Thomas Muster

Thomas Muster

Country:	Austria
Residence:	Monte Carlo, MON
Height:	5'11" (180 cm)
Weight:	165 lbs. (75 kg)
Plays:	Left
Turned pro:	1985
Retired:	N/A
Highest singles ranking:	1 (2/12/1996)
Singles titles:	44
Career Prize Money:	$12,224,410
Grand Slam Record Titles: 1
Australian Open	SF (1989, '97)
French Open	W (1995)
Wimbledon	1rd (1987, '92, '93, '94)
U.S. Open	QF (1993, '94, '96)

Thomas Muster (born October 2 1967, in Leibnitz, Austria) is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Austria. At his peak, he was known as the "King of Clay". He was undoubtedly one of the finest clay court players that the game has produced.

Muster first came to prominence as an outstanding junior player who reached the finals of the French Open Juniors and the prestigious Orange Bowl in 1985. He turned professional later that year, and won his first tour title at Hilversum (Netherlands) in 1986.

In 1988, Muster qualified for six tour finals, winning four of them. He finished the year ranked in the world's Top 20 for the first time.

Early in 1989, Muster became the first Austrian to reach the semi-finals at Australian Open and, shortly after that, the first Austrian to be ranked in the world's Top 10. Everything seemed to be going exceptionally well for Muster in March that year when he defeated Yannick Noah in the semi-finals of the prestigious Lipton International Players Championships in Key Biscayne, Florida to set up a final match-up with the then-World No. 1 Ivan Lendl. But in the hours that followed that famous semi-final victory, Muster was struck by a drunk driver, severing ligaments in his left knee and forcing him to withdraw from the final against Lendl. He flew back to Vienna to undergo surgery. With the aid of a special chair designed to allow him practice hitting balls while recovering from his knee surgery, Muster was incredibly able to return to competitive tennis just six months later.

Muster's comeback continued in 1990, when he won four titles (three on clay and one on hardcourts), was runner-up to three further tournaments, and reached the semi-finals at the French Open. He also helped Austria reach the semi-finals of Davis Cup, where they were eliminated 3-2 by the United States despite Muster winning both his singles rubbers against Andre Agassi and Michael Chang. For these achievements, Muster was named the ATP Tour's 'Comeback Player of the Year'.

Muster won two more titles in 1991, and another three in 1992 (all on clay courts).

In 1993 he reached nine tournament finals, winning seven of them. He was the tour's leading clay court player that year, winning 55 out of 65 matches on the surface.

1994 saw Muster win three further clay court titles. He also beat Michael Stich of Germany in a legendary first round Davis Cup tie in Graz. Muster won the marathon five-set match 12-10 in the final set. The 5 hour 25 minute match was the longest professional tennis game anywhere in the world that year.

1995 was undoubtedly the best year of Muster's career, and the year in which he came to be recognised as being among the truly dominant players in the game. He won 12 titles from 14 final appearances. Between February and June he won 40 consecutive clay court matches (the longest winning streak on the surface since Björn Borg had won 44 in 1977-79). The French Open that year saw Muster finally claim his first (and only) Grand Slam title, when he defeated former champion Michael Chang in straight sets in the final 7-5, 6-2, 6-4. Muster was undoubtedly the world's premier clay court player in 1995, winning 65 matches on the surface while losing just two. However his record on other surfaces was notably less impressive.

1996 saw Muster continue in a similar vein, racking up clay court victories. He won seven titles that year (six of them titles he successfully defended after winning them in 1995). His clay court record in 1996 was 43 wins and only three defeats. This made his overall 1995-96 record on the surface 111-5 – the best two-year consecutive clay court record since the Open Era began in 1968.

In February 1996, Muster attained the World No. 1 ranking. He held the ranking initially for just one week, and then regained it for five weeks in March-April. Muster remains one of the most controversial World No. 1s because almost all the victories he achieved to attain the ranking were won on clay courts. He completely dominated the clay court game in 1995-6, but was eminently beatable on all other surfaces. However the sheer number of matches and tournaments he had won earned him the ranking points that saw him join the elite group of players to have been officially ranked at the very top of the sport.

1997 ironically saw Muster achieve his best results on hard courts. He claimed two hard court titles that year and finished runner-up in a third. He compiled a 29-8 record on hard courts that year, while strangely being only 9-9 on clay.

Muster reached his last top-level tournament final (on clay) in 1998. He retired from the professional tour in 1999.

Muster is largely remembered as a single-surface player, though he enjoyed occasional successes on other surfaces. His victory at the 1995 French Open and his attainment of the World No. 1 ranking were undoubtedly the highlights of his career. His commanding dominance of the clay court game in 1995-6 must also be considered among the great achievements in the history of the game.

When his playing career finished, Muster moved to Australia and lived on a large farm with his wife and child. He has since moved back to Austria, where he has served as coach of the Austrian Davis Cup team and established an apparel brand called 'Toms'.

Biggest Victories

• 1 - French Open 1995
• 1 - Miami AMS 1997
• 3 - Monte Carlo AMS 1992, 1995, 1996
• 3 - Rome AMS 1990, 1995, 1996

External links

• Official ATP Profile (http://www.atptennis.com/en/players/playerprofiles/default2.asp?playersearch=thomas+muster)

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