\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t Tennis players having breakdowns in the middle of a match isn\u2019t exactly new. From John McEnroe\u2019s iconic \u201cyou cannot be serious\u201d to Serena Williams\u2019 clashes with linesmen and umpires at the US Open, few stars have ever been able to keep their composure at all times.<\/p>\n
However, in Argentine tennis one particular meltdown has reached near-mythical status: Gaston\u2019 Gaudio\u2019s shouting \u201cqu\u00e9 mal que la estoy pasando,\u201d roughly \u201cwhat an awful time I\u2019m having.\u201d<\/p>\n
Part of a tirade that went throughout a hard-fought, five-set win for Gaudio against Russia\u2019s Igor Korolev, at Roland Garros 2006, the phrase became so linked to him that, years later, he repeated it at a star-studded ad for telecommunications company Claro, in which he was linked to a marriage to a famous model on live television.<\/p>\n
The rant turns 20 this June, with the 2026 tournament getting underway on May 24th. But while the meltdown is certainly one of Gaudio\u2019s most infamous moments, it\u2019s certainly not his most important one as a tennis player.<\/p>\n
A precocious talent Born in Temperley, in the southern Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area, on December 9, 1978, Gaudio grew up in the bosom of an upper-middle-class family. The youngest of three brothers, he began playing tennis at age 6.<\/p>\n
Former coach Roberto Carruthers recalled in 2004 how Gaudio used to sneak away from school to go to the club and play, but even back then, his talent was apparent.<\/p>\n
A fervent fan of Argentine football giant Independiente, he split his time between tennis and football until his father had a heart attack that put his life at risk when Gaudio was 14. The situation forced him to consider focusing on tennis as a way to become a professional and make a living.<\/p>\n
Having missed out on a new player development plan, the Argentine Tennis Association (AAT, for its Spanish initials), Gaudio \u2014 like many others in the generation that went on to become the Legi\u00f3n Argentina \u2014 had to take loans to fund his progress through the ranks.<\/p>\n
He quickly became one of the standouts, finishing the 1996 junior tennis season as Argentina\u2019s second-best-ranked player behind Mariano Puerta, and turned pro that very year.<\/p>\n
A love-hate relationship with tennis Fast and strong, and with one of the most beautiful and effective one-handed backhands of his era, Gaudio complemented his game with plenty of finesse and panache for skill shots to go with it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHis problem was never tennis,\u201d Carruthers told Clar\u00edn in 2004. \u201cIt is his head that always lets him down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gaudio had all the tools to become a top player, but struggled to deal with mistakes and demanded too much of himself. In a 2006 interview with ESPN, he admitted \u201csometimes tennis was the sport he hated the most.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cemented as a top-50 player in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) singles rankings by 2000, Gaudio\u2019s career\u2019s biggest rivalry began to develop around this time: his clash with Guillermo Coria.<\/p>\n
It all started at the 2001 Vi\u00f1a del Mar tournament final, when Gaudio took issue with Coria\u2019s Marcelo Salas-inspired celebrations after beating him. He had his revenge seven days later, waving an Independiente flag after beating Coria in the Buenos Aires Open quarterfinals.<\/p>\n
The boiling point came in 2003, when they clashed in the ATP Hamburg Masters semifinal.<\/p>\n
Gaudio felt Coria was mocking him after he limped to the net following a 6-0 win in the final set. He didn\u2019t wait for retaliation, shouting: \u201cWhat\u2019s your problem? If you look at me like that, I\u2019ll f*cking batter you, idiot.\u201d<\/p>\n
It set up the perfect scene for Gaudio\u2019s greatest hour: Roland Garros 2004<\/p>\n
Roland Garros champion Coming to the French Open, he was far from the favorite. Even among the Argentines, Coria was coming off a Montecarlo Masters win, while David Nalbandian had just lost the Rome Masters final.<\/p>\n
However, Gaudio beat Australia\u2019s former World No.1 Lleyton Hewitt to reach the semifinals, and then took out another of the favorites in Nalbandian, setting up a final against Coria.<\/p>\n
The face-off quickly looked like it would be a nightmare for Gaudio, as Coria raced to an early 6-0, 6-3 lead. But when the stakes rose, and the trophy came into view, things changed.<\/p>\n
The crowd started a stadium wave at 4-3 in the third set; Gaudio took the interruption in stride and came alive, and Coria seemed to crack. He started to cramp up and dropped the next two sets, 6-4 and 6-1, and the match headed to a final set tied at 2-2.<\/p>\n
Coria made one last stand in the fifth set and even had two match points at 6-5 up, but missed both. When opportunity came knocking at his door, Gaudio took it and won against all odds to become only the second ever men\u2019s Argentine tennis player to win a Grand Slam after Guillermo Vilas.<\/p>\n
Life after Roland Garros It was the only final Gaudio won all year. Having shot up to 10th in the ATP rankings, he lost the deciders at Bastad, Stuttgart and Kitzb\u00fchel. He\u2019d have his most successful season the following year, with five titles \u2014 including the Buenos Aires Open \u2014 and a run to the ATP Tennis Masters Cup semifinals.<\/p>\n
It was just two years removed from his greatest hour when, struggling for results and motivation, he uttered perhaps his most famous phrase. By the end of 2006, he had dropped out of the top ten, and he retired in 2010 after attempting several comebacks.<\/p>\n
In 2018, he was named captain of the Argentine Davis Cup team, but left in 2021 after mixed results and was replaced by his longtime rival, Coria.<\/p>\n
Since 2018, he\u2019s been in a relationship with model Helena Ayerza, with whom he fathered a child.<\/p>\n
Gaston Gaudio\u2019s legacy is one of opportunities taken when they presented themselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of the most talented players in a generation that put Argentine tennis back on the front pages, his love-hate relationship with the sport limited his chances. However, where the likes of David Nalbandian, Guillermo Coria, Juan Ignacio Chela or Juan M\u00f3naco could not take the final step, he did.<\/p>\n
Unbeatable on a good day and a joy to watch for tennis fans, Gaudio may have had \u201can awful\u201d time on the courts at times, but he wrote one of Argentine tennis\u2019s brightest pages.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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