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Rising Argentine Federico Coria admits everything that is happening to him feels surreal as he is absolutely enjoying his French Open campaign. Coria, ranked at No. 99 in the world, claimed his maiden Grand Slam victory at the age of 28 after beating Jason Jung in the French Open first round.
Two days later, the Argentine beat former world No. 18 Benoit Paire to set up a third round clash against Jannik Sinner, wher. he lost in straight sets. "It’s crazy what I am experiencing,” Coria told the Roland Garros website.
“I don't want anybody to wake me up. I don’t understand what is happening to me, truly I can’t understand it. “I still can’t believe it and I’m experiencing it in that way, I’m not lying at all." Coria, who achieved a career-high ranking of No.
98 in the world last month, admitted he contemplated a retirement from tennis. "I find it hard trusting in myself,” Coria said. “Obviously an awful lot of times I thought about quitting because as you get older the numbers economically were not in my favour.
"I feel like the break was good for me because I was advancing in ranking and one can’t stop. I did pre-season and I was quite overwhelmed with the pressure I was feeling that comes with being a top 100 player."
Coria says the 2004 French Open final still hurts
Earlier this year, Coria worked with a psychologist and he now he believes that was a good move.
“In Australia this year I invested in a psychologist to help me. The little economic steps I started investing in myself to be able to keep advancing, because, I’m of the age that if it’s not now, the train will have already passed by," Coria revealed.
Back in 2004, Guillermo Coria blew a two-set lead and two match points in the French Open final against Gaston Gaudio. Guillermo Coria was never the same after a disappointing French Open final loss and he retired five years later at the age of 27.
"I remember it as something not really nice because the dream of his life, and also ours, escaped him by a fine margin,” Federico Coria said. “He was very young, it’s a shame that his career finished so young because we could have shared the circuit together.
“I think about my brother all the time because on the court I think a lot of times how he would do, because I grew up watching him, he’s my reference”.