten's season contained 52 wins and only eight defeats – the best run of
his career.
Nine matches, eight defeats
Guga was still paying daily visits to the ATP physios but no-one was really
too concerned by what was still believed to be a groin strain. That was until
the US Open began. A titanic five-set win in three-and-a-half hours over
Mirnyi took its toll and in the subsequent quarter-final against Kafelnikov,
Kuerten's tank was running on empty. This was when the Brazilian began to
realise that the body has its limits: if you push it too far, you might go
beyond the point of no return…
Guga kept going out on court, but the victories dried up and his record was
spoiled by an awful run of eight defeats in his last nine matches of the
season! "It was still an incredible year," his coach and mentor Larri Passos
recalls. "Guga withstood the incredible pressure he was under, he was
consistent and he proved to me that he was a real fighter out on court. He
began the year as world No.1 and that's exactly what he was by the time he
got to Sydney for the Masters Cup (though by the end of the tournament, his
ranking had slipped to No.2)."
"Those final weeks didn't matter", says Passos, putting things into the
context of the year, but they nevertheless marked the beginning of the end of
Guga's reign. He took a well earned break back home in Florianopolis, but by
the time he returned to Sydney for the start of the 2002 season, his body had
had enough. He was soon going to have to go under the knife…
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 203.73.35.199
Latin_AM 近期熱門文章
PTT體育區 即時熱門文章
53
134