Gustavo Kuerten was almost unknown when he won the French Open in 1997. At 66, he was the second-lowest ranked Grand Slam winner

Blessed with a magnificent backhand, Kuerten - nicknamed Guga - was also the first Brazilian to win a Grand Slam title

Three years later, he collected his second title at Roland Garros, beating Sweden's Magnus Norman in the final

Later that year, he beat Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi in successive matches to claim the prestigious Masters Cup

By beating Agassi in the final, he also became the first South American to claim the year-end world number one spot

In 2001, Kuerten enjoyed his best-ever season with a career-high six titles - including the Cincinnati Masters

He was triumphant once again at Roland Garros, only the fourth player in history to lift the trophy three times or more

He cemented his place as a Roland Garros legend by drawing a heart in the clay and then lying in it after beating Alex Corretja in the final

His exploits made him a hero in football-obsessed Brazil, where many young people were inspired to take up tennis

Kuerten gave every trophy he won to his younger brother Guilherme, who suffered from cerebral palsy. Guilherme died last year

Kuerten underwent his first bout of hip surgery in 2002 but the latter part of his career would be blighted with injury problems

However, he found inspiration at Roland Garros in 2004 when he beat world number one Roger Federer in straight sets

Later in 2004, he won the last of his 20 career titles - on home soil in Costa do Sauipe

Kuerten was back at his spiritual home last year when he presented the trophy to the new King of Roland Garros, Rafael Nadal

Kuerten announced this year he would bow out after nearly 14 years. The Brazilian president paid tribute to an "extraordinary man"

After defeat by Paul-Henri Mathieu, Kuerten breaks down in tears as he is handed a slice of clay court

But the Brazilian composes himself and flashes one last smile for the Roland Garros crowd before bowing out