It may take twelve months of hard work to reach No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, but Gustavo Kuerten’s rise to number one will forever be associated with a hectic 48 hours in Lisbon.
At the 2000 Nitto ATP Finals (then known as the Tennis Masters Cup), Brazilian star Kuerten scored back-to-back victories against a pair of American greats to clinch the tournament trophy, his first ascent to World No. 1 and ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF awards – all in one fell swoop.
Incumbent No. 1 Marat Safin went into the prestigious season finale needing three match wins to guarantee he retained top spot, but he ended his campaign one win short after losing to Pete Sampras (in the group stages) and Andre Agassi (in the semi-finals). The door was ajar for Kuerten, but the Brazilian now faced the same opponents as Safin, only in reverse: if he could beat Sampras in the semi-finals and Agassi in the final, the No. 1 spot was his.
Cheered on by an adoring Lisbon crowd, Kuerten somehow overcame the physical problems that plagued him all week in Portugal and recorded a pair of memorable victories. He rallied from a set down in the best-of-three semifinal to beat Sampras before riding a wave of emotion to a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win in the championship match against Agassi.
Kuerten’s triumph in Lisbon was his fifth tour-level title of the 2000 season. He triumphed on his favorite clay in Santiago, at the ATP Masters 1000 in Hamburg and at Roland Garros, where he regained the major title he had first won in 1997. He also won the first ATP Tour hard court crown of his career in Indianapolis and reached further Masters 1000 finals in Miami and Rome respectively, en route to a record of 63-22 for the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss. Indexing.
Kuerten had many fond memories of the 2000 season alone, not to mention the rest of his career. But even after ending his playing days as a three-time Roland Garros champion, who spent a total of 43 weeks at No. 1 in the world, he recognizes that his exploits in Lisbon were something special.
“As a tennis player, nothing can be higher than becoming number 1 on the tennis court [Tennis Masters Cup]beating Pete and then Andre back to back,” Kuerten, the only South American to claim the ATP Year End No. 1 presented by PIF honours, said later. “This is by far the highlight of my career.”
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