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In the waning days of Roland Garros in 1997, a festival took place the likes of which Paris had rarely, if ever, before seen. The ivy-covered walls of the stadium reverberated to the sound of drumming, chants and tin horns. The seats were a riot of green and buttercup yellow jerseys, the kit of the renowned Brazilian national soccer team. Some spectators danced the Samba.
But this was not futbol. It was the staid sport of tennis, hosting a pop-up, early-June version of Carnival. And at the eye of this hurricane of joy stood Gustavo “Guga” Kuerten, a 6'3", 20-year-old Brazilian with hair like a puffball mushroom, a passion for surfing, long and limber limbs, and a one-handed backhand to die for—or from.
Hordes of Brazilians in and around Paris, many who did not even understand tennis scoring, flooded Roland Garros as Kuerten advanced through the draw. Although tennis was still a buttoned-up sport, few spectators could resist the Brazilians’ passion and energy, and they were rewarded when Kuerten won his nation’s first men’s Grand Slam singles title.