http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/bios/ms/atpk293.html
Gustavo Kuerten
Surf can wait for 'Guga'
by Tim Brimblecombe
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
Gustavo Kuerten isn't quite sure what to do with himself.
Normally around this time at the Australian Open the 27-year-old Brazilian is
ready to pack his surfboard and scout the breaks of Victoria's Surf Coast.
However, the need to satisfy his surf urgings has to be temporarily put on hold
as for the first time in eight visits to Melbourne, Kuerten has advanced
beyond the second-round.
The former world No.1 and three-time French Open champion has never really had
much joy at Melbourne Park - on the court at least - and has managed just five
second-round appearances and twice was knocked out in the first round.
Off the court, life hasn't been so bad. In previous years during his spare time
he's sampled some of the best peaks at the famous Bells Beach - just 90
minutes from Rod Laver Arena. But now things are a little different and Kuerten has e
very right to feel optimistic about the year ahead.
After a disappointing year in 2002 when his ranking slipped to 37 while recover
ing from early hip surgery, Kuerten rediscovered some of his best form last
season to finish at No.16 - the fifth time in seven years he finished in the
top 20.
Kuerten, who regularly sports a smile while playing and rarely looks flustered,
plans to take the intensity of the men's professional circuit down even a few
more pegs from his normal relaxed state. Surfing will always be on his mind as
will his guitar.
"For me, especially the way I'm living my life right now I try to enjoy much
more all the things rather than the results and rankings," Kuerten said after
his breakthrough 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-3 second-round victory against Croatian
Ivan Ljubicic. "I'm looking forward to managing to keep my smile on the court
and have a great time out there.
"You have your favourite things to do and for me it's surfing and playing the
guitar a little bit. You're always complaining about the lack of time you have
to enjoy these pleasures and to have our fun.
"The years starts very early here and then goes all year long, playing back to
back, so it's good to keep your mind away from the tournament or from the
tennis and think about other things and get a release from all this routine
and the pressure."
The effort to advance beyond the second round at the Australian Open could also
signal another promising year on hard-court surfaces.
With three French Open titles (1997, 2000, 2001) along with sporadic success at
the other Grand Slams, Kuerten earned the tag of "clay-court specialist". But
perhaps ominously for his opponents, Kuerten is confident of making an impact
beyond clay this year.
"In one way it was a good result for me on the hard, but in the other way I did
n't have the results I was expecting on clay," Kuerten said of 2003 when he won
two titles on hard court in St Petersburg and Auckland and reached the final
at Indian Wells and semi-finals at Los Angeles and Long Island - all on hard
court.
"It's just proof that I was able to find a great level on another surface and
not only depend on my clay court results."
--
如果你能夠夢想 而不被它沖昏頭腦
如果你能夠思考 而不被它完全支配
如果你能夠面對成功和失敗 那麼你該把它平均地運用在球場上
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 61.64.102.35
※ 編輯: establish 來自: 61.64.102.35 (01/22 00:52)