LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Guillermo Coria: French Open
built 230 days ago
Guillermo Coria of Argentina returns the ball to Tim Henmanof Britain during their semifinal match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Friday, June 4, 2004. [AP]
Source:
Argentina hasn't boasted a tennis star in 25 years, going back to Guillermo Vilas, whom Coria was named for by his father, a tennis coach. Coria is only 22, and life should be an open road with the top down. In the past year, he's climbed from No. 26 to No. 3 on the ATP rankings, and he might soon be the top-ranked player in the world. He married his longtime sweetheart, Carla, in December. He's a millionaire. He's so loved in Argentina that he gets standing ovations when he enters restaurants.
Source:
Coria made his return to the ATP Tour at the Movistar Open in Vina del Mar, Chile, where he claimed the first of his nine career titles (all on clay). His last ATP-level appearance was at the 2006 U.S. Open. He reached a career-high ranking of No. 3 in 2004 when he won Masters Series Monte-Carlo and finished runner-up to Gaston Gaudio at the French Open, where he had two match points. Before his departure from the ATP Tour Coria battled a confidence crisis.
Source:
Coria has appeared in several finals since the French Open defeat, but did not win another title until July 31st 2005, when he won in Umag, Croatia. Afterwards, Coria joked that the small tournament was considered a fifth Grand Slam in his family, because his wife Carla hails from Croatia. Coria had a surprisingly consistent 2005 season, where he reached the fourth round or better in every Grand Slam, having previously been considered somewhat out of his element on surfaces other than clay.
Source:
Without a doubt, his greatest triumph was the seemingly endless match against Guillermo Coria in the finals of the French Open in 2004, where he made off with the trophy and took home his first Grand Slam. After this feat, the “cat” confessed that the counseling he had been receiving had been crucial in establishing his current playing level and in obtaining positive results on the court.
Source:
Coria finally returned to the main ATP circuit in the Movistar Open in Chile on January 28, 2008. He showed positive signs of recovering his form, but was still defeated in the first round by Pablo Cuevas 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
Source:
MORE ABOUT
French Open