Gustavo Kuerten - "stayed The Same Person"

Kuerten missed most of the 2002 tennis season because he was recovering from hip surgery. He is expected to return to the circuit once he is physically able to play a regular schedule. For Kuerten to return to the number one position in the world tennis rankings, he will probably have to become a more versatile player and win more tournaments on surfaces other than clay. "For me [that] would be the next stage for my career, maybe [to] win a [grand] slam on another surface. I think each year I'm getting closer," Kuerten told John Barrett of the London Financial Times in November of 2001.

Regardless of whether Kuerten wins another Grand Slam, he is already a hero in Brazil. Kuerten is now the most famous athlete in Brazil, surpassing soccer star Pele. Despite his success, Kuerten remains very humble and grounded. When he is home, he enjoys the same friends and activities that he did before he was famous. Surfing is his favorite pastime. "My life has changed, but I've stayed the same person," Kuerten told the Hindu newspaper in March of 2001. "I have the same friends, the same people working with me, my family by my side all the time. I have a simple life." Kuerten is very close to his family. His older brother, Rafael, works as his manager. Kuerten also sends all of his trophies to his younger brother, Guilherme, who has cerebral palsy. Throughout his career Kuerten has donated a portion of his earnings to the Parents and Friends of the Handicapped Association. In 2000 he founded the Institute Guga Kuerten to raise awareness and money for the handicapped and his mother serves as the institute's director.