sport.guardian.co.uk/tennis/story/0,10069,1232997,00.html
Comeback kid Gaudio conquers Paris in thriller
Gaudio 0-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 8-6 Corria
Stephen Bierley at Roland Garros
Monday June 7, 2004
The Guardian
Gaston Gaudio spiralled his racket high into the blue Parisian early evening skies and threw back his head in the joyous wonderment of it all.
Even as he celebrated his remarkable 0-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 8-6 victory in the French Open final his fellow Argentinian Guillermo Coria, the overwhelming favourite, slumped into his chair and twice thrashed his own racket into the red Roland Garros clay, raging with bitter frustration.
For two sets Coria had played almost faultless tennis, brilliantly demonstrating exactly why he has been the outstanding player on this surface this year, with only one previous defeat.
Poor Gaudio was all but engulfed, and with Coria 40-0 up on his serve at 4-4 in the third set all appeared lost. Crucially, though, Gaudio broke back, Coria's world was turned upside down and the man who wanted the title almost too much was beaten.
It was midway through that third set that Coria's troubles began. Both legs began to cramp up, although it was not immediately obvious, save at the very end of the set when he barely attempted to get back Gaudio's serve.
"It cost me a lot when he came back to 4-4. I absolutely knew I had to win that third set," he admitted.
At 1-1 in the fourth Coria called for the trainer Per Bastholt and had his legs massaged. There were no huge grimaces from the 22-year-old world No3 but he was clearly worried.
As soon as he returned it was obvious the trouble was serious. He could barely serve and was immediately broken with the set slipping away from him with the swiftness of a man being swept out to sea on a rip tide.
Gaudio, 25, who with his world ranking of No44 is the fourth-lowest ranked man to win a grand slam championship in the Open era, could scarcely believe what was happening.
In the third set he had drawn deep on the inspiration of the centre-court crowd to salvage some modicum of pride. Now, against everything that had seemed possible, the title was a set away with his opponent tottering around like a drunkard.
Tennis finals rarely deliver a truly fitting climax to a two-week grand slam tournament. This one had so much drama that it simply left everyone drained and trembling.
The Coria - Tim Henman semi-final on Friday had been a marvellous match of fluctuating fortunes; this one was tipped on its head.
At the end of the fourth set Coria eagerly devoured a banana and drank from an unlabelled cola bottle, desperately attempting to get some nutrients and sugar into his body.
Coria was banned in 2001 for testing positive for the steroid nandrolone, although a tennis anti-doping tribunal considered he was unaware of the contamination and the ban was reduced to seven months.
However, since the more recent outbreak of nandrolone- related problems, during which Greg Rusedski tested positive but was later absolved, all the players have been avoiding taking supplements, with Coria particularly fearful of taking any unnecessary risks. He so badly wanted to erase the past that it hurt.
"I wanted to win this tournament and get revenge against those who gave me those contaminated vitamins," said Coria afterwards, the tears streaming down his cheeks. "I wanted to bring a lot of happiness to my family because of the way they supported me through those difficult times.
"I came here thinking it was the opportunity to show everybody what I was able to do. I really wanted to empty myself of the past but I wasn't able to do so. But I will be back. I have promised myself I will win this tournament."
As Gaudio prepared to serve at the start of the fifth set, Coria jogged and bounced on the balls of his feet, trying desperately to lift himself.
Coria is recognised as the quickest player in the world; without this speed he was a cat without claws. But extraordinarily Gaudio lost his serve, his mind and body riddled with nerves. He took deep gulps of breath and water as the two crossed at the umpire's chair, with Coria hastily munching down another banana.
Within a couple of minutes the match had swung again with Coria dropping his service to love. Surely Gaudio would stamp on his neck this time, but no. The collywobbles consumed him again and Coria, as improbably as anything that has happened in a fortnight of upsets, stretched out to a 3-1 lead.
Coria was still not moving properly and his serve was merely functional but Gaudio seemed incapable of taking advantage. Even having managed to get back level at 4-4 he stumbled, leaving Coria to serve for the title at 5-4. But he missed three forehands, Gaudio fired a cross-court winner and all was level again.
The tension was all but unbearable, with the majority of the crowd firmly on Gaudio's side. Coria's parents, Oscar and Graciela, thumped their chests as their weary son forced his body forward, breaking the Gaudio serve again in a 16-point 11th game. So, for a second time, he served for the match and this time had two match points.
Both were missed and, perhaps for the first time, Gaudio finally believed he could win. After a crisp service game it was left to Coria to serve to stay in the match. He failed, Gaudio finally nailing him with a flashing cross-court backhand, one of the finest in tennis though not seen before in this level of tennis.
Nobody had expected the self-effacing Gaudio to defeat his other compatriot, David Nalbandian, in the semi-finals. The furthest he had progressed in any grand slam tournament was the last 16 at Roland Garros in 2002, the same year that he won his two previous titles, both on clay, in Barcelona and Mallorca.
"I don't know what to say, it is too much. This is like a movie for me," Gaudio said, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Thanks to all of you, the crowd. Thanks to you I managed to fight more and come back. I touched heaven."
Guillermo Vilas, the French Open champion in 1977, and the only male Argentinian to have won a grand slam title before, revealed afterwards that mid-way through the second set Gaudio had said: "I want to leave. I've had it. I can't believe I'm playing as badly as this." He was glad in the end he stayed.
Gaudio - Coria
66% 1st serve % 65 %
2 Aces 5
9 Double faults 6
55 Unforced errors 54
36 Winners 38
73% Break points won 56%
148 Total points won 137
