TMS - MADRID

October 19, 2005

Guillermo Coria

GUILLERMO CORIA: Yes, it was an ugly match, boring for spectators. But the important thing was to win. It was a very important match for me looking forward towards the Masters. I was not focused. The rhythm was slow. There were a few errors. Then he played very fast points. It was difficult to concentrate. It was a good match to forget.

GUILLERMO CORIA: Yes. And he did, too. I think I was not focused. I was serving well during the week, but not today. Today I had a few aces in the first set, but then the second set I made many errors. I hope to improve for tomorrow, because if not I won't have chances to win.

GUILLERMO CORIA: Yes. His rhythm is slow. If I play as I did today, he'll be favoured. He'll have chances to defeat me. I'll have to give my best tomorrow if I want to win.

GUILLERMO CORIA: It's been far better than I expected. After being a few months without playing, to come back and be so high in the rankings has been great. Tournament by tournament, my goal is to play good tennis.

GUILLERMO CORIA: In Paris, I had to leave in the second round. There was Houston. I think this is the first Masters I'm facing fit, and I want to win. There are very good players, especially Federer. I'm looking forward to reaching the semifinals.

GUILLERMO CORIA: Yes.

GUILLERMO CORIA: Yeah, that's true.

GUILLERMO CORIA: Well, the months I dedicated to recovering were important. The circuit is very intense. We only have two or three weeks to train intensely. This time I had two or three months to train. I had a physical trainer, Javier. He's an excellent trainer. Thanks to him I have no injuries. I gained two kilos, too. The best thing this year is that I was healthy, yes.

GUILLERMO CORIA: Well, yeah, I want to stay with him. There is no reason to change. However, there hasn't been time for over a week training, a whole week. I've gone back to Argentina. It would be difficult for me to stay away from Argentina for long. However, the few days we've been able to train were successful. It's been a good job as a whole with no injuries and higher in the ranking. I think I have a team of good people.

GUILLERMO CORIA: I did receive a lot of help as a junior actually. It's true that the Federation makes it difficult sometimes. There are a few errors that are being made. But it's better to face the issue in a closed meeting and not in public. The Federation has good and bad things, but that should be spoken about personally.

GUILLERMO CORIA: The match is not postponed. That's a rumor. There are pieces of information going out that are not true. I do not agree. It does concern me that people from the inside give out information which is not true. I do not feel protected or safe with this situation. There are many errors. Thank God the person who took care of this is not working with us any more, Richard. Now we need to evaluate together where this information came from because it causes a lot of harm to players.

GUILLERMO CORIA: Hang on. I'm speaking about the laboratory, yes.

GUILLERMO CORIA: Well, I'm speaking as a player. I don't think players want to take measures against the laboratory. I haven't said there's a plot against Argentines or anything. The only thing I'm certain of is that in my case it was a mistake. Players shouldn't think my pills were contaminated. It's a pity this has happened to another Argentine. The thing we should do is get together and discuss it. I don't think players agree.

GUILLERMO CORIA: I'm telling you the thing we should do is to get together, all players together, and discuss why information was this way, where it came from, because a player cannot defend. I don't know if it was an error. This does not benefit the players at all.

GUILLERMO CORIA: Well, Federer has said, for instance, not all Argentine cases are all the same, not all doping cases are the same, not all must be judged in the same way. How can you convince Europeans that this was an error? They won't trust you any more. They have their rights to ask for explanations. Then Argentines are not seen in the same way. Sometimes you suffer on the court, and you win like that.

GUILLERMO CORIA: Yeah, first serve has been really improved, 20 or 30 kilometers more than last year. I feel fit, stronger, too. My stamina. For instance, the match I played against Nadal, five hours. When one is fit, he feels more comfortable on the court. I'm trying to improve my attacking game.

GUILLERMO CORIA: I know defeats teach you a lot if you're intelligent. You need to analyze victories and defeats in order to improve. I had very good victories, very important matches that I won, but also very important matches that I lost. Well, you must not cry because of defeats. I like to face defeats and move forward.