in 1877 the first of the major tennis competition took place in wimbledon, england - the second major competition was the u. s. open, which took place in 1881- these are still the two most predominant competitions in the world up until today - these two competitions, combined with the french open and the davis cup make up the grand slam of tennis, the most sought after award in competitive tennis.

brazil has long been competitive in the world tennis circuit - brazil's most famous player, gustavo kuerten, was ranked number one in the world after winning the french open three times - he was the only player to defeat andre agassi and pete sampras in the same tournament.

gustavo kuerten retired in 2008 after a series of injuries which limited his ability to keep playing - a long and successful career have kept gustavo in the hearts of brazilian tennis lovers around the globe.