Gaudio comeback derailed

Gaudio, who is currently ranked 170th in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, was ousted by Serbian Filip Krajinovic 6-7(2), 7-5, 7-5.

The Buenos Aires resident began the match strongly breaking the young Serb in the opening game of the first set. But the 18-year-old Krajinovic quickly answered breaking the Gaudio serve in the fourth game to level the set 2-2.

Games went on serve and the set was forced to a tiebreaker where Gaudio, who has eight career titles, won five consecutive points to win the set in 55 minutes.

The Argentine veteran snatched an early break again in the second set racing to a 3-1 lead before Krajinovic broke back to tie the set 3-3.

At 5-4, Gaudio had two match points on the Serbian serve but was unable to convert as Krajinovic delivered two aces to keep his chances alive before clinching the set.

In the deciding set, Gaudio looked to have the match under control as he moved to a 4-1 lead. But Krajinovic, ranked 351st in the world, fought back winning the next three games to make it 4-4 before showing poise to wrap up the match in two hours and 52 minutes.

The former world No.5 was vying for a spot into the ATP World Tour 1000 event in an attempt to revive his career. After facing injury setbacks and a massive rankings slump, the 31-year-old Argentine has worked hard to get back into playing at the elite level.

Gaudio came to prominence in 2004 shocking the tennis world by defeating Guillermo Coria in the French Open final. Entering the tournament ranked 44th and unseeded, he became the first Argentine to win a Grand Slam since Guillermo Vilas in 1979.

This propelled his career as he reached the top 10 for the first time and went on to win five tournaments in 2005.

Gaudio, who is also known as‘El Gato’ by his fans meaning ‘The Cat’ in Spanish, was still a top-50 player at the start of 2007. The Argentine’s career began to crumble when he started the year poorly losing six consecutive matches. With a second round exit from the French Open this saw Gaudio’s ranking plummet to 99.
In a quest to restore his career, the 31-year-old started to compete in clay court challenger events around Europe but an ankle injury at the Napoli Challenger ended his season. Gaudio was ranked 182 and finished out of the Top 100 for the first time since 1998.

The following year proved to be a dismal one for Gaudio. Early in January 2008, the Argentine tried to rebuild his career competing in a Challenger Series event in Miami, where he suffered a first round loss. Two weeks later, he was awarded a wildcard at the Vina del Mar Open in Chile but again fell in his opening match. This was Gaudio’s last pro tour match for the year. As a result, he finished the season without a ranking.

At the start of the 2009 season, Gaudio earned an ATP ranking of 1,094 by reaching the quarterfinals of the Iquique Challenger in Chile. He continued to receive wildcards into tournaments. Despite this, it proved to be a positive year for the Argentine.

In April, Gaudio won his first match in Barcelona on the pro tour since the 2007 French Open. A week later, he won his first tournament in four years at the Tunis Challenger. This saw his ranking improve and climb to 762.

Gaudio’s form and ranking began to rise as he reached the final of the Buenos Aires Challenger in September and the semifinals at the Montevideo Challenger in Uruguay and Florianoplis Challenger in Brazil. After a consistent 2009 season, Gaudio finished the year ranked at 167 in the world.

In his prime, Gaudio was one of the most feared baseliner’s on tour. His magnificent single-handed backhand and court craft has earned him many impressive victories. Gaudio’s willingness to return to the Top 100 will be a tough one but many tennis fans will be hoping he can.

Vanessa Skendaris