TMS MONTE CARLO

April 23, 2004

Guillermo Coria

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

GUILLERMO CORIA: It's a matter of technique. My technique was to play as few errors as possible, to play very deep, to take my chances or opportunities. I'm very pleased because that match was very tense, and making so few mistakes was very important.

GUILLERMO CORIA: Yes, both of us changed. We changed mentally, physically, and confidence-wise. When you are a junior, you repeat the same thing every day, as when you're on the tour. You have to work harder and harder. As far as I'm concerned, I consider him a candidate to be No. 1 in the world. So for me, this match today was very pleasing. I'm very happy.

GUILLERMO CORIA: It depends how he will play tomorrow. But when he plays well, he's a very difficult player to play. He has a very big serve, his returns are very good, his forehand is good, and his backhand also. So when he plays well, I consider him the best player on all surfaces. Tomorrow I'll have to be very much aware and concentrated and very fast, and I will have to raise my game to a higher level than normal. It's going to be a difficult match.

GUILLERMO CORIA: I met her when I went to watch a Davis Cup tie between Argentina and Slovakia. I met her in the crowd. I was watching. I was young. And one year after, I met her again in Rosario, and we got to know each other and then we became engaged. She did play tennis in a tennis school, but not professionally.

GUILLERMO CORIA: Well, it was at the Davis Cup. I don't remember exactly when. I think it was about seven years ago. It was Hrbaty and Kucera, so it was about seven years.

GUILLERMO CORIA: Today I served very well. I lost my serve only twice. But Nalbandian has a very big serve, and I broke him several times. Today with my serve I tried to serve deep, with heavy balls. In fact, other players have a big serve but they have a lower percentage. My serve is maybe not as hard, but it's consistent. This is my game.

GUILLERMO CORIA: Yes, because "Mago" was a nickname they gave me in an Argentinian newspaper, and I liked it. I prefer to be called by my name rather than that. I think it's important to do something like a dropshot or something to amuse the public, but I don't do it on purpose just to distract the crowd; I do it because it has a purpose in the game. Since I don't have a big serve, well, I like sometimes to do a dropshot to attract the player to the net.

GUILLERMO CORIA: For example.

GUILLERMO CORIA: Davis Cup?

GUILLERMO CORIA: Olympic Games?

GUILLERMO CORIA: In fact, my major dream is to win a Grand Slam tournament. The French Open is my favorite because I was born on clay. This doesn't mean when I go into the Australian Open or Wimbledon or Flushing Meadows that I don't give any importance to this tournament; they are important to me, too. I would be happy winning whatever, whichever of them. But, of course, like an Englishman prefers to win Wimbledon, I prefer to win the French Open. My first dream is winning Roland Garros.

GUILLERMO CORIA: In fact, I practice everything. Tennis-wise, I practice on every part of my game, and physically I practice my resistance, my speed - well, it's normal for a player to do that. But my speed, I had it since I was born, I mean, since I was a little boy. The only thing I have to do is keep on practicing to become even more faster to be able to win an odd match or something.

GUILLERMO CORIA: Well, I never considered Ferrero as the only one on clay. There are many other players around. I personally don't feel I'm the best, but it's very positive to me if other people think I'm the best.