''Guga''- The man with feet of clay: part III
http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/news/articles/2008-05-12/20080512121060181668
9.html
The Guga saga part III
Monday, May 12, 2008
By Eric Frosio in Rio de Janeiro
September 2004 – December 2007: Ups, down and finally the end
Guga was again forced to come down to earth with a bump, a mere four months
after his incredible quarter-final win over Roger Federer at Roland Garros.
His hip was hurting more and more, his gluteus maximus kept cramping up on
him (perhaps due to the original operation) and meant that he could hardly
walk. Another operation had to be carried out, so Kuerten headed back to the
USA – after Nashville, this time it was Pittsburgh where he went under the
knife.
Doctor Marc Philippon was the surgeon given the task of saving Private
Kuerten. The young doctor, who came recommended by Sargis Sargsian, was a
pupil of Thomas Byrd who performed the original operation on Guga and had
built up a reputation for saving the careers of various US golfers and
ice-hockey players. Philippon took a different approach to treating this
complex part of the body and in a four-hour operation on 21 September,
carried out arthroscopic surgery on Guga's right hip to remove bony deposits
which had built up between the cartilage and the cap at the head of the
femur.
Physical pain, mental anguish
With his elder brother Rafael and Mariângela Lima, the physiotherapist who
had joined his staff a few months earlier but without Larri Passos (who
stated: "I have nothing to do with this operation"), Guga took on renewed
hope when he was given the verdict of the medical team. Moreover, he decided
to takes things more slowly this time around as he hit the comeback trail for
the second time. Eschewing the Bahamas, where he spent a brief period of
convalescence after the first operation, he decided to stay in the clinic in
Pittsburgh to build up his strength while still on crutches. And while he of
course suffered a few pangs of nostalgia away from the circuit, he managed to
keep his spirits up and convince himself that these three months of
rehabilitation in the States would be a new beginning for him…
After going home to Brazil on 18 December, he continued to work on his
fitness at his mother's home back in Florianopolis. Swimming and gym sessions
were the order of the day, every day, but the work seemed to be paying off by
February 2005 when he finally picked up a racquet again, but without Larri
Passos for the first time in over 10 years! "I saw it coming as early as
January," Guga's former coach recalled. "His brother Rafael called me to say
that we would no longer be working together." It was a bitter pill to swallow
for Passos, even if Kuerten stated in his official press release that "Larri
will always be like a father to me"…
Life without Larri
Kuerten returned to competition, without his coach and mentor, at Valencia in
April 2005 where he was convincingly beaten by Alberto Martin in the second
round. He lost his opening matches at Monte-Carlo – to Mario Ancic – and
Rome – to Tim Henman – and decided that it was time to get some help.
Kuerten therefore signed with former Argentinian pro Herman Gumy who also had
Guillermo Cañas and trainer Fernando Cao in his stable.
Guga felt at home with his new Argentinean friends but the results did not
change for the better, with David Sanchez knocking him out at the first
hurdle at Roland Garros. "I wasn't in any pain," Guga recalled, "but in terms
of fitness I was in a shocking state!" Kuerten decided to spend another month
practising on his beloved Parisian clay in the hope that it would bring out
the best in him, but it was all to no avail, and at Stuttgart, Umag and Sopot
he failed to win a single set. Prior to the US Open, he dispensed with
Mariângela Lima's services as physiotherapist and managed to beat Goldstein in
the first round before falling to Robredo in the second.
Training with Cañas and Nadal
Despite these various defeats, Kuerten decided to give it his all during the
break between seasons and went to train with Guillermo Cañas in Buenos Aires
and then to Barcelona in January 2006 to hit with Rafael Nadal. He was
convinced that he would make it back into the top 20, but bad luck continued
to dog him as he sprained his ankle a week before being scheduled to play at
Viña Del Mar. He went to Costa do Sauipe (where he lost to André Ghem)
before journeying to a remote backwater in Peru to play a Davis Cup tie
alongside his friend André Sà, where they were involved in a titanic
four-hour battle which left Guga on his knees.
After this marathon, Kuerten's hip was again causing him trouble and with his
morale again at a low ebb, he again travelled to the USA to see Doctor
Philippon, who by this time had moved to Colorado. Guga had almost two
months' worth of treatment before going to Brazil in April to see Nilton
Petrone, or Filé as he is known, who was the world-famous physio of
footballers Romario and Ronaldo. Guga spent many days on the massage table
hoping for a miracle.
"What about Larri?"
With Kuerten spending less and less time on court, his relationship with
Herman Gumy began to deteriorate and he split from the Argentinean coach on
14 September 2006 after 17 months. The three-time Roland Garros winner sat
down with his close friends to work out who should be his next coach. After
20 minutes of brainstorming which led to nothing, Guga suddenly shouted out:
"What about Larri?"
"I was playing golf with my family in the south of Brazil when Guga called me
up," said Larri Passos. "He wanted to see me so that we could talk. I said
'OK but you'll have to come to see me at my academy. Bring your racquets with
you!' But Guga wasn't the same any more – he was weakened. His hip was
causing him problems as was his buttock muscle. To me it was obvious that
since Miami 2007, he was no longer capable of being one of the world's top
players. But since he is a brave man and he didn't want to give up, we
started all over again…"
2007 was the year that definitively confirmed that Guga could no longer cut
it at the top. He played 12 matches, winning just twice (against Volandri at
Costa do Sauipe and Moodie in Las Vegas). His injuries persisted and
continued to sap his morale, leading him to consult specialists in Italy,
Sweden, England and the USA. They each suggested various solutions nothing
seemed to work. It was time for Guga to admit that his body had given up on
him…
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