Federico Coria steps out of brother's shadow in Paris

It took Federico Coria nine years as a pro to win his first Challenger title and a decade to achieve two hugely important milestones for any tennis player, landing inside the top 100 in the rankings and notching a maiden Grand Slam victory.

This after spending the majority of his time in the sport’s minor leagues from 2013-2018, well outside the top 240.

So forgive Coria for still not comprehending his current predicament.

In his first appearance at Roland-Garros and 16 years removed from his famous brother, Guillermo, coming within a whisker of conquering Paris, Coria advanced to the third round by claiming his best ever win by ranking against Frenchman Benoit Paire.

“It’s crazy what I am experiencing,” said Coria. “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,” he added, the reflective manner in which he spoke not betraying his words.

Guillermo has been overjoyed with the recent breakthroughs, telling the ATP Tour last month, “He is fulfilling his dreams and that gives me great happiness as a brother.”

Ten years younger than his sibling at 28, Coria possesses a similarly lean frame and wears his cap backwards on court like his brother used to do.

At 5-foot-11 (180cm), he is, however, two inches (5cm) taller than the man nicknamed ‘El Mago’ or the Magician, like Fabrice Santoro. 

Coria idolised his brother but admitted to struggling with the heightened expectations in tennis due to the family name.

While peers from Argentina began to flourish, including his doubles partner in Paris, Diego Schwartzman, Coria struggled to collect back-to-back Futures wins. 

“At the beginning it was not easy for him because of his brother, the comparison and everything was not easy, having Guillermo as a brother,” said Schwartzman, who has known the family for nearly 20 years. “Not because of him, he's a really good guy, but because of what he did in tennis.”

There was also an eight-month suspension in 2018 when Coria failed to report an approach to lose sets and matches. Guillermo stepped in to defend him, saying his brother was threatened and there were fears for the safety of his family.

All of which, unsurprisingly, weighed down the native of Rosario, around 300 kilometres west of Buenos Aires.

“I find it hard trusting in myself,” said Coria. “Obviously an awful lot of times I thought about quitting because as you get older the numbers economically were not in my favour.”

But the numbers are now adding up.

Even if he exits to Italian teen Jannik Sinner on Friday, Coria is set to reach another career high in the rankings at around 85th — up from the spot of 116th he occupied following his final tournament of 2019.  

He is sure to pocket around $148,000 in singles, just under one-third of his career tally prior to Roland-Garros.

Working with a psychologist has been a key factor in his rise, along with tennis’ break because of the pandemic.

“I feel like the break was good for me because I was advancing in ranking and one can’t stop,” he said. “I did pre-season and I was quite overwhelmed with the pressure I was feeling that comes with being a top 100 player.

“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 easily recalls his limited Roland-Garros past, pointing out that he fell in qualifying as a junior in 2010.

It’s not his first visit to the grounds in southwest Paris with the action in full swing, though.

He accompanied his family aged 12 in 2004 and played on different courts.

It marked the year immediately prior to the start of Rafael Nadal’s reign and saw Guillermo lose to compatriot Gaston Gaudio in a Grand Slam final that won’t soon be forgotten. 

Gaudio overturned a two-set deficit and saved two match points to snatch victory from his then 22-year-old opponent, who always seemed destined to become a Roland-Garros champion given his clay-court pedigree.

Federico Coria can’t forget the pain of that day. His brother retired five years later, at just 27.

“I remember it as something not really nice because the dream of his life, and also ours, escaped him by a fine margin,” said Coria. “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.”

The younger Coria is being watched by others now and isn’t uncomfortable being a role model.

“Hopefully kids look at my case to believe in themselves because I’m a player that doesn’t believe in myself much,” he said. “Hopefully I can influence or motivate a lot of kids that have my personality.”