Sergi Bruguera

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sergi Bruguera
Country Flag of Spain Spain
Residence Barcelona, Spain
Date of birth January 16, 1971
Place of birth Barcelona, Spain
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 1+12 in)
Weight 75 kg (170 lb/11.8 st)
Turned pro 1988
Retired 2002
Plays Right-handed; two-handed backhand
Career prize money $11,632,199
Singles
Career record: 447-271
Career titles: 14
Highest ranking: No. 3 (August 1, 1994)
Grand Slam results
Australian Open 4th (1993)
French Open W (1993, 94)
Wimbledon 4th (1994)
US Open 4th (1994, 97)
Doubles
Career record: 49-50
Career titles: 3
Highest ranking: No. 49 (May 6, 1991)
Olympic medal record
Men's tennis
Silver 1996 Atlanta Singles

Sergi Bruguera Torner (born on January 16, 1971, in Barcelona, Spain) is a retired professional tennis player from Spain. He is best remembered for winning two consecutive men's singles titles at the French Open in 1993 and 1994.

Contents

[edit] Career

Bruguera was Spain's national junior champion in 1987. He turned professional in 1988. In his first full year on the tour, 1989, he won the Cairo Challenger title as a qualifier (defeating Jordi Arrese in the final) and reached the semi-finals in Rome. He finished 1989 ranked World No. 26, and was named the ATP's Newcomer of Year.

Bruguera earned a reputation as a top clay court player in the early 1990s, winning titles in Estoril, Monte Carlo and Athens in 1991, and in Madrid, Gstaad and Palermo in 1992.

In 1993, following wins over Pete Sampras and Andrei Medvedev, Bruguera reached his first Grand Slam final at the French Open, where he faced two-time defending champion and the current world's No. 1 player Jim Courier. Courier was overwhelmingly favoured to win his third title, but ultimately Bruguera won a gruelling five-set final, 6–4, 2–6, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3. The victory was one of five titles that Bruguera captured that year.

In 1994, Bruguera defended his title at the French Open, defeating, once again, Courier and Medvedev, and fellow Spaniard Alberto Berasategui in the final, 6–3, 7–5, 2–6, 6–1.

Bruguera won the men's singles Silver Medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. He was defeated in straight sets in the final by Andre Agassi 6–2, 6–3, 6–1.

Bruguera reached the French Open final for the third time in 1997 and was considered the favorite to win his third title against the unseeded Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten. But Kuerten surprisingly defeated Bruguera in straight sets 6–3, 6–4, 6–2. (Kuerten was completely unknown at the time, but would go on to win the French Open three times and become the World No. 1 ranked player in 2000.)

Outside tennis, Bruguera is a long-time fan of the Los Angeles Lakers and would often attend their games while playing at tournaments in United States. In Miami on March 28, 1997, during the same tournament where he defeated World No. 1 Pete Sampras in the semi-finals, Bruguera sank three shots (layup, free throw, top of key) during a time-out of a game between the Lakers and the Miami Heat to earn $500. This money was given to ATP Charities in his name.

Bruguera earned the ATP's Comeback Player of Year award in 1997 after returning from an ankle injury the previous year and improving his ranking from No. 81 to No. 8.

Bruguera won a total of 14 top-level singles titles and 3 doubles titles during his career. His career-high singles ranking was No. 3. He is currently the director of the Bruguera Tennis Academy Top Team.

In a 2006 interview featuring questions from fans by the BBC Sport website, a question was asked about the frequent comparisons between Roger Federer and Pete Sampras. In his reply, Bruguera claimed that Federer is ten times better than Sampras.[1]

Bruguera is one of the few players to have a winning record against Sampras, winning three of their five matches: 1–0 on hardcourt, 2–1 on clay, and 0–1 on carpet.[2]

[edit] Grand Slam singles finals

[edit] Wins (2)

Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
1993 French Open Flag of the United States Jim Courier 6–4, 2–6, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3
1994 French Open (2) Flag of Spain Alberto Berasategui 6–3, 7–5, 2–6, 6–1

[edit] Runners-up (1)

Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
1997 French Open Flag of Brazil Gustavo Kuerten 6–3, 6–4, 6–2

[edit] Masters Series singles finals

[edit] Wins (2)

Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
1991 Monte Carlo Flag of Germany Boris Becker 5–7, 6–4, 7–6(6), 7–6(4)
1993 Monte Carlo (2) Flag of France Cédric Pioline 7–6(2), 6–0

[edit] Runners-up (3)

Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
1994 Monte Carlo Flag of Ukraine Andrei Medvedev 7–5, 6–1, 6–3
1995 Rome Flag of Austria Thomas Muster 3–6, 7–6(5), 6–2, 6–3
1997 Key Biscane Flag of Austria Thomas Muster 7–6(6), 6–3, 6–1

[edit] Titles (17)

[edit] Singles (14)

Legend
Grand Slam (2)
Tennis Masters Cup (0)
ATP Masters Series (2)
ATP Tour (10)
Titles by Surface
Hard (1)
Grass (0)
Clay (13)
Carpet (0)
No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in final Score
1. April 7, 1991 Estoril, Portugal Clay Flag of the Czech Republic Karel Nováček 7–6(7), 6–1
2. April 28, 1991 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay Flag of Germany Boris Becker 5–7, 6–4, 7–6(6), 7–6(4)
3. October 6, 1991 Athens, Greece Clay Flag of Spain Jordi Arrese 7–5, 6–3
4. May 3, 1992 Madrid, Spain Clay Flag of Spain Carlos Costa 7–6(6), 6–2, 6–2
5. July 12, 1992 Gstaad, Switzerland Clay Flag of Spain Francisco Clavet 6–1, 6–4
6. October 4, 1992 Palermo, Italy Clay Flag of Spain Emilio Sánchez 6–1, 6–3
7. April 25, 1993 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay Flag of France Cédric Pioline 7–6(2), 6–0
8. June 6, 1993 French Open, Paris Clay Flag of the United States Jim Courier 6–4, 2–6, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3
9. July 11, 1993 Gstaad, Switzerland Clay Flag of the Czech Republic Karel Nováček 6–3, 6–4
10. August 8, 1993 Prague, Czech Republic Clay Flag of Russia Andrei Chesnokov 7–5, 6–4
11. September 19, 1993 Bordeaux, France Hard Flag of Italy Diego Nargiso 7–5, 6–2
12. June 5, 1994 French Open, Paris Clay Flag of Spain Alberto Berasategui 6–3, 7–5, 2–6, 6–1
13. July 10, 1994 Gstaad, Switzerland Clay Flag of France Guy Forget 3–6, 7–5, 6–2, 6–1
14. August 7, 1994 Prague, Czech Republic Clay Flag of Ukraine Andrei Medvedev 6–3, 6–4

[edit] Doubles (3)

No. Date Tournament Surface Partnering Opponents in the final Score
1. May 13, 1990 Hamburg, Germany Clay Flag of the United States Jim Courier Flag of Germany Udo Riglewski
Flag of Germany Michael Stich
7–6, 6–2
2. June 17, 1990 Florence, Italy Clay Flag of Argentina Horacio de la Peña Flag of Brazil Luiz Mattar
Flag of Uruguay Diego Perez
3–6, 6–3, 6–4
3. September 15, 1991 Geneva, Switzerland Clay Flag of Switzerland Marc Rosset Flag of Sweden Per Henricsson
Flag of Sweden Ola Jonsson
3–6, 6–3, 6–2

[edit] Singles runner-up (21)

No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in the final Score
1. July 15, 1990 Gstaad, Switzerland Clay Flag of Argentina Martín Jaite 6–3, 6–7, 6–2, 6–2
2. September 16, 1990 Geneva, Switzerland Clay Flag of Austria Horst Skoff 7–6, 7–6
3. April 14, 1991 Barcelona, Spain Clay Flag of Spain Emilio Sánchez 6–4, 7–6, 6–2
4. July 14, 1991 Gstaad, Switzerland Clay Flag of Spain Emilio Sánchez 6–1, 6–4, 6–4
5. April 5, 1992 Estoril, Portugal Clay Flag of Spain Carlos Costa 4–6, 6–2, 6–2
6. September 20, 1992 Bordeaux, France Clay Flag of Ukraine Andrei Medvedev 6–3, 1–6, 6–2
7. October 11, 1992 Athens, Greece Clay Flag of Spain Jordi Arrese 7–5, 3–0 retired
8. February 14, 1993 Milan, Italy Carpet (I) Flag of Germany Boris Becker 6–3, 6–3
9. April 11, 1993 Barcelona, Spain Clay Flag of Ukraine Andrei Medvedev 6–7(7), 6–3, 7–5, 6–4
10. May 2, 1993 Madrid, Spain Clay Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 6–3, 6–3, 6–2
11. October 3, 1993 Palermo, Italy Clay Flag of Austria Thomas Muster 7–6(2), 7–5
12. February 6, 1994 Dubai, UAE Hard Flag of Sweden Magnus Gustafsson 6–4, 6–2
13. April 24, 1994 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay Flag of Ukraine Andrei Medvedev 7–5, 6–1, 6–3
14. May 1, 1994 Madrid, Spain Clay Flag of Austria Thomas Muster 6–2, 3–6, 6–4, 7–5
15. May 21, 1995 Rome, Italy Clay Flag of Austria Thomas Muster 3–6, 7–6(5), 6–2, 6–3
16. July 28, 1996 Atlanta Olympics, U.S. Hard Flag of the United States Andre Agassi 6–2, 6–3, 6–1
17. March 2, 1997 Milan, Italy Carpet (I) Flag of Croatia Goran Ivanišević 6–2, 6–2
18. March 23, 1997 Key Biscane, U.S. Hard Flag of Austria Thomas Muster 7–6(6), 6–3, 6–1
19. June 8, 1997 French Open, Paris Clay Flag of Brazil Gustavo Kuerten 6–3, 6–4, 6–2
20. July 27, 1997 Umag, Croatia Clay Flag of Spain Félix Mantilla 6–3, 7–5
21. July 30, 2000 San Marino Clay Flag of Spain Alex Calatrava 7–6(7), 1–6, 6–4

[edit] Grand Slam singles performance timeline

Tournament 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989
Australian Open 1R A A 1R 3R A A A 4R A 1R 2R A
French Open 2R 1R A 1R F 2R SF W W 1R 2R 2R 4R
Wimbledon 1R A A A A A A 4R A A A 2R 1R
US Open 1R A A 2R 4R 3R 2R 4R 1R 2R 2R 2R 1R

[edit] External links