The Open Era
Slovakia · born Bratislava, 1974 · right-handed · won his first ATP title on grass at Rosmalen and rose to world No. 6
All playersBack to the rankings
1995
First ATP title, on grass at Rosmalen
6
ATP singles titles, 1995 to 2003
No. 6
Career-high ranking, September 1998
4R
Best Wimbledon result, 1999
32-17
Davis Cup record for Slovakia, in 23 ties from 1994
Karol Kučera was born in Bratislava in 1974, played Davis Cup for Czechoslovakia in 1991 and 1992 and turned professional in 1992. After the country split he played for Slovakia. His first ATP title came on grass at Rosmalen in 1995, and he went on to win six in all, the last at Copenhagen in 2003.
His peak came in 1998, when he was coached by Miloslav Mečíř. He beat Pete Sampras in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and lost the semi-final to Petr Korda, won the Hopman Cup for Slovakia, reached the US Open quarter-finals after beating Andre Agassi in five sets, and rose to No. 6 in September. He played three Olympic Games and was part of the Slovak team that reached the 2005 Davis Cup final, after which he retired. In 2020 he was elected to Slovakia's National Council.
| Rosmalen 1995 | Beat Anders Järryd 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (7-4) in the final for his first ATP title |
|---|---|
| Wimbledon | Fourth round in 1999, his best result at the Championships |
| 's-Hertogenbosch (Rosmalen) | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Men's singles Rosmalen Grass Court Championships | |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. † single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
The person behind the player.
Nickname
He was nicknamed the Little Cat because his deceptive style and movement resembled those of his coach Miloslav Mečíř, known as the Big Cat. The ATP records that Mečíř coached him from 1997 to September 2001, after which he worked with Marián Vajda.
Source: WikipediaMelbourne, January 1998
In the quarter-finals of the 1998 Australian Open he beat Pete Sampras 6-4, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, ending Sampras's bid for a third title there. He lost the semi-final to the eventual champion Petr Korda 6-1, 6-4, 1-6, 6-2.
Source: Tennis MajorsAtlanta, 1996
At his first Olympics he lost in the second round to Andre Agassi, who went on to win the gold medal. He played again in Sydney in 2000, reaching the doubles quarter-finals with Dominik Hrbatý, and in Athens in 2004.
Source: OlympediaBratislava, December 2005
Slovakia reached the Davis Cup final against Croatia. Kučera, 31, close to retirement and short of matches, was due to play the deciding fifth rubber, but the captain, Mečíř, replaced him with Michal Mertiňák, who lost to Mario Ančić. Croatia won 3-2 and Kučera retired after the final.
Source: The Slovak Spectator2020
Fifteen years after his last match he was elected to Slovakia's National Council.
Source: OlympediaFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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