He never played a tennis tournament in his life yet Guilherme Kuerten proudly counted a roomful of title trophies among his most precious possessions. The glittering trophies were gifts from older brother Gustavo Kuerten, who continued a career-long habit of giving his Guilherme, who was born with severe cerebral palsy, the trophies he won.

Guilherme Kuerten, in return, gave his older brother the gift of life-long inspiration and an acute sensitivity and compassion for others.

That brotherly bond was never broken: when Guilherme Kuerten died this morning of respiratory problems in the Hospital Universitario in his native Florianopolis, Brazil, he was surrounded by his mother Alice and brothers Guga and Rafael by his side. Guilherme Kuerten was 28. Father Aldo Kuerten died suddenly while umpiring a junior tennis match in 1985.

"Gui was a fighter, since the day he was born," Guga said. "Many years ago there was a lot of prejudice against people with special needs like him and I am sure he broke barriers and helped it to be diminished."

Guilherme was the catalyst for three-time French Open champ Guga to create the Gustavo Kuerten Institute (GKI), which the Kuerten family founded on August 17, 2000. Kuerten’s mother is the president of the institute. The funeral will be held Thursday, at the Cemiterio Jardim da Paz, in Florianopolis (Rodovia SC 401).

Messages to Guga and his family should be sent to:
Centro Executivo Aldo Kuerten
Av. Madre Benvenuta 1168 – 88035-000
Florianopolis, SC
Brazil