Guillermo Cañas

Born: November 25, 1977 in Buenos Aires
Height: 1.85 m
Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)

Guillermo Ignacio Cañas first picked up a tennis racquet at the age of 7, inspired by the legendary Argentinian player and his namesake, Guillermo Vilas. Although sharing a similar name didn’t propel Cañas to mirror Vilas’ achievements, he is still regarded as one of the finest Argentine players born in the 1970s, perhaps even the best. Known for his powerful physique, remarkable agility, and relentless “never-say-die” attitude, Cañas had an unbelievable ability to win points in seemingly lost situations (splits in defence), a skill unmatched before Rafael Nadal emerged. A versatile competitor, Cañas was the first Spanish native speaker in the 21st Century to reach finals on all primary surfaces: outdoors (clay, grass, hard) and indoors (hard) – and he did it in just seven months between June ’01 and January ’02. The year 2001 it was the first one when grass slowed down, certainly helping players of Cañas’ type.
His most memorable moment came in July 2002 when he claimed the title in Toronto. In retrospect, his path to the championship was nothing short of extraordinary. Cañas defeated Roger Federer (1), Paradorn Srichaphan (9), Yevgeny Kafelnikov (1), Marat Safin (1), Tommy Haas (2), and Andy Roddick (1) in succession. The numbers in parentheses denote each player’s career-high ranking (before or after that event), making his feat all the more remarkable. “Day by day, I felt more confident in my game,” said the 24-year-old Cañas, then ranked 19th. “It’s incredible to feel like you can beat anyone on the tour. Maybe I surprised myself. I knew I had the potential, but I had never executed it like this. To beat five top-10 players in one tournament feels amazing.” Cañas waited five years to contest another Masters 1000 final, which came after his return from a two-year suspension for testing positive for the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide. His ban was eventually reduced to a year, but by that time, the Argentine had lost his career-best ranking, vanishing from the list of active surnames. This marked his third extended break from the sport, with the first two in 2000 and 2003 resulting from persistent wrist injuries. Despite these setbacks, Cañas climbed back into the Top 100 within just seven months, largely thanks to his success in Challengers (five titles). He then enjoyed an ATP resurgence, defeating five Top 20 players in Miami before being schooled by ten years younger Novak Đoković in the final.
Given his ability to challenge the game’s elite across all surfaces and for his extraordinary fighting spirit, perseverance (only he and Nicolás Massú were regularly involved in three-hour Bo3 battles at the beginning of 00s), Cañas seemed destined to reach a Grand Slam semifinal at least. However, despite coming close twice – in 2002 and 2005 – he fell just short on both occasions. In 2002, facing eventual champion Albert Costa, Cañas held a 2-1 set lead and was up *4:2 (30/15) in the fourth set, only to lose the next ten games in a heartbreaking defeat.

…Fun Facts about Cañas…

• Tim Henman‘s worst torture on the court. Even though the man from Buenos Aires lost their first encounter in Toronto ’98, holding a 6-3, 5:2* lead, he won their next six meetings, including two gruelling five-setters, clinching 7-5 (French Open ’01) and 9-7 (Aussie Open ’04) in the 5th sets as well as 7-6 in the deciding 3rd set (Vienna ’01)

• He was one of the toughest challengers for Lleyton Hewitt as the Australian ascended to the top of the tennis world. It’s quite rare for two players without dominant serves to engage in marathon tie-breaks against each other, yet this is precisely what transpired between Cañas and Hewitt. Remarkably, the Argentine triumphed in both instances, on clay: a 14/12 tie-break at Delray Beach ’99, where he saved six set points, and a 15/13 tie-break at the 2002 French Open, saving five set points along the way.

• In 2007, he stunned the tennis world by defeating Federer 7-5, 6-2 at Indian Wells, ending the Swiss maestro’s 41-match winning streak. Just two weeks later, Cañas triumphed again over Federer in Miami, this time after a dramatic encounter. “I don’t know the secret to beating him,” Cañas remarked. “I just fight for every point, and maybe that’s why I won. Playing great tennis against Federer – it’s like living a dream.”

• He holds the unique and somewhat dubious distinction of being the only player known to lose a match after leading two sets to love and 5:0! This nightmarish collapse occurred in his Davis Cup vital debut in 1999, where he fell to Venezuela’s Maurice Ruah 6-3, 6-3, 6-7, 3-6, 3-6 in Caracas, without holding a match point. Argentina still won the tie 4-1.

Career record: 252–195 [ 196 events ]
Career titles: 7
Highest ranking: No. 8
Best GS results:
Roland Garros (quarterfinal 2002, 05 & 07)
World Team Cup champion 2002