Saga Guga IV
http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/news/articles/2008-05-19/20080519121121324884
3.html
Monday, May 19, 2008
By Eric Frosio
December 2007 – May 2008: The final rally
When we arranged an interview as 2007 drew to a close, we expected to meet up
with a depressed, out-of-sorts Gustavo Kuerten. After all, not only was the
triple French Open winner hamstrung by injuries but he had also lost his
handicapped younger brother, Guilherme. The 28-year-old, who had always been
Guga's number one fan and was the one who encouraged him to found the Gustavo
Kuerten Institute in 2000, passed away in November 2007 at the family home.
Time to face facts
At the same time, Kuerten was being forced to come to terms with another loss
– that of his professional tennis career. His body had left him with no
choice – despite two operations, his hip was still no better and the nerve
in the buttock muscle would sometimes completely block his leg. It was time
for Guga to face facts and call a painful end to his pain-filled career.
These were the circumstances in which we met the darling of the French Open
crowds, in his native Florianopolis at a reception organised by his clothing
sponsor on 3 January 2008. Despite having the problems of the world on his
shoulders, Guga had not lost that broad, infectious smile which won over the
Roland Garros crowd back in 1997. He had already decided when and how to call
it a day but at the time he was refusing to make it official. Rather than
talking about his farewell tour, Guga's business that night was to announce a
new deal that he had signed with an Italian label.
"He is a hero like Zico and Senna"
With the sand around his feet at an open-air bar in the upmarket Jurerê end
of town at home in "Floripa", Guga was his usual charming self, welcoming
guests, cleverly telling the journalists that the end was not yet in sight,
signing t-shirts and revelling in the same levels of popularity as when he
was at the height of his career. "That's why we wanted to sign with Guga
again," explained Enrico Mambelli, the head of the Italian brand. "The guy we
are sponsoring is still a hero like Zico and Senna." Heroes need a costume,
and Guga's is the famous blue and yellow t-shirt he wore when he won his
first Roland Garros.
We caught up with Kuerten the following morning on the road to Camboriu,
heading towards the academy run by his mentor Larri Passos. We trail Guga's
vehicle into a ranch nestling in the hills in the state of Santa Catarina,
where under a scorching sun, the patriarch Larri Passos is overseeing all 30
youngsters training out on the clay courts. This retreat is where Guga has
come for his final challenge – getting back to a reasonably competitive
level for his last hurrah. And it soon becomes plain to see that this will be
no easy task.
Grin and bear it
No sooner is he out of the car than Guga climbs onto the massage table, but
every time Daniel Périni, his physiotherapist, so much as bends his leg, the
Brazilian's face creases up in pain. This is part of the daily two-hour
torture session that has been part of Kuerten's life for two years to try to
compensate for the tendon in the buttock muscle that has withered away due to
two operations on his right hip.
What they are trying to do is warm the muscle up and get it to return to
something approaching normality, but it is a lost cause. Many had already
tried and failed – from the world's greatest surgeons to the most obscure
faith-healers. Guga just has to grin and bear it, even though the pain is
enough to bring tears to his eyes. "He's mentally very strong," says his
physiotherapist with more than a hint of admiration in his voice. "I've
already told him, 'You're crazy! Give it up! Hit the beach, enjoy the money
you've made.' But Guga's a lion – he wants to roar again. That's how much he
loves his tennis!" A love that knows no bounds, particularly when it comes to
withstanding pain.
"Experience the emotions one last time"
"It's tough not to just give up," Guga admits. "But for me, even if it's
really hard work, I don't see it as a sacrifice. It's a pleasure coming here.
I feel good vibrations here surrounded by these hills and that gives me the
energy I need to keep on believing."
What he "believes" is that he can make a go of it on his farewell tour which
he confirmed on 15 January in Sao Paulo at a packed press conference. "I want
to experience the emotions I felt at those tournaments that I love, one last
time," he said in front of an emotional audience. The tour will take him from
Costa do Sauipe to Miami, Florianopolis, Monte-Carlo… and then to Roland
Garros, which will be the culmination of his incredible career.
"We want to see Guga happy"
Standing a little back from it all, Guga's elder brother Rafaël seems
relieved at how things are finally coming to an end. "He's been trying
everything for the past two years but his body's just said 'no more!' It's
time to move on. I'm happy that he's reached this decision. It's time for him
to write a new chapter. It's tough to retire but if you have other things to
aim for, other victories to achieve, then you can do it…We just want to see
Guga happy, relieved and smiling during this final tour…"
The first stage of the "Guga World Tour" in Costa do Sauipe near to Bahia
sees a highly emotional Kuerten take to the court to the sound of "Emoçao"
by the famous Brazilian singer Roberto Carlos. The centre court crowd are
almost as teary-eyed as Guga, but despite a few first-set fireworks, the
former world number one goes down in straight sets to Argentina's Carlos
Berlocq (ATP No.74) 7-5 6-1. "I lost it physically in the second set, but I'm
satisfied with the match overall," says an upbeat Kuerten. "Having the crowd
cheer me on like that was fantastic – really moving."
For whom the bell tolls
A month later at Key Biscayne (where he reached the final in 2000), Guga
takes on Sébastien Grosjean, ATP No.52 and a rival from his glory years. The
result is almost a carbon copy of the one against Berlocq, with Kuerten
alternating winners and unforced errors in a 6-1 7-5 defeat. Victory does
finally come, however, alongside his friend from Ecuador Nicolas Lapentti.
The pairing overcome Lopez and Verdasco on one of the side courts in front of
an ecstatic Brazilian following. The following day, the ATP organises a
red-carpet event at the Epic Hotel to celebrate Kuerten's career. Lapentti,
Moya, Norman, Sà, Melo, Gaudio, Djokovic and Kournikova al come and raise a
glass to mark the Brazilian legend's impending retirement, and while Guga has
a smile on his face, he seems to realise that the bell is finally tolling on
his career.
At the challenger tournament in his home town of Florianopolis, the real Guga
comes to the fore, wowing the crowd and thoroughly enjoying himself out on
court. Sporting a full beard in memory of his father who had passed away,
Kuerten overcomes the little-known Colombian Salamanca 6-4 6-4 to the delight
of his fans. In the second round, his emotions once again get the better of
him. He finds himself 3-0 down to his compatriot Franco Ferreiro when he
hears Larri Passos whispering to him: "Go for it! Go for your shots! Enjoy
yourself for crying out loud!"
"I hope I'll have fun with the French fans!"
Guga does indeed decide to go for it and puts in the best performance of his
farewell tour to date. Despite losing 7-5 7-6, he gets the fans out of their
seats and doing a Mexican wave… Monte-Carlo turns out to be the other
extreme, however. Bothered by a leg injury (as well as his usual hip and
buttock problems), he barely troubles the scorers in a 6-1 6-2 loss at the
hands of Ivan Ljubicic. He then pulls out of Barcelona and heads back to
Florianopolis to prepare for the final fling, with his arrival in Paris
planned for Tuesday 20 May 2008. "I reckon I'll be pretty emotional," Guga
warns. "This is almost where I was born as a tennis player. This is where I
had the most success and my greatest wins. I also have a special relationship
with the French fans. I hope we're going to have some fun together!"
After that, he will go back to looking after the Gustavo Kuerten Institute
which helps underprivileged children and also the handicapped like his
brother Guilherme. He will also try to develop tennis in Brazil "to increase
the number of licensed players and train future champions". He will also take
some time off to rest his weary body, go surfing and play the guitar. He also
intends to travel with his new girlfriend Carolina, who is a beach volleyball
champion and whom he will no doubt bring with him to Paris, that
quintessential city of romance where 11 years ago, the world of tennis fell
in love with a long-haired young Brazilian with a magic touch…
--
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