Coria keeps on keeping on - 網球 Tennis

http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/news/articles/2008-05-25/200805251211746075140.html

Coria keeps on keeping on
Sunday, May 25, 2008
By Eric Frosio

Argentinean Guillermo Coria, the ill-fated 2004 finalist, has been through some
dark times but there finally seems to be light at the end of the tunnel. On
Monday he is returning to Roland Garros after a three-year absence.

It remains to be seen what tricks he has left up his sleeve: a string of double
faults or a series of stunning baseline winners. One thing is for certain,
there will be plenty of surprises in store with Guillermo Coria, aka “the
Magician”. The former world No3 and beaten 2004 finalist has been lacking in
magic for some time and now languishes at the bottom of the rankings – in
733rd place to be precise.

However, thanks to his protected ranking he has managed to qualify for the main
draw for the first time since 2005 as a result of a series of withdrawals. “I’
m delighted to be back at this tournament,” he smiles. “Playing at Roland
Garros is always great, there’s a very special atmosphere here.”

Unlucky in 2004’s final, when he lost from two match points up against Gaston
Gaudio at the end of an unbelievable match, the Argentinean claims that he is
no longer tortured by his defeat at the hands of his fellow countrymen, who has
also disappeared from the scene. “Honestly, I no longer think about it. I’ve
put it behind me,” says Coria. I’ve watched the final on DVD and it didn’t
bother me. I played really well before I started to cramp. I’m really happy to
be back at Roland Garros so that proves I’m not haunted by that defeat!”

Indeed the Rufino-born player continued to play dream-like tennis after that
incredible loss, as testified by his five-set final loss in Rome to the king of
clay Rafael Nadal in 2005.

Double faults and psychologists

“It was only later that I started to doubt myself,” says Coria after a
training session with Carlos Moya. “I was tired of tennis. All that
travelling, the hotels, the never-ending pressure …I had to take a step back
from all of that. I needed a break, so I went travelling and enjoyed myself for
a while. Then I got injured so I had to have an operation on my shoulder.”

After a depressing 2006 (11 defeats in 15 tournaments) Coria skipped 2007
entirely. However, “the magician” seems to have rediscovered his desire for
the game. “I realised that I loved tennis so I decided to commit myself to the
sport again.”

Following the operation on his shoulder, Coria decided to change his service
motion to try to gain power which proved to be a big mistake. No longer able to
serve properly, he accumulated double faults and found his serve broken nine
times out of time – enough to drive the sanest player mad. “His service was
the first thing we worked on when we got together in November 2007,” recalls
Martin Rodriguez, Coria’s trainer and himself a former accomplished doubles
player. “We had to rebuild his confidence as his problems were all in his
head. Now, things are better. He’s still gets a bit nervous at times but we’
ve made good progress.”

Newfound happiness

Coria has slowly rebuilt his confidence thanks to the support of his coach and
some sessions with a psychologist in Buenos Aires. Starting with low-key
tournaments, he recovered his serve and notched up a handful of
confidence-building victories. “I’m feeling much better,” he confirms, “I’
m enjoying myself, which is something. I’m just making the most of being back
on the circuit. I’m having fun whether it’s at Roland Garros or a small
challenger tournament.”

The solution was simple, according to his coach. “He just had to be himself
and stop worrying about what others think of him. That’s how he’ll get back
to the top. He has the talent to do it, that’s for sure. Now that he’s more
relaxed, I think that we’ll soon see the old Coria.”

Coria’s first test will not be the easiest and sees him face the mild-mannered
Tommy Robredo. “It’ll be very difficult to play Tommy but it’ll be an
interesting test,” says Coria. “The tougher the challenge, the more exciting
it is. The pressure is on him; he’s number 12 in the world and has reached the
semi-final here. I’ve nothing to lose and I intend to enjoy myself.” It looks
after all as if he has finally overcome those demons.



http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/news/match_analysis/index.html
MATCH OF THE DAY
Tommy Robredo vs Guillermo Coria


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