The 1997 French Open final pitted a two-time Roland Garros champion, Sergi Bruguera, against an unknown 20-year old from Brazil named Gustavo Kuerten. Kuerten was ranked No. 66, and he hailed from a country that hadn’t produced a major champion in 30 years. But over the course of two weeks, the rail-thin kid with the roundhouse backhand had charmed the finicky French fans with his loose-limbed game and highly coordinated yellow-and blue outfits. By the time he had won three consecutive five-set matches, “Guga” had become a household name in Paris.
It didn’t take long on the final Sunday to see that Bruguera, for all of his clay-court cunning, would be powerless to stop the samba. Early in the match, Kuerten sent a topspin backhand deep into the court that kicked forward with more momentum than Bruguera had anticipated. Handcuffed,Bruguera could only bunt a forehand back. It was the start of a mercifully short afternoon for the Spaniard.
As far as revolutionary sports moments go, Kuerten’s furiously spinning backhand was one of the least dramatic. But few one-handers had ever been hit with so much snap and sizzle, and 20 years later, it’s clear that Guga’s victory represented a sea change in tennis, one that would transform the sport in the 21st century.
While Kuerten went on to win three French Opens and carve a heart in the terre battue, his Parisian story wasn’t all about love. It was also about something much duller: polyester. Not clothes, but strings. As he slid and smiled his way through Roland Garros, Kuerten had a new weapon inside his Head frame: a purple string called Luxilon Original. This ultra-stiff thread made from a polyester-like material gave him the freedom to swing as hard as he wanted, while also creating the topspin needed to keep the ball in. Nineteen years after the debut of the oversize racquet, tennis equipment had taken its next evolutionary step.
Denne historien er fra Mar/Apr 2017-utgaven av Tennis.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra Mar/Apr 2017-utgaven av Tennis.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
The Tennis Conversation: Jenson Brooksby, a piano man
Billy Joel may be a New York City icon, but the fans in Queens should start getting to know this piano man
The Five-Step Sit-Down Plan
Don’t neglect the value of a smart changeover routine
MAKING THE TURN
Six years after saying goodbye to the protour grind, Mardy Fish may be more active than ever—on the court, on the course, and helping combat a struggle anyone can encounter
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Queens is known for its gastronomy as much as its tennis. Daniil Medvedev, equal parts sugar and spice, hopes to add a unique flavor to the borough as he vies for his first major
SUMMER IN THE CITIES
Broadway may not re-open until mid September, but tennis offers its own brand of live theatre in the preceding months
REOPEN SEASON
The pandemic halted tennis as an up-close experience— but is now giving way to pandemonium among crowds. As the pro game reopens this summer and fans gather again, we’re realizing what we’ve been missing for so long
Court of Appeals
Resolving Your Rules Questions&Quarrels
An Open Mind: New York's Slam has no shortage of history, but it always evolves
In the last decade, Arthur Ashe Stadium got a roof, and a new Grandstand and Louis Armstrong Stadium debuted.
Those Fall Feels
The end of summer may be bittersweet, but getting lost amid the backroads of NEW ENGLAND adds a silver—and golden—lining to the season change. Pack a few sweaters along with your tennis kit and prepare for leaf-peeping, scenic drives and delicious autumnal ingredients to pair with your forehands
Court of Appeals
Resolving Your Rules Questions & Quarrels
