Thomas Muster facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Thomas Muster

Thomas Muster in 2016
Country (sports)	Austria
Residence	Leibnitz, Austria (1984–1994, 2010–2011) Monte Carlo, Monaco (1994–1997) Noosa Heads, Australia (1996–1999)
Born	(1967-10-02) 2 October 1967 (age 57) Leibnitz, Austria
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Turned pro	1985 (Comeback in 2010)
Retired	1999 (2011)
Plays	Left-handed (one-handed backhand)
Coach	Ronnie Leitgeb (1984–1999) Ronald Schmidt (2010–2011)
Prize money	US,266,977
Singles
Career record	625–273 (69.6%)
Career titles	44
Highest ranking	No. 1 (12 February 1996)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	SF (1989, 1997)
French Open	W (1995)
Wimbledon	1R (1987, 1992, 1993, 1994)
US Open	QF (1993, 1994, 1996)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals	RR (1990, 1995, 1996, 1997)
Grand Slam Cup	1R (1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997)
Olympic Games	2R (1984, demonstration event)
Doubles
Career record	56–91
Career titles	1
Highest ranking	No. 94 (7 November 1988)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	1R (1989, 1990)
US Open	2R (1986)
Team competitions
Davis Cup	SF (1990)

Thomas Muster (born 2 October 1967) is a famous former tennis player from Austria. He was once ranked the world No. 1 player. Thomas Muster was known as "The King of Clay" because he was one of the best clay court players in the 1990s. He won the French Open in 1995, which is a huge tennis tournament. He also won eight other big tournaments called Masters 1000 Series titles.

Thomas Muster was the first Austrian player to win a Grand Slam singles title. This is one of the four biggest tennis tournaments in the world. Later, Dominic Thiem also won a Grand Slam title at the 2020 US Open.

Thomas Muster's Tennis Journey

Starting Out: Junior Years

Thomas Muster first became known in 1985. That year, he reached the finals of two important junior tournaments: the French Open junior tournament and the Orange Bowl juniors tournament.

Becoming a Professional Player

Thomas Muster started playing top-level matches when he was just 16 years old in 1984. He even played for Austria in the Davis Cup and at the 1984 Summer Olympics.

In 1985, he became a professional tennis player. He won his first major tournament in 1986 at the Dutch Open in Hilversum. By 1988, he was doing very well, reaching six tournament finals and winning four of them. He ended that year ranked 16th in the world.

Reaching the Top 10 and a Big Challenge

In early 1989, Thomas Muster made history for Austria. He became the first Austrian to reach the semifinals of the Australian Open. Soon after, he also became the first Austrian to enter the world's top 10 tennis players.

However, a big challenge hit him in March 1989. After winning a tough match in Florida, he was hit by a car. This accident seriously injured his knee, and he needed surgery. But Thomas Muster was determined. He used a special chair that let him practice hitting balls even while recovering. He returned to playing tennis just a few months later in September 1989.

The Comeback and Clay Court Success

His comeback was amazing in 1990. He won three clay court tournaments and one hardcourt title. He also reached the semifinals of the 1990 French Open. He helped Austria reach the semifinals of the Davis Cup that year. Because of his incredible return to the sport, he was named the ATP Tour's "Comeback Player of the Year."

Thomas Muster continued to win many titles, especially on clay courts. In 1993, he won seven tournaments. He had an excellent record on clay that year, winning 55 out of 65 matches.

The King of Clay: 1995 and 1996

The year 1995 was the best of Thomas Muster's career. He won 12 tournaments, and 11 of them were on clay courts. He had an incredible winning streak of 40 matches in a row on clay. This was one of the longest streaks ever on that surface.

During this time, he won the Monte Carlo Masters and his second Italian Open title. At the 1995 French Open, he achieved his biggest dream, winning his first and only Grand Slam title. He beat Michael Chang in the final. His record on clay in 1995 was an amazing 65 wins and only 2 losses!

He continued his dominance on clay in 1996, winning seven more tournaments. He won his third Monte Carlo and Italian Open titles. His clay court record for 1995-1996 was 111 wins and only 5 losses, which was the best two-year clay court record since 1968.

Becoming World No. 1

In February 1996, Thomas Muster reached the world No. 1 ranking for the first time. He held this top spot for a total of six weeks. Some other top players, like Pete Sampras, questioned his No. 1 ranking. They said he got there mostly because of his amazing results on clay courts. However, Thomas Muster had also beaten Sampras on a fast indoor court in 1995.

Success on Hardcourt and Later Career

In 1997, Thomas Muster started getting great results on hardcourts. He reached the semifinals of the 1997 Australian Open. He then won his biggest hardcourt title at the Miami Masters, which was special because it was the same tournament where his career almost ended eight years earlier due to his accident.

He finished 1997 ranked world No. 9. His clay court results were not as strong that year, and he lost in the third round of the French Open to Gustavo Kuerten, who later won the tournament.

In 1998, he reached the quarterfinals of the French Open. Thomas Muster stopped playing on the ATP Tour after the 1999 French Open when he was 31 years old. He is the only world No. 1 singles player who never won a match at Wimbledon during his career.

Davis Cup Achievements

Thomas Muster had an excellent record playing for Austria in the Davis Cup. He only lost one singles match on clay in his entire Davis Cup career. His overall record in Davis Cup singles matches was 36 wins and 8 losses. He has won more matches in the Davis Cup than any other Austrian tennis player.

Coming Back to Play (2010-2011)

On June 16, 2010, at 42 years old, Thomas Muster announced he would return to professional tennis. He played in several smaller tournaments. In September 2011, he won a match against Leonardo Mayer, which helped him get back into the ATP singles rankings.

In October 2011, at 44, Thomas Muster decided to play his last professional match at the Vienna tournament in his home country. He lost to a young Austrian player, Dominic Thiem. He played one more match in a Challenger tournament in Salzburg before officially retiring.

Amazing Records

Thomas Muster holds some impressive records:

• In 1995, he won 12 men's singles tournament titles. This was a record for the ATP Tour (since 1990), which Roger Federer later tied in 2006.
• He has the highest winning percentage in singles tournament finals among players who reached at least 25 finals. He won 44 out of 55 finals, which is an amazing 80% win rate!

Grand Slam and Masters Series Finals

Grand Slam Finals

Singles: 1 (1 title)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1995	French Open	Clay	Michael Chang	7–5, 6–2, 6–4

Masters Series Finals

Singles: 10 (8 titles, 2 runner-ups)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	1990	Monte Carlo	Clay	Andrei Chesnokov	5–7, 3–6, 3–6
Win	1990	Rome	Clay	Andrei Chesnokov	6–1, 6–3, 6–1
Win	1992	Monte Carlo	Clay	Aaron Krickstein	6–3, 6–1, 6–3
Win	1995	Monte Carlo (2)	Clay	Boris Becker	4–6, 5–7, 6–1, 7–6(8–6), 6–0
Win	1995	Rome (2)	Clay	Sergi Bruguera	3–6, 7–6(7–5), 6–2, 6–3
Win	1995	Essen	Carpet (i)	MaliVai Washington	7–6(8–6), 2–6, 6–3, 6–4
Win	1996	Monte Carlo (3)	Clay	Albert Costa	6–3, 5–7, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2
Win	1996	Rome (3)	Clay	Richard Krajicek	6–2, 6–4, 3–6, 6–3
Win	1997	Miami	Hard	Sergi Bruguera	7–6(8–6), 6–3, 6–1
Loss	1997	Cincinnati	Hard	Pete Sampras	3–6, 4–6

Personal Life

Thomas Muster was married to Jo Beth Taylor, an Australian TV personality, from 2000 to 2005. They have a son named Christian, born in 2001. In 2010, Thomas Muster married Caroline Ofner. They have a daughter named Maxim, who was born in 2009. The family lives in both Styria, Austria, and Croatia.

See also

In Spanish: Thomas Muster para niños