26/10/2011 00:32 CEST - Tennis histories

Top-15 ever
in South America

Gustavo Kuerten

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Pace and long rallies, tactical smartness, schemes and geometries: these are the secret of success for clay-court specialists, often forced to play in hard and different conditions, because clay-courts rarely have the same speed.

Generations of South American players grew on the clay, although in recent times they were able to reach important victories on hardcourts like Juan Martin Del Potro who won the Us Open in 2009. He, and the Argentine players, wrote the history of tennis in South America, though we could talk, as well, of the "Brazilian school" and consider there have been successful players from Chile, Ecuador, Peru pr Pataguay.

We tried to draw a special ranking of the best 15 South American players knowing it's impossible comparing different periods. This is just a game that considers on the one sides victories in Grand Slam events and the Davis Cup but also intangible qualities like the "appeal" of these champions.

15. Victor Pecci (Paraguay) The Paraguayan tennis player from Asunción was number 9 in 1980 and he won 10 singles titles in his career, all on clay. He was very tall and partial to playing at the net (he even won 10 doubles titles). As for the Slams, he played a leading role in Paris in '79 where he beat Connors and Vilas before loosing in the final to the Swedish “bear”. Two years later he repeated himself in the French capital reaching the semifinal. In Davis cup his record is 17-8 in singles and 11-5 in doubles.

14. Enrique Morea (Argentina) Enrique Morea was an Argentine player born in 1924 who played in 50's and 60's. He reached the semifinal at the French Open in two occasions, in '53 and '54. He played for 10 years in Davis Cup both as player and captain. He triumphed at the Panamerican Games of '51, both in singles and doubles. At the moment he is the honorary president of the Argentine federation (AAT).

13. Pancho Segura (Ecuador) Francisco Olegaro Segura was born in 1921 at Guayaquil, Ecuador. Naturally right-handed, he had peculiar characteristics: he hit the forehand with both hands and the back hand with one. The great Jack Kramer once described his “anomalous forehand” as the greatest “shot” produced in the history of tennis. He passed to professionalism in 1947 and he won the US “Pro” Championships three times in a row, from 1950 to 1952. “Pancho's” best result in a Grand Slam in the Open era was a semifinal reached at the US Open. In 1952 he was number 1 in the Pro rankings. He retired in 62 and was the “mentor” for Jimbo Connors as he started coaching him when he was 16 years old.

12. Luis Ayala (Chile) Luis Ayala was a Chilean player born in 1932 and his career developed in the 50's and 60's. He reached the final of the French Open in two occasions: in 1958 against Mervyn Rose and in 1961 where he lost in 5 sets to “our” Nicola Pietrangeli. Ayala also reached the quarter finals at Wimbledon for three consecutive years, from 1959 to 1961, displaying a versatility for all playing surfaces. In 1959 he won the Italian Open.

11. Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) Gonzalez is a Chilean player who is still playing. He is know for his terrifying forehand that gave him his nick-name “Mano de piedra” (hand of stone). Fernando is a complete player who's career is coming to an end. He was able to reach the quarter finals in all four Slams and a final at the AO 2007 lost against Roger Federer. At the ATP level he lifted the Champions trophy on 11 occasions reaching the fifth position in the world rankings. At 31 years of age he is battling with injury to his hip and is on the downwards slope of his brilliant career.

10. Guillermo Coria (Argentina) Class of 82, this player will always be remembered mostly for the physical prowess that mother nature denied him in exchange for the extraordinary ability to find angles impossible for most. His crystalline pure talent earned him the nickname “El Mago”(the magician). Regrettably for him also his minute physique was … crystalline. It robbed him of a career that could have been more successful and durable. He was able to win 9 ATP titles in singles missing out on the most important one in 2004 where he lost when he was 2 sets up against his compatriot Gaston Gaudio. Tennis fans will never forget the amazing final lost in Rome in 5 memorable sets against Nadal.

9. Gaston Gaudio (Argentina) Gaudio was an Argentine player born in 1978. His career that just ended was made to be excellent thanks to the “surprise” win at the RG 2004 against Coria. That success allowed him to reach the 5th place in the world rankings. He won 8 ATP titles, all on clay. He will be remembered for his flawless one handed backhand, one of the most beautiful shots in tennis history.

8. Josè Luis Clerc (Argentina) The Argentine Josè Luis Clerc became a professional in 1977 and retired in 1988. During these 11 years he managed to collect 25 ATP titles (2nd place in the Argentine ranking). He reached the fourth place in the world rankings. His favoured weapon was his regularity and, thanks to it, he reached the semifinal at the RG 81 and again the following year. He reached the Davis Cup semifinal in 1981 (after thirty years his “grandsons” will try to win it, will they manage?)

7. Marcelo Rios (Chile) His nickname was “El Chino”, born in 1975 in Santiago in Chile. He was a player with an extraordinary talent, alas not supported by an adequate mental strength. His “loco” personality prevented him from winning any Grand Slams (finalist at the AO 98 against Peter Korda, quarter finals at RG and US Open), but he was the only male player to reach the number 1 spot in the rankings without winning a Grand Slam title (Vilas probably wouldn't agree...). His amazing “flying”backhands will not be the only thing we remember, but also incidents and statements outside tennis, highlighting his capricious character. He once defined grass as being a surface suitable for grazing cows or to play football, not for tennis. He retired in 2004 due to a severe knee injury. He now takes part in the Senior Tour.

6. David Nalbandian (Argentina) From talent to talent. Now its David Nalbandian's turn, a fantastic player who is still playing and managed to reach number 3 of the rankings. Most of all he managed to reach the semifinals in all four Slams (finalist at Wimbledon 2002) thanks to his solid basic shots. Those skills also allowed him to win a Masters Cup in 2005 and to be one of the few players to beat the two giants of the game, Federer and Nadal. Being a bit overweight at times caused him many injuries that stopped his career. If Rios is the only number one never to win a slam, David can be considered the greatest South American player never to win a “major”. Yet his career is not over, the Davis Cup final against the very strong Spanish side is waiting for him. A success would be the classic “icing on the cake” of a career that was extraordinary anyway.

5. Andrès Gòmez (Ecuador) Andrès Gòmez was a very talented left handed player who's career spanned across the 80's and 90's. His technique was exceptional and he had a very composed style, as if he was a “Teacher”. His biggest achievement was the 1990 double Rome- Paris, where he beat a young Agassi. In 1984 he had already reached the quarter finals at the US Open and Wimbledon. He hoarded titles in both singles (21) and doubles (33, including a US Open with Zijvoinovic and a French Open with E.Sanchez). He reached number 4 in singles and number 1 in doubles.

4. Juan Martin Del Potro (Argentina) At only 23 years of age “Palito” is already considered the best South American on the circuit, having reached his best ranking (4) in 2009, after his extraordinary win at the US Open where he beat Roger Federer in an epic final, and the semifinal in Paris (lost in 5 sets against Federer). At the ATP level he already won 9 titles in singles, most of them on American hard courts. After he lost a whole year to recover from a fractured wrist, we are all waiting to see him back to his level. In December he will play the Davis Cup final for his definitive comeback.

3. Alez Olmedo (Peru) Alejandro Rodriguez Olmedo was born in Peru in 1936. He was NCAA university champion in 1956 and 1958 and dominated the majors in 59 becoming number 1 at the time. That year he won Australian Open, Wimbledon (destroying Laver in the final) and was a finalist at the US Open (winning the doubles title). In 1960 he became a professional and his short career ended in 1965, before the “Open” era. He was entered in the “Tennis Hall of Fame” in 1987.

2. Guillermo Vilas (Argentina) The great left handed Argentine who played in the 70's and 80's deserves the highest place on the podium in this special list for the incredible amount of successes in his career. His definitive moment was missed by never reaching the number 1 spot of the rankings, which was exclusively occupied by the great Borg. Vilas built his tennis fortunes on clay courts where he managed to express all the basics to dominate on this surface. He is the South American who won the most “majors”: two Australian Open,a French Open, and a US Open. He also reached two “honourable” quarter finals at Wimbledon considering it was in the middle of the Borg era. His best year was 1977 where he managed to do the double Paris – Forest Hills and he also won 16 ATP titles in a single year (62 at the end of his career) setting an amazing record that year of 145 wins and 15 losses and 53 consecutive matches won on clay. In Davis Cup he is in the all time top 15 for singles wins. He reached the final in 81 and two semifinals in 1977 and 1980.

1. Gustavo Kuerten (Brazil) Gustavo “Guga” Kuerten shocked the world in 1997 by winning in Paris even though he wasn't even seeded. On his way he beat three past champions like Muster, Kafelnikov and Brugera. He managed to establish a fantastic rapport with the courts and particularly with the crowd of Bois de Boulogne which helped him to a second win in 2000 and a hat-trick in 2001. Those who think that Kuerten was just a clay court player are wrong as he managed to beat Pete Sampras and Andrè Agassi on his way to the Masters Cup 2000 becoming the first South American to become world number 1. Like Gaudio he had an amazing one handed backhand (maybe even better both for efficiency and aesthetics). Unfortunately a “wonky” hip ended his career early in 2008.

JUAN IGNACIO CEBALLOS’S OPINION (ESPN)
1.  Vilas
2.  Kuerten
3.  Rios
4.  Osuna
5.  Olmedo
6.  Gomez
7.  Del Potro
8.  Gaudio
9.  Nalbandian
10. Coria
11. Massu
12. Gonzalez
13. Ramirez
14. Clerc
15. Mancini
16.  Lapentti
17.  Pecci
18.  Jaite
19.  Segura
20.  Canas
21.  Puerta
22.  Fillol
23.  Gildemeister
24.  Palafox
25.  Frana
26.  Perez Roldan
27.  Morea
28.  Squillari
29.  Yzaga
30.  Lozano

GUILLERMO SALATINO'S OPINION (La Prensa/Radio La Red ESPN Latin America)

1. Kuerten
2. Vilas
3. Rios
4. Gomez
5. Olmedo
6. Del Potro
7. Nalbandian
8. Gaudio
9. Coria
10. Massu
11. Pecci
12. Ayala
13. Clerc
14. Morea
15. Puerta
16. Ramirez
17. Segura
18. Gonzalez
19. Mancini
20. Cañas
21. Lapentti
22. Jaite
23. Koch
24. Perez Roldàn
25. Gildemeister
26. Llamas
27. Contreras
28. Barnes
29. Fillol
30. Rodriguez

BENJAMIN BENZAQUEN'S OPINION (Radio Santiago)
1.Gustavo Kuerten
2. Guillermo Vilas
3. Andres Gomez
4. Gaston Gaudio
5. Juan Martin Del Potro
6. Marcelo Rios
7. David Nalbandian
8.Guillermo Coria
9. Mariano Puerta
10. Victor Pecci
11.Luis Ayala
12.Fernando Gonzalez
13.Nicolas Massu
14.Jose Luis Clerc
15.Guillermo Perez Roldan

JUAN SALAS'S OPINION (El Mercurio/Cile)
1. Guillermo Vilas
2. Gustavo Kuerten
3. Alex Olmedo
4. Andres Gomez
5. Marcelo Rios
6. Juan Martin Del Potro
7. David Nalbandian
8. Gaston Gaudio
9. Fernando Gonzalez
10. Guillemo Coria
11. Josè Luis Clerc
12. Nicolas Massu
13. Victor Pecci
14. Luis Ayala
15. Alberto Mancini
16. Guillermo Cañas
17. Mariano Puerta
18. Pancho Segura
19. Martín Jaite
20. Franco Squillari
21. Jaime Yzaga
22. Nicolás Lapentti
23. Guillermo Pérez Roldán
24. Jaime Fillol
25. Juan Ignacio Chela
26. Fernando Meligeni
27. Hans Gildemeister
28. Enrique Morea
29. Patricio Cornejo
30. Marcelo Filippini

ENRIQUE CANO'S OPINION (Radio del Plata/Buenos Aires)
1. Gustavo Kuerten
2. Guillermo Vilas
3. Andres Gómez
4. Alex Olmedo
5. Marcelo Ríos
6. Pancho Segura
7. David Nalbandian
8. Juan Martin Del Potro
9. Gaston Gaudio
10. Nicolas Massú
11. Josè Luis Clerc
12. Guillermo Coria
13. Fernando González
14. Raul Ramirez
15. Victor Pecci
16. Guillermo Canas
17. Mariano Puerta
18. Pancho Segura
19. Martin Jaite
20. Franco Squillari
21. Jaime Yzaga
22. Nicolas Lapentti
23. Guillermo Perez Roldan
24. Jaime Fillol
25. Juan Ignacio Chela
26. Fernando Meligeni
27. Hans Gildemeister
28. Enrique Morea
29. Patricio Cornejo
30. Marcelo Filippini

ROBERTO NAPPO'S OPINION (BBC World Latin America)
1. Vilas
2. Kuerten
3. Gomez
4. Gaudio
5. Delpo
6. Olmedo
7. Segura
8. Rios
9. Nalbandian
10. Coria
11. Massu
12. F Gonzalez
13. Clerc
14. Puerta
15. Ramirez
16. Morea
17. Jaite
18. Pecci
19. N.Lapentti
20. Cañas
21. Perez Roldan
22. Fillol
23. F.Meligeni
24. L.Horna
25. Gildemaister
26. Koch
27. Kirmayr
28. Bellucci
29. Mandarino
30. G.Markus

RINO TOMMASI'S OPINION (La Gazzetta dello Sport)
1. Guillermo Vilas
2. Pancho Segura
3. Alex Olmedo
4. Juan Martin Del Potro
5. Gustavo Kuerten
6. Andres Gomez
7. David Nalbandian
8. Fernando Gonzalez
9. Enrique Morea
10. Josè Luis Clerc
11. Guillermo Coria
12. Gaston Gaudio
13. Marcelo Rios

UBALDO SCANAGATTA'S OPINION (Ubitennis, editor)
1. Guillermo Vilas
2. Gustavo Kuerten
3. Josè Luis Clerc
4. Andres Gomez
5. Alex Olmedo
6. Pancho Segura
7. David Nalbandian
8. Juan Martin Del Potro
9. Guillermo Coria
10. Marcelo Rios
11. Victor Pecci
12. Luis Ayala
13. Nicolas Lapentti
14. Alberto Mancini
15. Gaston Gaudio
16. Enrique Morea
17. Fernando Gonzalez
18. Martin Jaite
19. Nicolas Massu
20. Guillermo Canas
21. Guillermo Pérez Roldán
22. Mariano Puerta
23. Jaime Fillol
24. Hans Gildemeister
25. Thomaz Koch
26. Jaime Yzaga
27. Juan Ignacio Chela
28. Thomaz Bellucci
29. Patricio Rodriguez
30. Franco Squillari

ALESSANDRO MASTROLUCA'S OPINION (Ubitennis, vice-editor)
1.Guillermo Vilas
2. Josè Luis Clerc
3. Gustavo Kuerten
4. Juan Martin Del Potro
5. Pancho Segura
6. Andres Gomez
7. David Nalbandian
8. Alex Olmedo
9. Fernando Gonzalez
10. Gaston Gaudio
11. Nicolas Lapentti
12. Luis Ayala
13. Victor Pecci
14. Marcelo Rios
15. Jaime Yzaga
16. Alberto Mancini
17. Guillermo Canas
18. Enrique Morea
19. Jaime Fillol
20. Hans Gildemeister
21 Guillermo Coria
22. Martin Jaite
23. Thomaz Koch
24 Ronald Barnes
25 Carlos Fernandes
26 Nicolas Massu
27 Guillermo Perez-Roldan
28 Thomaz Bellucci
29 Josè Edson Mandarino
30 Armando Vieira

RICCARDO BISTI'S OPINION (Ubitennis, vice-editor)
1. Guillermo Vilas
2. Alex Olmedo
3. Gustavo Kuerten
4. Andres Gomez
5. Pancho Segura
6. David Nalbandian
7. Marcelo Rios
8. Juan Martin Del Potro
9. Josè Luis Clerc
10. Gaston Gaudio
11. Victor Pecci
12. Fernando Gonzalez
13. Nicolas Lapentti
14. Enrique Morea
15. Guillermo Canas
16. Enrique Morea
17. Guillermo Canas
18. Martin Jaite
19. Nicolas Massu
20. Juan Ignacio Chela
21. Jaime Fillol
22. Alberto Mancini
23. Jaime Yzaga
24. Guillermo Perez Roldan
25. Hans Gildemeister
26. Mariano Puerta
27. Franco Squillari
28. Thomaz Koch
29. Marcelo Filippini
30. Thomaz Bellucci

Andrea Appiani