Gaston Gaudio has been a rather discrete figure on the ATP tour, being underestimated for the majority of his career. All it took was one moment in time and the Argentinean catapulted to worldwide stardom in 2004 following his sensational run to the Roland Garros title. The success was so unexpected that it deeply shocked the tennis world, especially as many tipped David Nalbandian or teen sensation, Guillermo Coria, to bring Argentina's its first Slam since Guillermo Vilas won the Australian Open in 1979.
His fairytale fortnight in Paris was even more impressive as he beat his more famous compatriots en route to winning the trophy. Gaudio came out on top of a marathon first round encounter with Guillermo Canas, to then stun Nalbandian in the semis and Coria in the final. The championships match against Coria is considered one of the most dramatic Grand Slam finals of the decade. Guillermo stormed through a two sets to love lead before his body collapsed allowing Gaston to get back into the contest. Barely standing due to severe cramps on both his legs, Coria finally succumbed 8-6 in the decider granting his compatriot the biggest victory of his career.
As all Argentinean players, 'El Gato', as Gaston was nicknamed, was a genuine clay-court specialist. He won eight career singles trophies and disputed eight other finals, all on the red dirt. His first triumph came in 2002 in Barcelona where he beat soon-to-be crowned French Open champion, Albert Costa, in the final.
His career basically started after his amazing Parisian performance. He did a great job at following up the next season by winning five clay-court titles, maintaining thus his top 10 position for the second straight year. Nevertheless, by the end of 2007, injuries took their toll and the Argentinean drifted outside of the Top 100 for the first time since 1998.
After some miserable seasons, Gaudio has decided it's time to quit. On Aug 31 he announced his retirement during an interview with Argentine television: "It's a tough choice...it is the sport that I practised for a lifetime," he said. "I will still continue to play exhibition tournaments, but for sure I'm not going back to playing competitions." He played his last match in August 2010, falling to Spaniard Pablo Andujar in the first round in Kitzbühel.
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| Roland Garros 2004: Gaston's moment of glory came at the 2004 French Open when he stunned hot favourite Guillermo Coria to claim his sole Grand Slam trophy. |
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| ROLAND GARROS 2004: In the first Argentinean Grand Slam final, Gaston came back from the blink to edge his compatriot in a five-set thriller. Argentinean legend, Guillermo Vilas, was invited for the Awards Ceremony. This was really a sublime moment for Argentinean tennis. |
photos (top-down): AP, GETTY IMAGES, AP, GETTY IMAGES (x2)
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