SPORTS

Coria also eyeing Olympic gold

June 05, 2004 13:04 IST

Guillermo Coria is only one match away from achieving his childhood dream of winning the French Open after beating Briton Tim Henman in four sets on Friday.

But he revealed after his semi-final victory he has another main goal in his career -- to give Argentina its first Olympic tennis gold medal.

"That's another major dream, even more so than the French Open, because I'd be representing my country," he said.

"If I don't win it, I hope another Argentine player wins it, because Argentina certainly deserves to have a gold medal."

The Argentine added: "My main aim was the Davis Cup, then the French Open, and now the Olympics. I hope that I will be able to win here...and then after that I hope that I'll be able to prepare as best as possible for Athens, to be 100 per cent fit."

Argentina are out of this year's Davis Cup after losing 5-0 to Belarus in April when Coria and David Nalbandian were injured.

But they are assured a gold medal of sorts whatever happens on Sunday when Coria meets compatriot Gaston Gaudio on the Philippe Chatrier court.

The first ever all-Argentine Grand Slam final, as well as Nalbandian making the last four, will make it a very special day for the South American country still recovering from the economic crisis of 2002.

Even if Coria refuses to start celebrating himself, he said he understood that the country would stand still for a couple of hours on Sunday.

"Argentina can start celebrating because we're going through something that is absolutely unprecedented. Whoever wins the final we'll have to celebrate," he said.

Coria and Gaudio have a unique chance to emulate a tennis great in their country, Guillermo Vilas, the only Argentine to have won in Paris, in 1977, and after whom Coria was named.

Now Coria feels his country's tennis players have almost managed to eclipse their national soccer team, beaten 3-1 by Brazil in a World Cup qualifier last week.

"It's something that really makes me happy, to see that our country is so interested in tennis. We do hope that tennis can be like football in Argentina.

"I hope that the best player wins on Sunday. But Argentina is going to be celebrated throughout the world for a few days because we've done something wonderful," he said.

The winning trophy may be handed to the winner by Vilas in person. He has been prominent for the past week around Roland Garros.

"I just want the trophy. Whoever gives it, I don't care," said Coria, with a broad smile.

Source: REUTERS
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