May 22, 1995: The day Thomas Muster conquered Rome
Every day, Tennis Majors takes you back in time to relive a tennis event which happened on this specific day. On May 22, 1995, Thomas Muster won an epic clay-court battle at the Foro Italico over one of the best clay-courters of the time
On this day – Bruguera – Muster
What exactly happened on that day?
On this day, May 22, 1995, Thomas Muster, ranked No 10 in the world, defeated world No 7 Sergi Bruguera in the final of the Italian Open. This final, which was held on a Monday due to rain delays, featured the two most feared clay-court players at the time, the Spaniard being the double defending champion at Roland-Garros, while the Austrian was on a winning streak that would take him all the way to the French Open crown a few weeks later.
The players: Thomas Muster and Sergi Bruguera
- Thomas Muster: The Musterminator
Thomas Muster was born in 1967. Left-handed, he developed a typical clay-court game, with a lot of spin on both sides and incredible fitness. His tactics relied on engaging in long, brutal rallies from the baseline, which earned him the nickname “Musterminator.” He won his first ATP title in 1986 in Hilversum on red dirt, defeating Jakob Hlasek in the final (6-1, 6-3, 6-3). Although all his titles were claimed on clay until 1990, Muster experienced his Grand Slam breakthrough on hard court at the 1989 Australian Open, where he reached the semi-final (losing to Ivan Lendl, 6-2, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5).
That year, just after he beat Yannick Noah in the Miami semi-final, the Austrian was hit by a car and suffered serious knee damage. After surgery, he left an indelible image for tennis historians to savour when he was filmed hitting forehands while sitting on a bench with his leg wrapped in a cast. It became the very image of resilience. Muster’s unquenchable desire to regain his form served him well and he was back on the tour in 1990.
Despite his first hard-court title on hard court in Adelaide, he soon realised that playing on clay was much better for his knee and he specialised even more, claiming 21 more titles on his favourite surface over the rest of his career. Amongst these titles, the most important were the Italian Open in 1990, and the Monte-Carlo Open in 1992 and 1995. On top of that, he also reached the semi-final in Roland-Garros in 1990, losing to eventual champion Andres Gomez.
- Sergi Bruguera: clay-court star, two-time defending Roland-Garros champion
Sergi Bruguera, born in 1971, made himself known to tennis fans at Roland-Garros in 1990, when he defeated world No 1 Stefan Edberg in the first round (6-4, 6-2, 6-1). A true clay-court specialist, he claimed 14 titles throughout his career, only one of them coming on hard court, in Bordeaux in 1993. He was the double defending champion at Roland-Garros, which he won in 1993 and 1994 (defeating Jim Courier first, and then Alberto Berasategui), and he had also triumphed twice in Monte-Carlo in 1991 and 1993.
Bruguera mostly relied on heavy topspin off both wings, with western grips and a very consistent backhand which he almost never missed. His game was defensive and tailor-made for clay and he skipped the grass season three times in six years. He was undoubtedly one of the top clay-court specialists in the world at the time.
The place: The historic Foro Italico in Rome
The Italian Open had been held in Rome at the massive sporting complex known as the Foro Italico, which was originally designed to support an Italian bid to host the 1940 Olympics. One of the Masters 1000 events, it remains one of the most prestigious clay-court tournaments in the world. Almost all of the best players in history have set foot on the courts of the famous Stadio del Tennis di Roma venue.
Muster had lifted the trophy in Rome in 1990, beating Andrei Chesnokov in the final (6-1, 6-3, 6-1), while Bruguera’s best performance at Foro Italico was a semi-final loss to Alberto Mancini (6-3, 6-1) in 1991.
The facts: Muster wins in four sets
The 1995 Italian Open final was a meeting between the two most iconic clay-court players of the time. Bruguera was the two-time Roland-Garros champion, while Muster was riding a 27-match winning streak on red dirt. The Austrian had already claimed four titles in Mexico, Estoril, Monte-Carlo and Barcelona. The two players had reputations for playing a patient and defensive brand of tennis, and the crowd as well as the journalists expected a physical war of attrition.
And they were not disappointed. From the very start, Muster and Bruguera engaged in long, grinding rallies. Both players were playing with a great deal of margin, trying to push their opponent back behind the baseline to create angles for short cross-court shots. With both the Austrian and the Spaniard standing far behind their baseline, drop shots were used frequently. In the first set, Bruguera prevailed 6-3. The second set went into a tiebreak which could have given him a two-sets-to-love lead. Unfortunately for the Spaniard, Muster claimed it and evened the score at one set apiece.
Thomas was “Musterminator” again. Playing deeper than his opponent, he was now brutally dictating points, slowly chiseling away at the Spaniard, whose level dropped in the following sets. Bruguera resolved himself to be more aggressive, in order to reduce Muster’s physical hold, but the Austrian responded with precise passing shots. Eventually, the exhausted Spaniard could not contain his opponent anymore, and Muster secured the victory 3-6, 7-6, 6-2, 6-3. He had now won 28 consecutive matches on clay and was going to arrive undefeated on his favourite surface at Roland-Garros.
What next? Muster wins French Open a few weeks later
The two players would be very close to facing each other three weeks later in the Roland-Garros final but Bruguera would fall in the semi-final against 1989 champion Michael Chang (6-4, 7-6, 7-6). Muster arrived in Paris as the main favourite for the title, and he did not disappoint. He would brush aside the pressure and go on to win his first and only Grand Slam tournament, defeating Michael Chang in the final (7-5, 6-2, 6-4).
Muster would end 1995 at No 3 in the world, claiming a total of 12 titles, including one in Essen where he managed to defeat Pete Sampras on indoor carpet. On February 12, 1996, Muster would surpass Andre Agassi and climb to world No 1, a spot he would hold for six weeks in total.
1996 proved to be another banner year for Muster. He would go on a second incredible winning streak, defending five titles in Mexico, Estoril, Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, and Rome, before he was shockingly defeated by Michael Stich in the fourth round of Roland-Garros (4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-6). After a final major tournament claimed in March 1997 in Miami, where he beat Bruguera in the final (7-6, 6-3, 6-1), and a final quarter-final at Roland-Garros in 1998 (losing to Felix Mantilla, 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3), Muster would slowly decline before eventually retiring in 1999.
Bruguera would never win another tournament. After a severe ankle injury ruined his 1996 season, he would return as a dangerous player in 1997, reaching a third final at Roland-Garros, this time to be edged by Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten in straight sets (6-3, 6-4, 6-2). His 1998 season would be catastrophic, and he would struggle with injuries until he eventually retired at the end of 2001.
