Gastón Gaudio

Born: December 9, 1978 in Temperley (Buenos Aires)
Height: 1.76 m
Plays: Right-handed

Gaudio’s unexpected triumph at Roland Garros 2004 gave me thrills – perhaps the most intense emotions I’ve ever felt watching tennis – especially in the fifth set of his epic drama against Guillermo Coria. Even though Gaudio entered the event ranked No. 44 and had never played a major quarterfinal (nor would he ever again), I had listed him among a few main contenders for the title on my temporary website. When he converted match point against Coria, it felt like an astonishing personal prediction coming true.
My belief in him stemmed from his previous battles in Paris against the best clay-courters of the early 2000s: in 2002 (fourth round) he lost to Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-6, 1-6, 7-6, 2-6, 4-6; the following year (third round) to Gustavo Kuerten 6-7, 5-7, 7-5, 3-6. Both matches were tight and could have gone the other way had Gaudio been mentally more stable – the clay-court tennis displayed there was of the highest quality, his offensive one-handed backhand second to none. My reasoning was: <<if he handles pressure in the decisive moments better, he may win the whole thing.>>
The 2004 French Open context was unusual – both Ferrero and Kuerten were far from their title-winning form, and a teenage Rafael Nadal withdrew (it’s debatable how far he could have gone in 2004, but worth noting that Gaudio comfortably led Nadal 3-0 in their H2H before losing at Monte Carlo 2005; Nadal would win their last three encounters, including the Stuttgart final). The draw was wide open, with Coria as the clear favorite — and he fully lived up to it for most of the fortnight.
In the memorable final, Coria led 6-0, 6-3, 4:3* when something extraordinary happened — the crowd began cheering for Gaudio with a “Mexican wave,” shifting the atmosphere entirely. Coria began to cramp, and suddenly Gaudio, who had been trying merely to avoid humiliation, looked almost paralyzed in front of a wide-open door. According to my stats, in his 119 main-level events before Roland Garros 2004, he had won just once when facing a match point. Against Coria, he saved two match points (both on return!) and ultimately survived the 3-hour 31-minute battle, sealing victory with his trademark cross-court backhand.
Before Paris 2004, Gaudio’s five-set record was a miserable 1-9 (the most painful loss coming in the Davis Cup 2002 semifinal against Russia). During those two magical weeks in Paris, he won three five-setters — including the first two rounds against strong opponents.
Gaudio is often labeled a one-Slam wonder, yet in the aftermath of that triumph he established himself as a Top 10 player for two years, reaching two big semifinals — once at Masters ’05 saving match points against Fernando González before being demolished by Roger Federer, the second big semifinal comes from Monte Carlo ’06. He finally began doing what many had expected from him years earlier: winning tight matches more consistently, which allowed him to reach clay-court finals regularly (in 2005 he won four successive finals, arguably the most satisfactory at Viña del Mar where he defeated three seeded players in a row.
In total, Gaudio played sixteen ATP finals in his career (all on clay), with a record of 8-8… 2:4 before Paris 2004 and 6:4 afterwards, coming close to a seventh title in Båstad. Given his three Masters 1K quarterfinals outside clay, it’s rather surprising that he didn’t reach a hardcourt final, with his style he wasn’t a threat on grass and carpet at all. His form declined sharply at 27, which was common among several Argentine players of his era. At 29, he played his last full season, losing even in Challengers to much weaker opponents.
Though he faded from the scene, Gaudio’s sensational triumph in Paris 21 years ago made him “immortal” – he remains the only Grand Slam champion never to reach a quarterfinal at any other major before or after his victory.

Career record: 270–196 [ 194 events ]
Career titles: 8
Highest ranking: No. 5
Best GS result:
Roland Garros (champion 2004)