Good morning everyone!
I checked MTF and found out that the Q & A has already been translated by "Snoo Foo" who was so kind to allow me to copy her translation on this board. Thanks a lot Snoo Foo
Her translation is great, but I am also glad to find out that my translation was not so bad either
Ok, here we go....
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Your greatest sadness in tennis?–It was when we lost the Davis Cup semifinal against Spain, over there. We were two equals, and Gastón Gaudio had been tapped to play the last point. We had both lost in singles, Lucas Arnold and Calleri won the doubles, he also won the singles when he replaced me on Sunday. When Gastón went into the decider, we lost. This made me very sad, the match I had lost, we came so close.
Why do you think there's such a big difference between Rafael Nadal and everyone else? What does he have that nobody else has?–He's touched with the magic wand. He's different, too much. A lot of physical difference from the rest, he's blessed. Combine this with the incredible tennis talent he has and the result is Rafael Nadal.
Why, at the time, was there bad blood with Guillermo Coria? - I never had a beef with him. They're wrong. I get along with him very well. We're not intimate friends, but we get along very well.
Where did you come up with the idea for Tenis Pro?–They called me to do an interview show with the players. After a lot of back and forth, I accepted. I took notes on all the players and, when they told some story or anecdote, I always filmed it, because I really like to film. Then we started to pass around these videos. We did the interviews in one or two months, because we only talked with the eight best Argentine tennis players. It was very good. Then the idea of showing these films came up, the people were excited. It's a very good show that the audience likes a lot.
How and why did you get Gaudio involved?–El Gato is my very good friend and this year he wasn't playing, and the idea with Chela was to continue with the program. We asked him if he wanted to get a little more involved, and I think the people like to see Gastón Gaudio, as a character and as a person. He's huge in tennis and his involvement in the show is spectacular.
Is it true that the biggest factor influencing which tournaments you choose to play is the quality of the women there?–Noooo, that's a lie.
Do you see a renaissance of Argentine tennis? ¿What players do you see becoming members of this new generation?–It's Del Potro, at the top. David Nalbandian is still young, he has a couple more years to be among the best in the world, he's at that level. Then it would be Juan Mónaco, Acasuso, Schwank, coming a little further behind; then there are young players who would make good Davis Cup members. Then there's the group of Gaudio, Cañas, Calleri and Chela; because now we're all 30 and we're only going to play a couple more years.
Are there always confrontations among Argentine players when it's time to play definitive matches like at Davis Cup?- It's not the norm, there's friction just like in any environment. The fought or they're fighting.... They're locker room conversations that should not have been released to the press. It happens all the time, like it happened with Gastón and Coria at the time, but these are fleeting situations.
Did the bad relationship between del Potro and Nalbandian influence the outcome of Davis Cup?- I don’t think it influenced anything. What does influence it, if I was a member or the captain of the Davis Cup team, one day, I would think that in the whole team, I’m not saying they should be intimate friends, but at least that they have a good relationship. With a certain happiness in the team you go a lot further.
If you weren’t a tennis player, what would you have done?- No idea. If I had to choose something to study now, it would be architecture, because I like construction.
How do you feel about being the nephew of Teté Coustarot?– I’m thankful that life blessed me with having Teté for an aunt and not… I’m not going to say a name, a “cat.” She’s the most upright person in the world, a first class aunt, my mom's sister, and I love her very much just like the rest of my aunts.
What’s the funniest story you have about Tenis Pro? ¿And about tennis?- I think it was about the cobbler, people who watch the show say that was it. In Italy, we went into the only shoemaker in Biella, with Gustavo Marcaccio, to get a pair of shoes fixed, and the guy ran us out. There are thousands of stories. Like how Maradona came to play tennis with us. I met and filmed a lot of people, because they saw it and were excited about it.
At one of the Davis Cup matches, you were in the stands, very involved. Did you feel that you should have had a place on the court?- No. I was involved because I saw it as a fan, as an argentine, as a tennis player, as an ex Davis cup player, where I’d played some ties. Obviously, I want Argentina to come out on top, because I believe that all of us who’ve played Davis Cup must feel part of this success. If we’d won, it would have been the work of many years, of many players, not just the four who played in the final.
Do you think that one day you will regain the level you had in the past?- It’s not easy, that was 8 or 9 years ago. Your mental and physical composition aren’t the same at 20 or 21 as they are at 30 or 31. Regaining at least a little of the level or the ranking would make me very happy as well.
What was going through your mind at the best moment of your career, back in 1999 when you were ranked 21 in the world?–I was always very calm and I tried to enjoy the moment, from day to day. I’m a person who enjoys life, the little things. I didn’t say, “Wow, I’m playing well”: I was never very ambitious about ranking. I knew if I played well, my ranking would improve, and if I didn’t play well it couldn't improve. I got to where I got in the rankings with all the dedication and effort I had.
Did the aggression that you and your dad experienced at the Davis Cup tie against Chile, as visitors, in some way affect the later development of your career?I don’t think so. Yes, of course it affected me because up until then, everything was going fine and what happened was something very unusual. But I don’t think it scarred me.
Who are your role models in the world of tennis?- I don’t know if I have role models, to be honest. I really like Gustavo Kuerten’s manner, as a person and as a tennis player, I don’t try to copy him. But I really liked how he was.
What message would you give to young people just starting out who want to become great tennis players?- That they know that it’s a demanding sport; but if they really like it and they love to play tennis, that they give training their all.
What is Argentina missing to have a number 1?- We were close. With David Nalbandian, I think we were close. I still back him because he’s young, he can. I think the hope is in Del Potro, as I always said, for his level, the mind he has he can aim to be number 1 in the world if he wants. He’s the best player in Argentina.
Why do you think tennis has become more popular?- Because a lot of players came out… our gang, Coria and Nalbandian. The past six or seven years of Argentine tennis were incredible. The tournaments they won, all the years of having 2 or 3 guys in the top 10. It’s uncommon for a country to have so many players. Before, the people liked Vilas or Clerc and, if they didn’t like Vilas, they didn’t watch tennis. Now they have eight guys to choose from, this gets the people a lot more turned on.
In your opinion, in what position would tennis be, in relation to other sports?- In third place, behind fútbol and auto racing.
Would you change anything about the tennis rules?- That you don’t play so many tournaments in the calendar. That the players had more rest, like in the NBA, baseball and American football: they play seven months and they rest the rest of the time. Tennis players should have three months of rest, not a month and a half, or twenty days.
How are tennis women?- I never much liked tennis women. Maybe those who are feminine, but they are very few. I like them to be very feminine.
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