Gustavo Kuerten reached the top of the tennis world in December 2000. He became the men's world No. 1, a first for Brazil.

What drove Gustavo Kuerten to success?

Kuerten's coach instilled in him the belief that he could achieve something no one from his country had done before.

How did Gustavo Kuerten's life change after reaching the top?

A quarter-century after reaching the top, much has changed in Kuerten's life, including an artificial hip that limits his tennis play.

Kuerten plays tennis half a dozen times a year due to the pain caused by balancing and pushing off one leg.

What is Gustavo Kuerten's current focus?

He spends his mornings on physical activity, often surfing, and then works on his business or foundation, which supports social inclusion through sports and the arts.

Kuerten's foundation is inspired by his beloved younger brother, Guilherme, who lived with cerebral palsy and died in 2007.

Gustavo Kuerten's son, Luis Felipe, is starting to climb through Brazil's junior tennis ranks, carrying the Kuerten tennis torch.

Kuerten's face lights up when he remembers his journey to the pinnacle of the sport, which began in 1992 at the French Open.

He made a crucial decision in 1994 to switch from natural gut strings to polyester strings, a move that would later become standard in the sport.

Kuerten can pinpoint the moment his journey began, writing in a postcard that he would practice hard and make it to No. 1 someday.

He had to write it down to believe it, and two years later, he made the decision to switch to polyester strings.

Kuerten's foundation supports opportunities for social inclusion and transformation through sports and the arts for children, especially those with disabilities.

He described his brother Guilherme as the light of the family and the keeper of his trophies.

Guilherme would never accompany Gustavo to the airport when he headed out on another journey, but he was always there to welcome him home and collect the hardware.

Kuerten's typical day involves a few hours of physical activity, followed by work and then dad duty, bringing his son to tennis training or his daughter to piano lessons.

It's a good life, with laughs coming easy, and his face lights up most when he remembers his journey to the top of the sport.