Vilas Extends Warmth to New Argentine Champ

Doping charge still haunts Coria
Has plans to work with Agassi trainer Gil Reyes

By Sandra Harwitt
Special to tennisreporters.net

Fred Mullane/Camerawork USA

Guillermo Coria, left, congratulates Gaston Gaudio on his '04 Roland Garros men's singles title.

FROM ROLAND GARROS – On a very disappointing day when Guillermo Coria seemingly had the Roland Garros chalice in his hands, then, saw his countryman Gaston Gaudio crowned champion, he also implied that a three-year-old doping charge is likely to haunt him in the future.

Coria spent seven months on the sidelines at the end of 2001 and beginning of 2002 when an approved dietary supplement he took contained nandrolene. He still can't get past being treated in what he considers unfair manner by being suspended from the tour.

Towards the end of the most distressing day of his career, it was Coria who brought up the drug situation and broke down in tears. Since being tagged for doping, Coria has been unwilling to take any vitamins or supplements to keep himself hydrated beyond water, and he believes that could have caused his body to have a meltdown starting at the end of the third set of the final.

"They tried to convince me to take something because everybody's taking something," Coria said. "This is the reason there have been many cases. But I want to continue a long time in tennis. I prefer to live what I lived on the court today and not be concerned to know whether these supplements are considered as doping supplements or not. After what happened to me because of doping, I was dreaming of this situation. To see that my body let me down and my nerves let me down, I want to come out of this story.

"I really wanted to win this tournament, to try to forget everything I have deep inside. I wanted to bring a lot of happiness to my family because they supported me during those very difficult moments."

It's clear that Coria remains bitter for being singled out on a drug doping charge, especially since other players – most recently Briton Greg Rusedski and Czech Republic native Bohdan Ulihrach – ended up being cleared of similar charges.

At times reserved and unrevealing, Coria opened up in a flood, even bringing up a very personal subject, a former anger with God for what he has had to go through.

"I had difficult months," he said. "I hope God will be fair with me and will give me another opportunity. I hope God will give me a new opportunity. It's true, at that moment, I was not believing a lot in God. I insulted him. But now I believe in Him because my family and [my wife] Carla, my friends, I think with them I will be able to bring them a lot of joy and not disappoint them as I did today."

Has plans to work with Agassi trainer Gil Reyes
One person that Coria singled out for attention in Spanish was Gil Reyes, the well-known trainer of Andre Agassi. Coria has been counseling with Reyes for a few months and made mention that he plans to work with Reyes once Agassi retires.

"I would like to thank Gil, because his advice was very important," Reyes said. "I hope next time I win the title and not disappoint those who are behind me."

Fred Mullane/Camerawork USA

Coria couldn't control enough of his dependable ground strokes to win.

According to Guillermo Vilas, "champions create other champions."

For Vilas, his role as the "godfather of Argentine tennis" finally begat another Grand Slam champion from his country 25 years after he won the last of his four major trophies at the '79 Australian Open. In a bizarre turn of events on a sunny afternoon in Paris, the underdog Gaudio survived a strange 0-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 8-6 battle over No. 3 seed and fellow Argentine Guillermo Coria.

For the No. 44 ranked Gaudio, it was "exactly as he dreamed" when he imagined what winning Roland Garros would be like, especially receiving the trophy from the hands of his idol, Vilas. In private when he went underneath the stadium after winning the match, as well as publicly during the award presentation, Gaudio gave Vilas credit for his life as a tennis player.

Vilas admitted that tears came to his eyes at Gaudio's gesture, saying," Gaudio told me, "I'm here thanks to you.' That made me become very emotional. He told that to me, that he was here thanks to me. Very often in Argentina people tell you, but what is important is that he told me looking straight into my eyes, and I loved it."

In his career, Vilas won four Grand Slam trophies – '97 Roland Garros, '97 US Open, '78 Australian Open and '79 Australian Open – in eight Grand Slam finals played. But until Gaudio, no man in Argentina had won a Grand Slam title since Vilas; only David Nalbandian had the opportunity in the '02 Wimbledon final. However, in the women's game, Gabriela Sabatini snared the US Open champion in 1990.

Vilas is a frequent presence at the Grand Slams, enjoying his role as the sole Grand Slam titlist from his country, but seemed very willing to share the stage with a new champion from his country on Sunday. The odd match that seemed all but won by Coria, then changed form when Coria's nerves got the best of him and caused him to cramp, was compelling to keep Vilas court side throughout the three-hour, 31-minute final.

"It was unbelievable," said Vilas, who seemed to enjoy his moment in the limelight as the senior statesman of Argentine tennis. "I never saw anything like that in a tennis match. I've been so long there [in his seat in the President's box], I look like Lawrence of Arabia."

Whether Gaudio will help breed further Argentine tennis champions remains to be seen. But as far as Vilas is concerned, it's a step in the right direction.

"You cannot count out any of the Argentineans at this moment," Vilas said. "What is important is that when you have champions, it means there is a union towards the same ambition, same objective. There's no fight. I believe these players are very close to each other, and I hope it's going to continue that way. I hope they are going to win more titles."

Nevertheless, a very realistic Gaudio, basking in the glory of this unexpected and stunning moment of his career, does not anticipate upending Vilas's role as the king of Argentine tennis.

"We can't compare with Guillermo Vilas," Gaudio said. "He won many titles and nobody is going to catch up on what he did. Now it is our time, but it is at a different level."