Thomas Muster
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| Country |  Austria |
|---|---|
| Residence | Monte Carlo, Monaco |
| Date of birth | October 2, 1967 |
| Place of birth | Leibnitz, Austria |
| Height | 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) |
| Weight | 75 kg (165 lb) |
| Turned pro | 1985 |
| Retired | 1999 |
| Plays | Left-handed; one-handed backhand |
| Career prize money | $12,225,910 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 626–271 (69.79 %) |
| Career titles | 44 |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (February 12, 1996) |
| Grand Slam results | |
| Australian Open | SF (1989, 1997) |
| French Open | W (1995) |
| Wimbledon | 1R (1987, 1992, 1993, 1994) |
| US Open | QF (1993, 1994, 1996) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 56–91 |
| Career titles | 1 |
| Highest ranking | 94 (November 7, 1988) |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 1R (1989, 1990) |
| US Open | 2R (1986) |
Thomas Muster (born October 2, 1967 in Leibnitz, Austria) is a retired and former World No. 1 tennis player from Austria. He was one of the world's leading clay court players in the 1990s, and at his peak was known as "The King of Clay."[1] He won the 1995 French Open.
Contents |
Career
Muster first came to prominence when he reached the final of the French Open junior tournament and the Orange Bowl juniors tournament in 1985. He turned professional later that year and won his first tour title at Hilversum, (Netherlands) in 1986.
In 1988, Muster reached six tour finals, winning four of them. He finished the year ranked in the world's top 20 for the first time.
Early in 1989, Muster became the first Austrian to reach the semifinals of the Australian Open and, shortly after that, the first Austrian to be ranked in the world's top 10. In March, he defeated Yannick Noah in the semifinals of the Lipton International Players Championships in Key Biscayne, Florida (now known as the Sony Ericsson Open) to set up a final match with World No. 1 Ivan Lendl. But in the hours that followed that semifinal victory, Muster was struck by a drunk driver, severing ligaments in his left knee and forcing him to default the final. He flew back to Vienna to undergo surgery. With the aid of a special chair designed to allow him to practice hitting balls while recovering from knee surgery, Muster returned to competitive tennis just six months later.[2]
Muster's comeback continued in 1990, when he won three titles on clay (among which the Italian Open, defeating Andrei Chesnokov in the final) and one on hardcourts; he was runner-up in three tournaments, and reached the semifinals of the French Open. He also helped Austria reach the semifinals of Davis Cup, where they were eliminated 3–2 by the United States despite Muster winning both his singles rubbers against Andre Agassi and Michael Chang. For these achievements, Muster was named the ATP Tour's "Comeback Player of the Year."
Muster won two more titles in 1991 and three in 1992 (all on clay courts).
In 1993, he reached nine tournament finals, winning seven of them. He won 55 of 65 matches on clay.
Muster won three clay court titles in 1994. He also beat Michael Stich of Germany in a first round Davis Cup tie in Graz. Muster won the five-set, 5 hour 25 minute match 12-10 in the final set. The match was the longest professional tennis match in the world that year.
In 1995, Muster won 12 tournament finals in 14 attempts. Between February and June, he won 40 consecutive clay court matches (the longest winning streak on the surface since Björn Borg had won 46 in 1977-79). He clinched his second Italian Open, defeating Sergi Bruguera 3–6, 7–6(5), 6–2, 6–3. At the French Open, Muster won his first and only Grand Slam singles title, when he defeated former champion Michael Chang in the final 7–5, 6–2, 6–4. Muster had a 65-2 win-loss record on clay during 1995. Although his record on other surfaces was less impressive, a late season victory over Pete Sampras on a fast indoor carpet gave him an outside chance at finishing the year number one; however, Sampras finished the year at #1.
Muster continued to rack-up clay court victories in 1996. He won seven tournaments, six of them titles he successfully defended after winning them in 1995. His win-loss clay court record in 1996 was 46–3. This made his 1995-96 record on the surface 111–5–the best two-year clay court record since the open era began in 1968. In February, Muster attained the World No. 1 ranking. He held the ranking initially for just one week and then regained it for five weeks in March and April. He is the only men's singles World No. 1 player never to have passed the Wimbledon 1st round; however, he did have a smattering of success on hard courts, reaching the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open before losing to Andre Agassi.
Muster achieved his best results on hard courts in 1997. He won two hard court titles, including the Lipton International Players Championships -- the same tournament where his career had nearly ended just eight years earlier—by defeating Sergi Bruguera in the final, after Bruguera had defeated Pete Sampras in the semifinals. Muster was the runner-up at the ATP Masters Series event in Cincinnati, and reached the semifinals of the Australian Open. At both Cincinnati and the Australian Open, Muster lost to Pete Sampras in straight sets. He compiled a 29-8 win-loss record on hard courts while slumping to 9–9 on clay.
Muster reached his last top-level tournament final (on clay) in 1998. He retired from the professional tour in 1999. He remains the only World No.1 singles player of the Open Era who has never won a match at Wimbledon.
Muster only lost one Davis Cup singles match on clay during his career, to Goran Ivanišević in 1997. He won 29 Davis Cup singles matches on that surface.
When his playing career finished, Muster moved to Australia and married television presenter Jo Beth Taylor. The couple lived on a farm and had one child (Christian). They divorced in 2005. Muster then moved back to Austria, where he has served as coach of the Austrian Davis Cup team and established an apparel brand named Toms.
On 16th of June 2010 Muster annouced his comeback to the Tour with playing a Challenger tournament in Braunschweig in July 2010.
Major finals
Grand Slam finals
Singles: 1 (1-0)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
| Winner | 1995 | French Open | Clay |  Michael Chang |
7–5, 6–2, 6–4 |
Masters Series finals
Singles: 10 (8-2)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
| Runner-up | 1990 | Monte Carlo | Clay |  Andrei Chesnokov |
7–5, 6–3, 6–3 |
| Winner | 1990 | Rome | Clay | Andrei Chesnokov |
6–1, 6–3, 6–1 |
| Winner | 1992 | Monte Carlo | Clay | Aaron Krickstein |
6–3, 6–1, 6–3 |
| Winner | 1995 | Monte Carlo | Clay |  Boris Becker |
4–6, 5–7, 6–1, 7–6(6), 6–0 |
| Winner | 1995 | Rome | Clay |  Sergi Bruguera |
3–6, 7–6(5), 6–2, 6–3 |
| Winner | 1995 | Essen | Carpet | MaliVai Washington |
7–6, 2–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Winner | 1996 | Monte Carlo | Clay | Albert Costa |
6–3, 5–7, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
| Winner | 1996 | Rome | Clay |  Richard Krajicek |
6–2, 6–4, 3–6, 6–3 |
| Winner | 1997 | Key Biscayne | Hard | Sergi Bruguera |
7–6(6), 6–3, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 1997 | Cincinnati | Hard | Pete Sampras |
6–3, 6–4 |
Career finals
Singles: 55 (44-11)
- Wins (44)
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| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
| 1. | 4 August 1986 | Hilversum |
Clay |  Jakob Hlasek |
6–1, 6–3, 6–3 |
| 2. | 11 July 1988 | Boston |
Clay | Lawson Duncan |
6–2, 6–2 |
| 3. | 1 August 1988 |  Bordeaux |
Clay |  Ronald Agenor |
6–3, 6–3 |
| 4. | 15 August 1988 |  Prague |
Clay |  Guillermo Pérez-Roldán |
6–4, 5–7, 6–2 |
| 5. | 26 September 1988 |  Bari |
Clay |  Marcelo Filippini |
2–6, 6–1, 7–5 |
| 6. | 8 January 1990 |  Adelaide |
Hard | Jimmy Arias |
3–6, 6–2, 7–5 |
| 7. | 12 March 1990 |  Casablanca |
Clay | Guillermo Pérez-Roldán |
6–1, 6–7(6), 6–2 |
| 8. | 21 May 1990 | Rome |
Clay | Andrei Chesnokov |
6–1, 6–3, 6–1 |
| 9. | 17 June 1991 | Florence |
Clay | Horst Skoff |
6–2, 6–7(2), 6–4 |
| 10. | 16 September 1991 | Geneva |
Clay | Horst Skoff |
6–2, 6–4 |
| 11. | 27 April 1992 |  Monte Carlo |
Clay | Aaron Krickstein |
6–3, 6–1, 6–3 |
| 12. | 15 June 1992 | Florence |
Clay | Renzo Furlan |
6–3, 1–6, 6–1 |
| 13. | 31 August 1992 |  Umag |
Clay | Franco Davín |
6–1, 4–6, 6–4 |
| 14. | 1 March 1993 |  Mexico City |
Clay | Carlos Costa |
6–2, 6–4 |
| 15. | 14 June 1993 | Florence |
Clay | Jordi Burillo |
6–1, 7–5 |
| 16. | 21 June 1993 | Genova |
Clay |  Magnus Gustafsson |
7–6(3), 6–4 |
| 17. | 9 August 1993 | Kitzbühel |
Clay | Javier Sánchez |
6–3, 7–5, 6–4 |
| 18. | 16 August 1993 |  San Marino |
Clay | Renzo Furlan |
7–5, 7–5 |
| 19. | 30 August 1993 | Umag |
Clay | Alberto Berasategui |
7–5, 3–6, 6–3 |
| 20. | 3 October 1993 | Palermo |
Clay | Sergi Bruguera |
7–6(2), 7–5 |
| 21. | 28 February 1994 | Mexico City |
Clay |  Roberto Jabali |
6–3, 6–1 |
| 22. | 2 May 1994 | Madrid |
Clay | Sergi Bruguera |
6–2, 3–6, 6–4, 7–5 |
| 23. | 20 June 1994 | Sankt Pölten |
Clay | Tomás Carbonell |
4–6, 6–2, 6–4 |
| 24. | 6 March 1995 | Mexico City |
Clay | Fernando Meligeni |
7–6(4), 7–5 |
| 25. | 10 April 1995 |  Estoril |
Clay | Albert Costa |
6–4, 6–2 |
| 26. | 17 April 1995 | Barcelona |
Clay | Magnus Larsson |
6–2, 6–1, 6–4 |
| 27. | 1 May 1995 | Monte Carlo |
Clay | Boris Becker |
4–6, 5–7, 6–1, 7–6(6), 6–0 |
| 28. | 22 May 1995 | Rome |
Clay | Sergi Bruguera |
3–6, 7–6(5), 6–2, 6–3 |
| 29. | 12 June 1995 | French Open |
Clay | Michael Chang |
7–5, 6–2, 6–4 |
| 30. | 26 June 1995 | Sankt Pölten |
Clay | Bohdan Ulihrach |
6–3, 3–6, 6–1 |
| 31. | 24 July 1995 | Stuttgart Outdoor |
Clay | Jan Apell |
6–2, 6–2 |
| 32. | 14 August 1995 | San Marino |
Clay | Andrea Gaudenzi |
6–2, 6–0 |
| 33. | 28 August 1995 | Umag |
Clay | Carlos Costa |
3–6, 7–6(5), 6–4 |
| 34. | 18 September 1995 |  Bucharest |
Clay | Gilbert Schaller |
6–3, 6–4 |
| 35. | 30 October 1995 | Essen |
Carpet | MaliVai Washington |
7–6(6), 2–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| 36. | 11 March 1996 | Mexico City |
Clay | Jiří Novák |
7–6(3), 6–2 |
| 37. | 15 April 1996 | Estoril |
Clay | Andrea Gaudenzi |
7–6(4), 6–4 |
| 38. | 22 April 1996 | Barcelona |
Clay |  Marcelo Ríos |
6–3, 4–6, 6–4, 6–1 |
| 39. | 29 April 1996 | Monte Carlo |
Clay | Albert Costa |
6–3, 5–7, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
| 40. | 20 May 1996 | Rome |
Clay | Richard Krajicek |
6–2, 6–4, 3–6, 6–3 |
| 41. | 22 July 1996 | Stuttgart Outdoor |
Clay |  Yevgeny Kafelnikov |
6–2, 6–2, 6–4 |
| 42. | 16 September 1996 |  Bogotá |
Clay |  Nicolás Lapentti |
6–7(6), 6–2, 6–3 |
| 43. | 17 February 1997 |  Dubai |
Hard | Goran Ivanišević |
7–5, 7–6(3) |
| 44. | 31 March 1997 | Miami |
Hard | Sergi Bruguera |
7–6(6), 6–3, 6–1 |
- Runner-ups (11)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
| 1. | 19 September 1988 | Barcelona, Spain | Clay | Kent Carlsson |
6–3, 6–3, 3–6, 6–1 |
| 2. | 24 October 1988 | Vienna, Austria | Carpet | Horst Skoff |
4–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–2 |
| 3. | 3 April 1989 | Miami, USA | Hard |  Ivan Lendl |
walkover |
| 4. | 30 April 1990 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | Andrei Chesnokov |
7–5, 6–3, 6–3 |
| 5. | 7 May 1990 | Munich, Germany | Clay | Karel Nováček |
6–4, 6–2 |
| 6. | 18 January 1993 | Sydney, Australia | Hard | Pete Sampras |
7–6(7), 6–1 |
| 7. | 25 October 1993 | Vienna, Austria | Carpet | Goran Ivanišević |
4–6, 6–4, 6–4, 7–6(3) |
| 8. | 7 August 1995 | Kitzbühel, Austria | Clay | Albert Costa |
4–6, 6–4, 7–6(3), 2–6, 6–4 |
| 9. | 23 October 1995 | Vienna, Austria | Carpet | .svg.png){kind=small} Filip Dewulf |
7–5, 6–2, 1–6, 7–5 |
| 10. | 11 August 1997 | Cincinnati, USA | Hard | Pete Sampras |
6–3, 6–4 |
| 11. | 13 April 1998 | Estoril, Portugal | Clay | Alberto Berasategui |
3–6, 6–1, 6–3 |
Performance timeline
Singles
| Tournament | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | Career SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | |||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | NH | A | 1R | SF | 3R | A | 3R | 2R | QF | 3R | 4R | SF | 1R | 1R | 0 / 11 | |
| French Open | 1R | 2R | 3R | 3R | A | SF | 1R | 2R | 4R | 3R | W | 4R | 3R | QF | 1R | 1 / 14 | |
| Wimbledon | A | A | 1R | A | A | A | A | 1R | 1R | 1R | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 4 | |
| U.S. Open | A | 1R | 3R | 1R | A | 4R | A | A | QF | QF | 4R | QF | 1R | 3R | A | 0 / 10 | |
| Grand Slam SR | 0 / 1 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 1 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 1 / 34 | |
| Year-End Championship | |||||||||||||||||
| ATP Tour World Championships | A | A | A | A | A | RR | A | A | A | A | RR | RR | RR | A | A | 0 / 4 | |
| Super 9 Series/Tennis Masters Series | |||||||||||||||||
| Indian Wells | A | A | A | A | 2R | A | 2R | A | 3R | QF | QF | 2R | SF | SF | 1R | 0 / 9 | |
| Miami | A | A | 3R | 3R | F | A | A | A | 3R | A | A | 2R | W | A | A | 1 / 6 | |
| Monte Carlo | A | 2R | 3R | 1R | A | F | 1R | W | SF | QF | W | W | 2R | 1R | 2R | 3 / 13 | |
| Hamburg | A | QF | 1R | 1R | A | A | 1R | 2R | 3R | 3R | A | A | 3R | QF | A | 0 / 9 | |
| Rome | A | A | 1R | 3R | A | W | 3R | 1R | 2R | 3R | W | W | 2R | 3R | 1R | 3 / 12 | |
| Canada | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | 3R | A | A | 0 / 2 | |
| Cincinnati | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | A | SF | F | 2R | A | 0 / 4 | |
| Stockholm/Essen/Stuttgart | A | A | A | 3R | 3R | A | A | 3R | A | 2R | W | 2R | 1R | A | A | 1 / 7 | |
| Paris | NH | A | A | 2R | 1R | A | A | 1R | A | 2R | 2R | 2R | QF | A | A | 0 / 7 | |
| Grand Prix SR | 0 / 0 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 6 | 0 / 4 | 1 / 2 | 0 / 4 | 1 / 5 | 0 / 5 | 0 / 7 | 3 / 5 | 2 / 8 | 1 / 9 | 0 / 5 | 0 / 3 | 8 / 69 | |
| Year End Ranking | 98 | 47 | 56 | 16 | 21 | 7 | 35 | 18 | 9 | 16 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 25 | 189 | N/A | |
Note: These events were designated as the 'Masters Series' and the 'ATP Tour World Championships' only after the ATP took over the running of the men's tour in 1990.
NH = tournament not held
A = did not participate in the tournament
SR = the ratio of the number of Masters Series singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played
References
External links
- Thomas Muster at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- Thomas Muster at the International Tennis Federation
- Thomas Muster at Davis Cup
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