Federico Coria 'Growiing up as Guillermo Coria's brother was tough but today it fills me with pride'



by PRAKASH

Federico Coria 'Growiing up as Guillermo Coria's brother was tough but today it fills me with pride'

Think of the name Coria in tennis, and the player that comes to mind is Guillermo Coria, the Argentine clay court specialist who reached the final of the French Open in 2004. More than a decade later, his younger brother, Federico is still trying to climb his way up the rankings and carve a name for himself on the tennis circuit.

Ranked 274 in the world, Federico says it was tough being known as Guillermo Coria's brother at the beginning of his career but now he sees it as a privilege. Speaking to La Nacion, Federico says, "I grew up watching him on TV.

More than my brother, he was always my idol. He came home very rarely and was all that I wanted to be, I saw him winning almost every week. I wish he had come home more often. Then, when I started playing tennis, the people who came to the clubs where I was going, or the tournament organizers, expected to see my brother, not me; I was 14 or 15 and my brother was at the top.

The news was always referred to me if I won or lost, not my opponent. Personally it was difficult being the brother of someone so popular. Sometimes people are a bit cruel and it makes you crouch your head, you compare badly, and that makes you a little shy, you are going down a little self-esteem, but when you grow older you care less the opinion of others.

Earlier if someone asked me if I am the brother of Guillermo, it would bother me but now it fills me with pride." Federico says that the best advise his brother gave him was to give it your best for the day and then enjoy the time off.

"The message that he always left me was that I leave everything to be calm tomorrow, with the idea that I tried, and do not leave anything inside because time does not go back; Give everything in each training and enjoy, the same message my family gave me, play and also go out with my friends, because you can do both." The younger Coria brother says that his dream is to play for Argentina in the Davis Cup some day, "My dream is to play the Davis Cup someday; Representing the country is something that motivates you a lot; It must be great to enter and play with all the fans, the whole country following you, must be good.

I would also like to be Top 100, and win the ATP title in Buenos Aires." Also Read - Guillermo Coria to head Youth Tennis Development Program in Argentina

Federico Coria Guillermo Coria