Memorable French Open moments: Gaston Gaudio vs Guillermo Coria, 2004 final

Gaston Gaudio celebrates with the trophy after winning his men’s final against Guillermo Coria, in the 2004 French Open at Roland Garros in Paris, France. (Getty Images)

I tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn’t even matter.I had to fall to lose it all, but in the end it doesn’t even matter.

The above Linkin Park lyrics perfectly depict the story of Guillermo Sebastián Coria on a June afternoon in 2004. For Coria, also known as ‘El Mago’ or ‘The Magician’, who had conjured up enough magic to dominate more than half of the 2004 French Open final, it was a matter of just one point. And that one point eventually never came in a match that witnessed one of the most heartbreaking moments for one player and the colossal rise of another who wasn’t given the chance of winning initially.

Gastón Gaudio, Coria’s opponent in the final was the underdog who had already lost thrice to the Argentine No. 1. He was ranked 44th and unseeded and was more of an outsider for the Asociación Argentina de Tenis (Argentine Tennis Federation) who were partial to the likes to Coria and David Nalbandian. Coria, on the other hand, was the one revered for his tactical brilliance and versatility. He was the then World No. 3 and the reigning Monte Carlo champion. He had just seen a sizzling run of 31 consecutive clay wins getting ended by Roger Federer at Hamburg.

Simply put, Coria was the one looked up to as the clay virtuoso in an age which was the transition period between scattered brilliance and sustained brilliance at Roland Garros. Preceding Coria the world had seen Gustavo Kuerten, Carlos Moya, Thomas Muster, Jim Courier to name a few but none had delivered ruthless domination at the French capital akin to what was to come in the form of Rafael Nadal 2005 onwards.

At least for the 2004 French Open, the Argentine World No. 3 was the heavy favourite. And throughout the tournament the 22 year-old had affirmed the faith tennis aficionados had in him as he dispatched Carlos Moya and Tim Henman to enter his first Grand Slam final.

Gaudio congratulates Coria (L) after defeating him in the men’s final during the French Open at Roland Garros in 2004. (Getty Images)

It was a serene atmosphere in the ‘City of Lights’ on the day of the summit clash with an azure blue sky making the ambience absolutely inviting for tennis. Coria looked the perfect embodiment of the gorgeous setting with his silky game hardly ever stuttering. But little did he know that midway through the match dark clouds of gloom would descend upon him.

Gaudio served up a bit of surprise initially, beginning the match with serve and volley – a far cry from his usual baseline game. But that didn’t perturb Coria who looked absolutely determined. Smooth and fluent, Coria was gliding effortlessly like an ice skater that day – reaching every single ball with as much speed as grace.

In an unprecedented all-Argentine final at Roland Garros, there was no iota of doubt as to who was controlling the proceedings. Coria’s impeccable accuracy, finesse and spot-on anticipation simply stood out. The aggressive Gaudio’s problems were compounded by the errors coming thick and fast especially off his single-handed backhand, which seemed too blunt that day. Egged on by his illustrious namesake, the 1977 champion Guillermo Vilas, Coria marched on unhindered taking the first set 6-0 in 24 minutes, committing just three unforced errors.

The Buenos Aires native Gaudio tried extending the rallies in vain as the second set began, trying to pin Coria further behind the baseline. After losing 8 consecutive games, Gaudio finally stopped the rot. With a spectacular combination of serve, immaculate forehands and exquisite volleys, Gaudio was finally on the board drawing a resounding applause from the crowd. Even though Gaudio did manage to break the higher-ranked Argentine, Coria soon doused the fire as he clinched the second set 6-3.

The third set started with Gaudio giving some semblance of fight right from the beginning. Nevertheless, the baby-faced World No. 3 looked unruffled. Coria was trying to emulate Mats Wilander as the first man to win both the junior and senior Roland Garros titles and he was well on course.

The first decisive moment of the third set came when Gaudio forced the break to go up 3-2. But it was transient joy for him as matters were soon levelled in the very next game. The crowd simply relished every moment of this battle and didn’t want it to end. They wanted to lift the underdog’s spirits and Gaudio thrived in it. Before serving at 3-4, Gaudio even took a moment to acknowledge the partisan crowd. Then came the moment of paramount importance. Like every turnaround has a certain turning point which steers the whole course in the opposite direction, that very moment arrived when Coria was serving at 4-4.

Coria holding his trophy hangs his head in disappointment as he is congratulated by former Argentinian tennis player Guillermo Vilas. (Getty Images)

Holding three points to go up 5-4, he inexplicably lost them all as well as the game. As he surrendered the third game point to a forehand error, Coria perhaps didn’t realise he had by then lost the Slam and his chance of eternal glory. As Gaudio broke, the crowd was in rapture – after all they had infused life into an emaciated soul.

When Gaudio showed his indomitable spirit and unflinching courage to take the third set, it became more and more clear that some of the magical skills of El Mago had already started to wear off. At 1-1 in the fourth set came another defining moment which exacerbated Coria’s problems even further – left leg cramps.

The severe cramps forced a medical time-out and when he returned, he wasn’t the same man again. Even serving seemed a painful exercise for him as most of his serves hardly even reached the net. Even the commentators were discussing if Coria was contemplating retirement. The ordeal continued for Coria as Gaudio seized this opportunity to race away with the set 6-1.

But Coria, the resolute fighter that he was, never thought of quitting. Even if his legs couldn’t carry on, it was the sheer fifth-set adrenaline that kept him going. As the rattled Gaudio fell to a string of errors, Coria incredibly surged and went ahead 4-2. But the battle-hardened Gaudio who had trudged through two five-setters that tournament and had also defeated Lleyton Hewitt and Nalbandian, wouldn’t give up so easily.

In a severe test of court craft, endurance and nerves for both, Gaudio was surreptitiously writing his own script. Quietly he broke back to 5-5. But the maximum drama was reserved for the last four games as he was broken immediately. As the crowd waited with bated breath for Coria to take one of the two championship points he got, it was the indefatigable Gaudio who sprang to life in that crucial juncture separating life and death. A backhand error and then a forehand mistake from Coria were all that changed his fate.

An ecstatic Gaudio celebrates after winning his men’s final against all odds. (Getty Images)

After three and a half hours of an extraordinary battle, as the score ticked 0-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 8-6, the unbelievable Gaudio etched his name in the history books as the first man in the Open Era to win a major after saving match point. As Gaudio rejoiced, Coria sat in his chair devastated, forlorn and deserted by luck. Never had the French crowd chanted the name of the vanquished so vigorously even after the match.

The cruel blow that fate delivered Coria that momentous day in Paris had serious ramifications that lasted his entire career. He could never reach another Slam final and had to bow down to the unrelenting Nadal in the few Masters finals that he reached. A slew of injuries and service yips further derailed his career eventually accelerating his retirement in 2009. But the seeds were sowed that fateful afternoon in Paris. Perhaps aptly, like many say, Guillermo Coria remained as the best that never was.