The former Spain Davis Cup captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario has been hired to reinvigorate Brazilian tennis.
Sanchez Vicario, who last year led Spain to the Davis Cup title against Argentina, reached a deal with the Brazilian tennis confederation to coordinate the sport in that country.
Brazil, populated by more than 180 million, currently has only two players in the top 100, 84th-ranked Thomaz Bellucci and 91st-ranked Daniel Marcos.
Former world number one Gustavo Kuerten, a three-time French Open champion retired last year.
Sanchez Vicario will oversee a project to find new talent and organise the structure of the sport.
Sanchez Vicario, the brother of Arantxa, won 15 singles and 50 doubles titles, including Grand Slams, in a pro career from 1984-98. He went 32-23 in Davis Cup.
