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Post by Dissident on Dec 25, 2002 20:38:39 GMT -5
Alright, thanks for the forum Becca! ;D This is the first post here, and should be a good luck to the 2003 season. Guga is practicing a lot, since he even hit the courts today and yesterday. Hope he has a good shot at Auckland, to lead him in good form into the Aussie! GO GUGA!!!
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Post by The Chloe on Dec 29, 2002 9:42:26 GMT -5
Woohoo go Guga He's ranked 37th right now - and Henman, Pete, Haas, and Greg have all said they aren't playing Aussieland. One more withdraw and he's seeded no matter how he performs in Aukland
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Post by Lee on Dec 30, 2002 0:25:26 GMT -5
Since Guga is my number 1 fav. I guess I should have my first post here!
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Post by Lee on Dec 30, 2002 0:32:23 GMT -5
Woohoo go Guga He's ranked 37th right now - and Henman, Pete, Haas, and Greg have all said they aren't playing Aussieland. One more withdraw and he's seeded no matter how he performs in Aukland Auckland is too close to AO. Whether he is seeded or not will solely depends on anymore withdrawl. But I think PH Mathieu who is ahead of him in ranking withdrew too, so I guess he will be seeded.
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Majjjjjji
Junior Member
Bunny Marathon
Posts: 49
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Post by Majjjjjji on Jan 4, 2003 21:41:33 GMT -5
All the best, guga!!!!
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Post by Camelion on Jan 6, 2003 10:35:54 GMT -5
Guga, Bonne Chance. Vous etes la meilleur homme dans le monde et mon mari. Je t'aime
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Post by Lee on Mar 10, 2003 15:05:50 GMT -5
Wonder will there be more Guga fans here
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Post by kallrose on Mar 11, 2003 13:53:35 GMT -5
Go Guga!!!! ;D
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Post by BennyBenassiFan on Mar 12, 2003 7:21:27 GMT -5
GO GUGAAAAAA!!!!!!!!
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Post by Catriel on Apr 17, 2003 1:55:25 GMT -5
Forza Guga!
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Post by Sjengster on Apr 25, 2003 16:36:11 GMT -5
just
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Post by BennyBenassiFan on Apr 26, 2003 18:30:54 GMT -5
Hi everybody!!!! I'm planning to develop this part of the board!! Guga needs our support! By the way, if you want to join Guga's #1 fan board, the website is gugakuerten.proboards16.com, it's great and we're all talking about Guga! My message board is about everything(not only tennis) and the website is lollipop.proboards18.comThanks for joining us! Seb
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Post by Lee on Oct 26, 2003 10:11:27 GMT -5
Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil holds his trophy after winning the final match against Sargis Sargsian of Armenia at the St. Petersburg Open ATP tennis tournament, Russia, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2003. Kuerten won 6-4, 6-3. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky) (Bild 1) He's gorgeous
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Post by TennisHack on Nov 6, 2003 17:36:44 GMT -5
www.sportsmediainc.com/tennisweek/index.cfm?func=showarticle&newsid=9853&bannerregion=Defending Champ Guga Plans Auckland ReturnBy Adrianna Outlaw 11/05/2003 Former No. 1 Gustavo Kuerten aims to open the new year the way he closed the current one — with a win. The 27-year-old Kuerten confirmed he will return to Auckland, New Zealand to defend his Heineken Open title. The tournament is set for January 12-17th. The former No. 1 started the 2003 season strong, defeating Martin Verkerk, Michael Russell, Guillermo Coria and Mariano Zabaleta in succession to advance to the Auckland final where he dismissed Dominik Hrbaty, 6-3, 7-5, to take home his 18th career tournament title. Hrbaty, who won the Heineken title in 2001, has committed to competing in Auckland for the sixth time in his career. In addition, 1994 Australian Open finalist Todd Martin, who was a 7-6(4), 6-4, 6-4 victor over Kuerten in the second round at Wimbledon this year, plans to play Auckland. Though the 33-year-old Martin played a reduced schedule this year, he beat top-ranked Andy Roddick in Miami and advanced to the fourth round at the U.S. Open before falling to reigning Roland Garros champ Juan Carlos Ferrero in five sets. Three-time French Open champion Kuerten, who was Indian Wells runner-up to Lleyton Hewitt in March, showed the form that made him one of tennis' top players as he did not surrender a set in claiming his 19th career championship at St. Petersburg last month. The 16th-ranked Brazilian concluded the year with a 41-21 record.
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Post by TennisHack on Nov 14, 2003 19:55:39 GMT -5
www.sportsmediainc.com/tennisweek/index.cfm?func=showarticle&newsid=9893&bannerregion=Guga Awarded Cross Of Merit In BrazilBy Tennis Week 11/11/2003 Gustavo Kuerten has been a commanding presence in tennis and now he's earned an honor that carries presidential prestige in Brazil. The three-time French Open champion was awarded one of the highest honors a Brazilian can receive — the Cross of Merit ( quot;A Cruz do Merito") — in Sao Paulo over the weekend. The former No. 1 participated in an exhibition with Flavio Saretta, Nicolas Lapentti, Mariano Zabaleta, Gaston Gaudio and Fernando Gonzalez when he was awarded the Cross of Merit, also known as the "JK Jewel" in honor of the late President Juscelino Kubitschek, for his contributions to tennis. The last Brazilian to receive the honor before Kuerten was former Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso. "I feel very honored to receive this award at such a young age. I think this is one of the biggest honors I could ever get as a Brazilian Citizen and it is a reward for everything that I have shown on court as a player and off court as a person," Kuerten said. "I am aware of what I represent to the country, of the responsibilities that I have as an idol and it was very emotional to receive it in front of a packed stadium, with all the fans around." The 27-year-old Florianopolis resident received the award from his biggest fan — his mother, Alice Kuerten — who placed the star set with diamonds and rubies around Kuerten's neck. Kuerten's presence at the exhibition event filled one of the nation's premier sports arena "Ginasio do Ibirapuera" with 10,000 fans each session for three successive days. In the exhibition final, Kuerten defeated Flavio Saretta, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. "It obviously didn’t happen from night to day," Kuerten said of tennis' popularity in Brazil. "Since 1997 tennis changed here and along the years people started to appreciate the sport and follow the results. I have played in big arenas and in front of big crowds before, but to play in your home country, in front of 10.000 people for days in a row, that were there just to see you play, is something very special and emotional, even more satisfying than winning titles."
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Post by Lee on Nov 15, 2003 1:18:30 GMT -5
Thanks Hackie for the articles!
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Post by Lee on Nov 25, 2003 23:15:52 GMT -5
GUGA IS AWARDED THE CROSS OF MERIT
Fonte: EQUIPE GUGA
Three time French Open champion, Gustavo Kuerten was awarded one of the most important prizes a Brazilian citizen can get: “A Cruz do Mérito (Cross of Merit)”, this weekend, in São Paulo, where he finished the 2003 season, playing an exhibition with fellows Flavio Saretta, Nicolas Lapentti, Mariano Zabaleta, Gaston Gaudio and Fernando Gonzalez.
Guga was awarded the “Cross of Merit, also known as the JK Jewel,” in reference of the late President, Juscelino Kubitschek, for his contributition to the sport.
He was the last one to receive the award, which became part of the celebration of the “100 years of Juscelino Kubitschek,”and distinguished personalities and authorities that wrote their names in an important part of the Brazilian History. Before Guga, the last one to receive the insignia was former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso.
“I feel very honored to receive this award at such a young age. I think this is one of the biggest honors I could ever get as a Brazilian Citizen and it is a reward for everything that I have shown on court as a player and off court as a person. I am aware of what I represent to the country, of the responsibilities that I have as an idol and it was very emotional to receive it in front of a packed stadium, with all the fans around,” said Guga.
The 27 year old from Florianopolis, received an insignia, in form of a star, set with diamonds and rubies, on court, after defeating Mariano Zabaleta. A bunch of authorities were on site to attend the ceremony, but it was a special patroness for the event, chosen by Guga, his mother, Alice Kuerten, who put the insignia around his neck.
In receiving the award, Guga automatically became part of a select club and was also entitled a “Commendator.” This means that he might require to be called “Commendator Gustavo Kuerten.”
Since winning his first French Open title in 1997, Guga made tennis so popular in the country that he was able to fill the “Ginásio do Ibirapuera,” Brazils most well known sports arena, with 10.000 people for three days in a row, just to see him play last week. “It obviously didn’t happen from night to day. Since 1997 tennis changed here and along the years people started to appreciate the sport and follow the results. I have played in big arenas and in front of big crowds before, but to play in your home country, in front of 10.000 people for days in a row, that were there just to see you play, is something very special and emotional, even more satisfying than winning titles,” said Guga, who beat Flavio Saretta 4/6 6/3 6/3 on Saturday night, in the final of the Tênis Espetacular.
Guga, who won his title number 19 two weeks ago in St Petesburg, and finished the season on the 16th place in the ATP entry rankings and 15th in the Champions Race, left São Paulo on Sunday to go home and rest before he starts practicing for 2004, on December 1st.
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Post by Lee on Nov 25, 2003 23:17:56 GMT -5
A very proud moment for the Kuertens It's so sweet of Guga to choose his mother to put the insignia on.
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Post by Kiro on Dec 30, 2003 2:06:00 GMT -5
Kuerten Hits The Beach Photo By Daniel Benassi By Tennis Week 12/29/2003 Avid surfer Gustavo Kuerten is committed to a rigorous off-season training regimen that's not exactly a day at the beach though it often ends up that way. The three-time former French Open champion has been putting in long hours of practice in preparation for the 2004 season. Accompanied by fellow pros Andre Sa, Harel Levy, Noam Okun, Jonathan Erlich as well as promising Brazilian juniors, Kuerten has been training daily at his coach's tennis academy, Larri Passos Tennis Pro. Diana Gabanyi, Kuerten¡¦s hard-working publicist and surrogate older sister, reports Kuerten begins his daily training sessions at 7:30 a.m. and often works until 7 p.m. Kuerten's conditioning program isn't confined to the court ¡X he has been stretching and running regularly around the grounds of Passos' academy. While riding a wave of work, the former No. 1 has also found time to savor the sand on the beach volleyball court Passos constructed for the players. "We get inspiration from the Brazilian team," said Kuerten of the Brazilian volleyball team that claimed the world championship this year. "We started playing to relax, but once you put 12 men to play it has become competition and if someone doesn¡¦t come and 'steal' the ball from us, we would play the whole afternoon.¡¨ Crafting clay-court success is a top priority for Kuerten, who claimed his last clay-court championship at Stuttgart in July of 2001. Since capturing his third Roland Garros crown in 2001, Guga has failed to surpass the fourth round at the French Open, falling to Albert Costa in 2002 and Tommy Robredo last year. Kuerten is convinced his clay-court confidence will return when he starts putting a series of wins together. "Clay is still my favorite surface and for me it is important to win on it again," Kuerten said. "I am working hard to have a good clay season and already very early in the year, there will be a important tournament for me on clay, the Brasil Open. It was a very tough part of the year in 2003 when I didn¡¦t play well on clay. It was below my expectations and I was only able to play well at Roland Garros. So, I am working on the technique and on the physical part too, to get strength and resistance to play long matches on clay. When I am feeling I am hitting the ball well and if I start winning two or three matches on a row, I know I can be a threat." The 16th-ranked Kuerten showed flashes of his familiar form in 2003 as he started the season winning Auckland on hard court and ended it winning St. Petersburg and reaching the round of 16 in Paris where he succumbed to eventual-champion Tim Henman. In between, he advanced to successive semifinals on clay at Buenos Aires and Acapulco before beating Goran Ivanisevic, Roger Federer, Agustin Calleri, James Blake and Rainer Schuettler in succession to reach the Indian Wells final where he fell to defending-champion Lleyton Hewitt. Sustaining his momentum in Grand Slam play proved to be a struggle for Kuerten, who produced disappointing results in the majors, suffering a second-round setback at the Australian Open, bowing out in the second round at Wimbledon and bouncing out of the U.S. Open in the opening round. A committed Kuerten is looking to bounce back in 2004 and has set his sights on playing in the Olympics. "I have had a fantastic experience in Sydney and am looking forward to playing in Athens," Kuerten said. "It is still a bit far away from my mind, once we have lots of important tournaments to play before August. To play in the Olympics is a dream and to win a medal would be amazing, something to make my career even more special. I have won Grand Slams, Masters Series, Masters Cup, have reached the number one rankings and to have a an Olympic medal would only make it greater." www.tennisweek.com
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Post by Lee on Dec 30, 2003 18:12:16 GMT -5
GUGA REACHES THE END OF THE PREPARATION FOR THE SEASON 2004
Fonte: EQUIPE GUGA
Gustavo Kuerten started his fifth and last week of early-season preparation, in Santa Catarina, on Monday. Guga goes to Oceania, with coach Larri Passos on January 6 to play the first two tournaments of 2004, the ATP Auckland and Australian Open.
“We are at the end of the preparation and looking forward to get back to the circuit,” Guga says, who has been practicing since last week, on hard court, the same surface where he will play in New Zealand and Australia.
For this last week of practice, Larri reduced the hard rhythm of the early-season preparation, which began on December 1, at Camboriu. “The practices get a bit more slow and more specific, with much more emphasis on the serve and return,” Larri explained.
From this week on, Guga begins to play sets too, to start getting ready for the competition. The Brazilian’s first appointment is on January 12, in Auckland.
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Post by TennisHack on Jan 15, 2004 15:41:11 GMT -5
From Bob Larson's newsletter:
Men's Match of the Day
Auckland - Quarterfinal Gustavo Kuerten (3) def. Vincent Spadea 6-2 7-6(7-4)
Gustavo Kuerten is a New Millennium kind of guy.
Really. The Kuerten of the twentieth century is gone. Look at the numbers. Through July 2001, Kuerten had fifteen career titles -- thirteen on clay, one on a hardcourt, one indoors.
Since July 2001, Kuerten could almost have been an American. His results have all been on hardcourts and indoors: Cincinnati 2001. Salvador 2002. Auckland 2003. Saint Petersburg 2003. Even his finals (Lyon 2002, Indian Wells 2003) have been on modern surfaces.
Obviously the new model Kuerten is not quite what the old one was; he's been injured and his confidence has been shaken. He isn't a kid any more, either. But he's showing no signs of slowing down on these faster surfaces; this gives him eight straight wins at Auckland. If he can ever get the clay game going again, his improved results on other surfaces should make it easy for him to stay at the top of the game.
For the moment, though, his Top 20 ranking is still in jeopardy. He needs one more win to hang on. Though even there, he had some help. He'll be awaiting the winner of Hrbaty vs. Kohlschreiber, meaning that he'll be facing an opponent who has done extra duty before the match even starts.
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Post by Lee on Jan 22, 2004 11:12:08 GMT -5
Being the resident Guga fan here, I should make more effort in posting here GUGA FOUGHT OFF LJUBICIC TO MAKE IT THROUGH TO THE THIRD ROUND OF THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS CAREER Fonte: EQUIPE GUGA Gustavo Kuerten fought off Croatian Ivan Ljubicic on Wednesday, at the Australian Open, with a four-set win 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3, in 3 hours 5 minutes of match, to make it through to the third round. The win, on Vodafone Arena had a special meaning to the Brazilian. For the first time, in eight attempts, since 1997, he has managed to advance beyond the second round at Melbourne.
After a tough first round win, where he needed five sets to win against John Van Lottum, Guga was more confident as he stepped on Vodafone Arena. On the first set Guga had his serve broken in the sixth game and was down 5-2. But, when Ljubicic served for the set, Guga broke back to level the set and broke Ljubicic’s serve again to serve for the set. On the second, Guga broke Ljubicic on the third game, but lost his serve straight away. At 5-5 he managed another serve break, but this time, when serving to take the 2-0 lead, Ljubicic broke his serve and took the decision to the tie-break. With just one mini-break, at 5-5, Ljubicic took the advantage to level the match. Guga didn’t give up and on the second game of the third set he broke Ljubicic’s serve to hold the advantage until 5-3, when he lost his serve. But, he didn’t give the Croatian the chance to breath for a long time, returning the break right away to score a 2-1 lead. Still more confident, Guga took a 4-0 lead on the fourth set. He lost his serve on the fifth game, and didn’t waste the opportunity when he served for the match and after a long ball from Ljubicic he lifted his arms and turned towards Coach Larri Passos to celebrate, on his eighth visit to Australia his passage into the third round of the tournament. During the match, Guga had 58% of his first serve, hit 8 aces, one double-fault, 29 winners, 31 unforced errors and won 62% of the net points. “I’m happy to have won the match. It was a great match, better than the first round and I want to enjoy this moment,” Guga said. “This is the first time I make through to the third round and hopefully I’ll make it through to the fourth round.” On the next round, played on Friday, Guga will play either French Jerome Golmard or Thai Paradorn Srichaphan, who are playing on Wednesday evening. Guga, No. 19 seed at the Australian Open, has already met both players before. He played Golmard, currently ranked 310° in the world and came from the qualifying, seven times, and won five. The last time was at the Masters Series Cincinnati, in 2000 and Guga won 6-0, 6-4. He played Srichaphan, currently ranked 15, only once, at the Masters Series Madrid, in 2002, and Srichaphan won 6-4, 6-4. By making it through to the third round of the Australian Open, Guga has earned 75 points on the Entry System and 15 on the Champions Race. He stands in 19 position on both ATP listings.
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Post by Lee on Jan 22, 2004 11:14:22 GMT -5
GUGA PLAYS SRICHAPHAN FOR A PLACE ON THE FOURTH ROUND OF THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Fonte: EQUIPE GUGA
After a 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3 win against Croatian Ivan Ljubicic on Wednesday and securing a spot on the third round of the Australian Open for the first time in his career, Gustavo Kuerten will now play Thai Paradon Srichaphan, on Friday at Melbourne, for a place on the fourth round of the first Grand Slam of the year.
Happy with his performance against the Croatian, currently ranked 36 in the world and recently the runner-up in Doha, Guga told that one of his winning secrets was to stay focused the whole time. “The match was level and Ljubicic played very well, he didn’t give me any chance. I had to stay focused the whole time because he was alert as well. I left the court happy with the way I played. Even when I was losing the first set 5-2 I wasn’t worried, because from the moment I stepped on the court I was feeling great. I played much better than the first match and it was a great day for me.”
Guga celebrated his win as much as he could, for the first time in eight attempts, the second straight match at Melbourne. “It’s a new event in my life. It is tough to come here every year and not getting past the second round. Still, I never stopped to believe and dream of a better result here. The Australian Open is a Grand Slam and you want to play well. Still, I had never managed to win a five-set match here. Every year I came to Australia very well prepared, hoping to play well, but never had the chance, always losing tough matches. I guess my first round win was important to build my confidence, to be able to see that I could win one of those matches here, it has opened my mind a lot and hopefully I can move even further.”
To move ahead at Melbourne, Guga will need to get past No. 13 seed and 15 in the world. Guga and Srichaphan, who was this year’s runner-up at Chennai, have met once, in 2002, on the indoor hard court of the Masters Series Madrid, and Srichaphan won 6-4, 6-4.
“This is the first time I have the opportunity to feel the championship stronger and get into the atmosphere of the competition. I feel I’m hitting the ball better and I will be able to practice for my next match. From now on, the opponent is not as important. I have moved further and besides, favoritism ends and we can play more relaxed.
After securing a spot in the fourth round of the Australian Open, Guga, No.19 seed in Australia, earned 75 points in the Entry System and 15 in the Champions Race. He, who stands in 19th place in both ATP listings, will earn 150 and 30 points, respectively, should he get past Srichaphan.
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Post by RogiFan on Jan 22, 2004 14:14:52 GMT -5
This will be a tricky match for both players -- but hopefully an interesting one! Don't know who to cheer for -- it depends on who can beat the next guy!
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Post by Lee on Jan 23, 2004 4:01:34 GMT -5
Open-Awesome Paradorn crushes Kuerten at Open 2004-01-23 04:31:56 GMT (Reuters)
MELBOURNE, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Asian number one Paradorn Srichaphan demolished Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten 6-3 7-5 6-4 to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open on Friday.
Seeded 13th in the first grand slam event of the year, the Thai raced through the first set in 27 minutes and wrapped up the second with a Pete Sampras-like leaping smash in a super-charged performance.
He also puzzled Kuerten with an array of drop shots, lobs and thunderous passing shots.
Paradorn, who has never advanced beyond the fourth round of a grand slam, needed a rub-down on his left thigh after breaking for a 2-1 lead in the third set but still ran out an easy winner to set up a likely clash with defending champion Andre Agassi.
Former world number one Kuerten's first appearance in the third round at Melbourne Park ended in bitter disappointment.
The 19th seed showed his frustration at the end of the second set, removing his cap and slamming it into the net with his racket.
Four-times Australian Open winner Agassi plays Sweden's Thomas Enqvist later on Friday.
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Post by RogiFan on Feb 29, 2004 14:19:16 GMT -5
Well, Guga finally won the Brasil Open vs. Calleri 36 62 63 after a rain delay and suspended match to Sun. Apparently it's his 20th title! Congrats, Guga! :banana2:
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Post by Francine on Mar 9, 2004 12:07:51 GMT -5
Wasn't sure whether to post this here or in the DC thread, anywayzz: Guga quits BrazilUpset over the sudden change in captain, Gustavo Kuerten on Tuesday announced that he would forego Brazil's upcoming Davis Cup tie against Paraguay. In a statement, the former world number one added that the current administration at the Brazilian federation (CBT) "is doing little to develop tennis and help players." "I have the Davis [Cup] in my blood and I'm sad not to play this time," Kuerten added pointing that he's played for his country in every fixture since 1996, barring one in 2002 when he was injured. Guga expressed his displeasure over the sudden replacement at the end of February of Davis Cup captain Ricardo Acioly by Jaime Oncins: "We consider that the timing is totally unappropriate," he had said at the time adding that he wished that the players had been consulted. Kuerten, who issued his statement before flying to California to take part in the Indian Wells Masters, also pointed that Brazilian players weren't being consulted regarding home venues for the Davis Cup. Brazil face Paraguay April 9-11in an American Zone fixture in Costa do Sauipe in the Bahia region of the northeast of the country. www.eurosport.com
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Post by Lee on Mar 9, 2004 12:35:30 GMT -5
Thanks Francine!
Honestly, I'm a bit upset with his decision but he may think this is the only way to make CBT understand how upset he has been over the years.
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Post by Francine on Mar 9, 2004 12:56:26 GMT -5
He must be feeling really strongly about this; he only missed one DC tie since 1996
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Post by Dissident on Mar 11, 2004 7:02:11 GMT -5
He missed one tie because he was injured. I am not surprised. I was seeing this coming. Nastas is the biggest arsehole to ever step the soil on the face of Earth. Larri and Guga have been wanting new politics for future players for ages, and nobody is doing a thing for it. Nelson is the one to blame, he thinks he can do whatever he wants to. The problem is not with Oncins. Jaiminho quit his job yesterday as well "I was always with the players, but I needed, due to ethics, to wait for Saretta's announcement to say I am quitting the job myself. It's the first time I feel we can really do something for the sport". Guga, Saretta and the others were disgusted because NOBODY was ever consulted, not even Oncins. Jaime was announced without even knowing about it. Yesterday, policemen were searching papers and computer files in the CBT headquarters, they have tons of sues for "robbing" the money they should be investing in tournaments and incentives for new players. I dont care if we lose the tie, we NEED a revolution here, and Im glad Guga once again proved how big a patriot he is, and how much he cares for the young ones. I have a feeling Nastas will be sent home packing, maybe even go to jail where his place is, and someone more serious will be put up there. I am really hopeful this time.
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