Karol Kučera

Karol Kučera
Nation:	Slovakia
Birthday:	March 4th 1974
Size:	188 cm
Weight:	77 kg
1st professional season:	1992
Resignation:	2005
Playing hand:	Right, two-handed backhand
Trainer:	Marián Vajda
Prize money:	$ 5,061,125
singles
Career record:	293: 244
Career title:	6th
Highest ranking:	6 (September 14, 1998)
Grand Slam record
Double
Career record:	34:41
Highest ranking:	131 (June 7, 2004)
Grand Slam record
Sources: official player profiles at the ATP / WTA and ITF (see web links )

Karol Kučera (born March 4, 1974 in Bratislava ) is a former Slovak tennis player . He achieved his best placement in the tennis world rankings with position 6.

Career

In 1992 Kučera switched to the professional camp. In 1991 and 1992 he was a member of the Czechoslovak Galea Cup team and in 1992 of the European championship team. In 1993 he qualified for his first Grand Slam tournament , the French Open . In 1995 he won his first ATP title in Rosmalen . At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta he was defeated by the later gold medal winner Andre Agassi . A year later he won his second ATP tournament in Ostrava with a final victory over Magnus Norman .

Kučera's best year was 1998, which he finished eighth in the world rankings. He qualified for the Masters in Hanover . In that year he won titles in Sydney against Tim Henman and in New Haven against Goran Ivanišević and the Hopman Cup on the side of Karina Habšudová . He reached two more finals in Stuttgart (defeat by Gustavo Kuerten ) and in Vienna (against Pete Sampras ). In total, he recorded 53 victories in 1998 and earned just over 1.4 million US dollars.

Kučera also achieved his best Grand Slam result in 1998 when he reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open by defeating last year's winner and world number one Pete Sampras in the quarter-finals. He lost the semifinals in four sets against the eventual champion Petr Korda . In 1999 Kučera won his fifth ATP title in Basel , again against Tim Henman. After an injury to his right wrist that he sustained in 1999, he gradually returned to his old form in 2003 and was back in the top 50. In Copenhagen , he won his sixth and last ATP title in 2003 with a final victory over Olivier Rochus .

After losing to Croatia in the Davis Cup in 2005, he announced his retirement from professional tennis.

singles

Tournament victories

Legend (number of victories)

Grand Slam

Tennis Masters Cup

ATP Masters Series ATP World Tour Masters 1000

ATP International Series Gold ATP World Tour 500

ATP International Series ATP World Tour 250 (6)

No.	date	competition	Topping	Final opponent	Result
1.	June 12, 1995	Rose painting	race	Järryd is different	7: 6 7 , 7: 6 4
2.	October 13, 1997	Ostrava	Carpet (i)	Magnus Norman	6: 2, retirement
3.	January 12, 1998	Sydney	Hard court	Tim Henman	7: 5, 6: 4
4th	August 17, 1998	New Haven	Hard court	Goran Ivanišević	6: 4, 5: 7, 6: 2
5.	4th October 1999	Basel	Carpet (i)	Tim Henman	6: 4, 7: 6 10 , 4: 6, 4: 6, 7: 6 2
6th	February 24, 2003	Copenhagen	Hard court (i)	Olivier Rochus	7: 6 4 , 6: 4

Web links

• ATP profile of Karol Kučera (English)
• ITF profile Karol Kučera (English)
• Davis Cup stats by Karol Kučera (English)