Gustavo Kuerten

Gustavo Kuerten (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɡusˈtavu ˈkiɾtẽ]; born September 10, 1976) is a retired former World No. 1 tennis player from Brazil. He won the French Open three times between 1997 and 2001, and was the Tennis Masters Cup champion in 2000. After 12 years on the international tour, he retired from top-level tennis in May 2008. Kuerten is also known as "Guga" (pronounced: [ˈɡuɡɐ]), an affectionate nickname which is a common abbreviation of the name "Gustavo" in Portuguese-speaking countries. He is a polyglot who speaks fluent Portuguese, Spanish, English and French. Kuerten was born in Florianópolis in southern Brazil. He comes from an ethnically German family. He began playing tennis when he was six, an early start to a life...