For our sixth annual Heroes Issue, we’ve selected passages from the last 50 years of Tennis Magazine and TENNIS.com—starting in 1969 and ending in 2018—to highlight 50 worthy heroes. Each passage acknowledges the person as they were then; each subsequent story catches up with the person, or highlights their impact, as they are now. It is best summed up with a quote from the great Arthur Ashe, that was featured on the cover of the November/December issue of this magazine in 2015: “True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.”
His defining moment came in December 2000 at the Tennis Masters Cup in Lisbon. In front of a wildly supportive Portuguese crowd, Guga, who almost pulled out early in the week with severe thigh spasms and back pain, played three matches for the ages within a 48-hour span. After beating Yevgeny Kafelnikov to advance to the semifinals, he out-aced and outplayed six-time No. 1 Pete Sampras, then recovered in time to smother Andre Agassi in a straight-set final. No one had beaten Sampras and Agassi back-to-back in a decade (Stefan Edberg last accomplished the feat in 1990). And no one had ever benefited so greatly from his first indoor tournament victory; indeed, it enabled Kuerten to edge out Marat Safin in the final ATP points race and become the first South American to finish a year at No. 1. –Julian Rubinstein / March 2001
When Gustavo Kuerten used his racquet to draw a giant heart in red clay following his third title at Roland Garros in 2001, it signified not only his love for the Parisian crowd, but his greatest weapon against any opponent he faced. “Guga,” as he was affectionately known around the world, had looping groundstrokes and relentless consistency—but he also played with heart.
With his wiry physique, signature curls and ear-to-ear grin, the Brazilian was a fan favorite during his accomplished 13-year career. Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2012, he became an official ambassador for the organization four years later, participating in promotional tennis events around the globe.
“I don’t consider it the end of the line,” Kuerten says. “I am very involved in tennis, and I will find a way to give back to tennis.”
But then, Kuerten had already contributed to the game. In 2000, he established the Guga Kuerten Institute in his hometown of Florianopolis, to provide opportunities and promote social inclusion through sport for children and people with disabilities. Inspired by his late brother Guilherme, who suffered from cerebral palsy, the foundation touches over 700 children each year, pouring nearly $1 million into three different programs in southern Brazil. As a result of his work, the ATP honored Kuerten with the prestigious Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year award in 2003.
“My life was never normal again after 1997 Roland Garros, yet I have tried to preserve and maintain my approach to life,” Kuerten told ATPWorldTour.com.
Now 42 and a married father of two, Kuerten’s approach no doubt still includes his signature ingredient: heart.