Guillermo Coria

Infobox Tennis player


playername= Guillermo Coria
country=
residence= Venado Tuerto, Argentina
datebirth= birth date and age|1982|1|13
placebirth= Rufino, Santa Fe, Argentina
height= height|m=1.75
weight= convert|71|kg|lb st|abbr=on|lk=on
turnedpro= 2000
plays= Right-handed; two-handed backhand
grip=
careerprizemoney= $5,817,486
singlesrecord= 216–106
singlestitles= 9
highestsinglesranking= No. 3 (May 3, 2004)
AustralianOpenresult= 4th (2003, 2005)
FrenchOpenresult= F (2004)
Wimbledonresult= 4th (2005)
USOpenresult= QF (2003, 2005)
doublesrecord= 9–22
doublestitles= 0
highestdoublesranking= No. 183 (March 1, 2004)
updated = August 11, 2006

Guillermo Sebastián Coria (born January 13, 1982 in Rufino, Santa Fe Province), nicknamed "El Mago" ("The Magician" in Spanish), is a professional tennis player from Argentina. He was named after tennis champion and countryman Guillermo Vilas.

Equipment

Coria currently uses the Head MicroGel™ Radical Pro. His racquet is strung with Luxilon Big Banger Original 16 String at a relatively low tension (50-52 pounds). His previous racquet was the Prince O3 Tour.

His clothing sponsor is Adidas.

Career

Coria turned professional in 2000, finishing 2003, 2004 and 2005 as a top ten player. He is one of the fastest players in the Association of Tennis Professionals, consistently showing great performances on clay courts tournaments and is often a major threat at the French Open. His playing style is a counterpuncher.

Coria tested positive for nandrolone in April 2001 and was initially suspended two years. Coria claimed that the only supplement he was taking was a multivitamin made by an NJ supplements company. His family had a private lab test the multivitamin, which found them contaminated with steroids. Subsequently, the ATP reduced his suspension to only the seven months that had already passed. Coria sued the company for more than $10 million in lost prize money and endorsements and settled after the third day of the trial for an undisclosed amount. [ [http://sports.yahoo.com/ten/news;_ylt=Ar_OlkMr922Dc0LtjsMdUiw4v7YF?slug=ap-coriatrial&prov=ap&type=lgns Yahoo! Sports - Sports News, Scores, Rumors, Fantasy Games, and more ] ]

Coria reached the semifinals of the French Open in 2003 before getting upset by Martin Verkerk's booming serves. In 2004, as a favorite to win the title, he reached the final, beating among others former #1 Carlos Moyà; but was unexpectedly defeated by unseeded compatriot Gastón Gaudio in an unprecedented all-Argentine final, 0–6, 3–6, 6–4, 6–1, 8–6. Coria had won the first two sets convincingly before succumbing to leg cramps, at times barely able to move. Coria played on, went two breaks of serve ahead in the fifth set and even had two points to win at 6–5 because of Gaudio's shaky play. But in the end, Gaudio prevailed in a thrilling finish.

In August 2004, he had suffered a shoulder injury, which required surgery shortly before the Houston Masters Cup, in which he performed poorly.

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.

"El Mago" attended preschool with David Nalbandian in Argentina. He is a well known River Plate fan (he sometimes celebrates winning matches with Chilean soccer player Marcelo Salas).

Coria's level during 2006 seriously dropped, losing in the first round at several tournaments. He withdrew from the 2006 French Open and from Wimbledon to rehabilitate. In August 2006 he hired Horacio de la Peña as his tennis coach.

In 2007, Coria was scheduled to return on April 30 at the Ostrava Challenger in the Czech Republic, but withdrew due to injuries.

Coria contemplated retirement from professional tennis after a series of injuries and subsequent loss of belief in his own ability. Sources say he is 'down and out' and wants to return but says 'it's a long road back and I'm lost on the wrong road....without a map'(rough translation).Fact|date=September 2007

Coria made his return in a Challenger in Belo Horizonte Brazil on 10/22/07. He lost the first set 6–3 to fellow Argentine Juan Pablo Brzezicki and subsequently retired with a back injury. He had been leading in the first set 3–1.

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.

In February, in his second ATP Circuit appearance of the year, Coria defeated Italian qualifier Francesco Aldi 6–4 7–5. It was his first ATP victory in 19 months.

As a result of Andy Roddick's withdrawal from the 2008 French Open due to a back injury, Coria made his first Grand Slam appearance in three years, taking the place of the American. He was given the unenviable task of facing Tommy Robredo, the three-time quarter-finalist and #12 seed, in the first round. Coria was defeated in four sets 5-7 6-4 6-1 6-4, but his performance led to much optimism, including from Coria himself who was close to taking the match into a fifth set.

Grand Slam singles finals

Runner-ups (1)

Titles (9)

ingles titles (9)

LQ = lost in qualifying drawWR = Win Ratio, the ratio of tournaments won to those played

References

See also

* List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences

External links

*ATP|C524
* [http://steveghelper.com/MatchResults.php?players=Coria&weeks=12 Coria Recent Match Results]
* [http://steveghelper.com/RankingHistory.php?player=Coria Coria World Ranking History]
*ITF male profile|number=10020557
*DavisCupplayerlink|id=10020557
* [http://www.forocoria.com/ Official Guillermo Coria Fanlisting] es
* [http://guillermocoria.free.fr Guillermo Coria: The Prince of Tennis]
* [http://myspace.com/guillermocoria Myspace.com/GuillermoCoria]
* [http://www.coriablog.com.ar Guillermo Coria's Blog] es