Every time we talk about Roland Garros finals that will go down in history, it is impossible not to mention the one starring the Argentines Guillermo Coria and Gastón Gaudio. On this day, 14 years ago, the Gato won a thrilling match against Coria by 0-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, and 8-6, becoming the first Argentine player to win a Grand Slam in 25 years, since Guillermo Vilas in the Australian Open of 1979.
(ARCHIVE) Argentine Gaston Gaudio celebrates after defeating his compatriot in the final of the French Open "Roland Garros" on June 6, 2004 in Paris. Gaudio won Roland Garros in a strange and lackluster final against Coria in five sets, 0_6, 3_6, 6_4, 6_1, 8_6. Without diminishing the "Gato," who ate the "Mago," that match was unimpressive and not satisfying. AFP PHOTO Paris France Gaston Gaudio championship tournament open roland garros tennis Argentine player final
It was Vilas himself who presented the Musketeers' Cup on that occasion. For a few minutes, the Bois de Boulogne dressed in sky blue and white during that award ceremony. Gaudio, then ranked 44th in the world, became the lowest-ranked player to win a major tournament since Croatian Goran Ivanisevic won Wimbledon in 2001 as the 125th ranked player.
It seemed that such a significant result would be a major boost for both players, but their careers took winding paths from which they couldn't escape.
In that unforgettable 2004 season, Gaudio reached three more finals, losing all of them: Bastad, Stuttgart, and Kitzbuhel, all consecutively in the month of July. From that point on, his performance was quite irregular, but he managed to qualify for the Masters Tournament, where he lost all three of his Round Robin matches against Federer, Hewitt, and Moya.
Coria and Gaudio, during the presentation of Roland Garros in 2004. (Photo: EFE)
The following season was the most successful in terms of titles for Gaudio. He won in Viña del Mar and also triumphed in Buenos Aires. His title defense in Paris ended in the round of 16. But he bounced back from that setback by winning in Estoril, Gstaad, and Kitzbuhel. In the middle of the year, he reached the 5th spot in the world rankings, his best position, and reached the semifinals of the Masters, where he suffered a devastating defeat against Federer with double 6-0.
Gastón Gaudio - Guillermo Coria: secrets of an incredible duel
From 2006 onwards, Gaudio's career experienced more failures than successes. That year, he dropped out of the top 10, and from there his tennis and ranking declined. In 2008, he fell off the ATP rankings, and after several ups and downs, he announced his definitive retirement in 2011, although he hadn't played since August 2010.
Coria's situation was similar. After having his best season in 2003, with 5 titles (including the Hamburg Masters 1000), losing that final marked a distinct before and after in his career. Despite staying in the top 10 until 2005 and reaching a career-high ranking of 3, he could only win one more title after that: the Umag Open in 2005.
Like Gaudio, his career took a steep decline starting in 2006. After battling various physical problems and a "lack of motivation to play" in his own words, the Mago retired from professional tennis in April 2009 after playing the Challenger of Bangkok.
Del Potro and Schwartzman revive an old tradition of Argentine tennis in France
For better or for worse, for both players, the final they played 14 years ago at Roland Garros marked the history of the tournament and, inevitably, the careers of Gastón Gaudio and Guillermo Coria.