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Brazilian tennis legend Gustavo Kuerten tells Krithika Gopalkrishnan that Roger Federer is capable of winning another Grand Slam title
What do you have to say on Novak Djokovic’s run of 59-2 in 2011?
Unbelievable! I never thought it could even happen nowadays.
With his current form, will Roger Federer be able to make a comeback by winning yet another Grand Slam?
For sure, Roger will definitely be able to win another Grand Slam in the next two years.
Who do you think is the greatest of players in the current generation?
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are in the same level and Djokovic is a new component.
You have won the French Open thrice. What does it take to succeed on a clay court time and again?
A hodgepodge of versatility, resistance and overcoming it, and the way I identify with the tournament as I do have a special relationship with Roland Garros.
Do you think Nadal is one of the greatest clay court players?
I just don’t think so; I’m quite sure about it. Nadal is probably the best tennis player of all times.
Have you found any similarity in the style of play on clay between you and Nadal?
I think we have some similarities when it comes to mental ability, strategy and the struggle to get there.
You are the only Brazilian to have won a Grand Slam in men’s singles. Which Brazilian do you think has the ability to win another one?
I don’t think it will work if we put all the expectations in a particular tennis player. But I really believe in the new generation. In my opinion, Brazil should have lot of tennis players, so we will have more results.
Your views on Thomaz Belluci.
He has a great potential and is a rising player. In a couple of years, I believe he’ll be able to be a top-10 player.
You beat Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi in back-to-back matches in 2000. How did it feel to beat two greats in a row?
That was the best result I ever had in my career because I beat Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi in the same tournament in Lisbon and they both were my idols when I was young.
Your most memorable win and your worst defeat.
My memorable win was in Lisbon, as I said. But my favourite one was the match against Michael Russell. And my worst defeat was against Lleyton Hewitt, in Davis Cup that was played in the city I was born in (Florianopolis).
Are you happy with the work of Brazilian Tennis Confederation?
Yes. In the last five years, the Brazilian Tennis Confederation has done a lot of work. We can observe that they have done a lot of developments, which will offer better conditions to tennis players in the country.
How do you feel about your country hosting the next football World Cup in 2014 and the Summer Olympics in 2016?
I think Brazil will have a chance to take advantage of important sports events to solve serious social problems.
