McIntyre Tennis

Odd Guillermo Coria Photo

I'm sure this looked perfectly normal live in the stadium today or on television, but in a still photo Guillermo Coria looks awfully strange here.  Or maybe I'm just having trouble getting used to the new adidas Spiderman duds like everyone else.

Coria Speaks up for Canas

Guillermo Coria isn't forgetting his friends.  He said yesterday that as happy as he was that four Argentines were playing in Shanghai, it didn't make him forget that one more would have been there (referring to the suspended Guillermo Canas).  And then he said that he sent all his support to Canas.

Coria Qualifies for Shanghai

Guillermo Coria, aided by Marat Safin's withdrawal, has officially joined the list of players who have qualified for the year-end championships in Shanghai.

From the Masters Cup website: Coria Qualifies for Tennis Masters Cup

Guillermo Coria, currently in the sixth position in the INDESIT ATP 2005 Race, has secured a berth at the Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai...

"I am really happy to be playing in my third consecutive Tennis Masters Cup. I heard a lot of good things about Shanghai and the stadium which I have seen pictures of. It is really impressive. Although I will not be playing on my favorite surface, I expect to have a good tournament and share this great moment with the medical staff that supported me during my injury, my technical staff and especially my wife Carla," said Coria.

Coria Defends Canas Against Drug Charges

Guillermo Coria has taken a lot of abuse recently for his on-court attitude but I give him credit for sticking up for Guillermo Canas.  Every time he does it reminds people of his own drug suspension which had been almost forgotten until the new wave of Argentinian suspensions.  Many of the Argentines have been giving strict "no comments" on the subject of Canas, presumably to avoid being tarred by the same brush.

And after being banned from attending the U.S. Open even as a ticketholder, Canas is now banned from attending Argentina's Davis Cup tie against Slovakia (in Slovakia) next week.  That's probably for the best for the Argentine team since his presence would be a media distraction and the players need to focus their attention on beating  Slovakia.

Nevertheless, even though I understand why Canas shouldn't be on court as an official representative of Argentina (assistant coach, hitting partner or whatever) I still don't see why the guy can't buy a ticket to a tennis match if he wants.

From Reuters: Coria: Canas is No Criminal

Guillermo Coria on Saturday criticised the decision to ban fellow Argentine Guillermo Canas for two years after a failed doping test. Coria said the men's ATP Tour and the International Tennis Federation (ITF) had made a mistake and accused them of being out of touch.

"Canas is not a criminal. He didn't kill anyone," Coria told Reuters. "I know him very well and he would never take anything to give himself an advantage. It was an accident."

Coria added: "I hope CAS (the Court of Arbitration for Sport) will reduce the suspension. It will be very difficult for him to come back after two years. He will be 29.

"The ATP and ITF must look at things more on a personal level and less in black and white."...

Coria Addresses Argentine Doping

From Reuters: Argentines unfairly singled out over doping, says Coria

Guillermo Coria complained on Tuesday that doping charges against Argentine tennis players were being blown out of proportion...

"It's a real pity," he said."Whenever there is a doping charge against a player from Argentina it seems it becomes a huge thing because it's Argentina."...

"It feels like Argentine players are under the spotlight," said Coria after winning his first-round match at the China Open.

"I hope there are no more problems and things just quieten down now."

Guillermo Coria

It sounds like  Guillermo Coria was in fine form today during his loss to Florian Mayer.  From the Sopot website:

"The extremely ambitious Coria couldn't take the pressure. He screamed, threw his racquet, stared angrily at the crowd and finally slammed his racquet into a banner next to a line judge, which resulted in a warning from the umpire. Guillermo managed to make it one set all, but he was just too irritated and tired to focus enough to win the third."

We're going to have to start calling him a junior Hewitt.)

Coria Headline

This BBC headline caught my eye: Croatian crown for classy Coria  I've heard Coria called a lot of things before, but classy?  That's a first for me and particularly funny after the Hewitt-Coria Davis Cup dustup.  And the article never even mentions why he's supposed to be so classy, although I did learn for the first time that his wife is Croatian.  "My wife is Croatian and from this region, so I felt like (I was) home," the second-seeded Coria said.

Guillermo Coria Wins

Guillermo Coria is through to the third round after defeating 18-year-old Serbian qualifier Novak Djokovic 4-6, 6-2, 3-2.  From Reuters: Coria through after opponent retires

A bit of a mystery why Djokovic retired.  During the match he appeared to be having trouble with  his foot, but tournament organizers said the reason for his retirement was a respiratory problem. 

Or we could go with Coria's explanation.  "Maybe he didn't like the weather so much." 

Update: Djokovic has made his retirement clear now.  It was a sinus problem that's been bothering him for about a year.  "Every time I get to clay and some long points, it gets worse and worse,” he said. “I just couldn’t breathe after long points."

That's something he's definitely going to have to get worked out if he's going to do well on the ATP Tour - someone send him to a specialist because he looked good in his first two rounds here. 

Coria vs. Gaudio

Confirmation that the ARAG World Team Cup is a stupid event.  Argentina downed Chile today as Gaston Gaudio beat Fernando Gonzalez 6-4, 6-2 and Guillermo Canas beat Nicolas Massu 6-2 1-6 6-3. But afterwards the bad blood was just among the Argentines.

Gaston Gaudio was more than a little upset that Guillermo Coria had opted out of playing singles today (shoulder pain, Coria said) and brought it up with the media.

"I’m fed up, one has to tell the truth, this isn’t a team because there’s somebody who makes the decisions choosing what’s best for him," said Gaudio.

"I understand that a player can be feeling tired and decide to rest, being so close to Roland Garros, but not for the most important match."

Coria opted for the high road this time.  "This must be talked face to face.  All had been spoken and arranged before, although without the presence of Gastón because he was training. The truth is that this helps for nothing. It's a pity. It's something to speak face to face, but he chose another way."

Neither one of them should be playing tough matches just days before the French Open.  They both need to get to Roland Garros and get acclimated, not worry about contesting a meaningless exhibition in Germany. 

And I'm just curious - are any of the Argentines on speaking terms?  From what you hear in the press Gaudio hates Coria hates Nalbandian...awkward.

Federer Wins Coria Duel

Roger Federer made his intentions clear on clay today defeating Guillermo Coria 6-4, 7-6(3) in Hamburg.  Federer was down a break in both sets and behind in the tiebreak, but he found a way to claw his way back each time.  And he overcame a bit of craziness in the second set when a fan in the stands apparently became sick and delayed play for five minutes. 

Federer's the last guy who needs any more confidence, but he's got it.  "It’s definitely a message for me to the French Open and to the other guys that I can beat him quite convincingly, at least the end. So this is definitely good stuff."

Coria must be getting fed up with this runner-up business.  To Nadal in Monte Carlo and Rome and now to Federer in Hamburg.  At least publicly, he chalked it up to tiredness.  "Obviously he plays incredible tennis but the truth is it is impossible to play back-to-back Masters Series at such high intensity," he said. "He came here much fresher than me."

"I'm tired mentally and physically. If you are not 100 percent against Federer it's pretty much impossible to beat him."

And he wasn't about to grant Federer favorite status at the French Open.  "Nadal on clay I think is stronger than Federer."

How  are the Feet, Rog?

Now that they're not bothering him, Roger was willing to talk about the foot problems that have plagued him this year. 

"I had a strong pain at the Australian Open in the Safin match. The days after were tough. My foot really hurt. I started feeling, because I played so much in the States and I played Monte Carlo as well. I took days off, started to practice again and just felt that the foot wasn’t right yet. Three must have been some sort of inflammation. So, I just preferred to take a rest and make sure that I spend some time at home to give me enough energy for what’s coming now."

Coaching Situation

Tony Roche must be a genius because this is a very strange coaching arrangement he and Federer have going.  Roche has made his reappearance in Hamburg this week.  Roger says the plan right now is for Roche to be with him through the French Open, but not Wimbledon.  Although Federer is willing to have him along if he wants to come.  "That’s not the plan for the moment, but if he starts to like my game and maybe is in the mood to stay longer, I have nothing against it. We’ll see."

Maybe they figure Roger knows what he's doing at Wimbledon and doesn't need any help.