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Soccer-mad Argentina finds new love
A young man walked past a clutch of fans who cried out each time fiery Argentine tennis star Guillermo Coria won a point on his way to the French Open final, asking: "Who's playing, Boca?"
A young man walked past a clutch of fans who cried out each time fiery Argentine tennis star Guillermo Coria won a point on his way to the French Open final, asking: "Who's playing, Boca?"
Argentina's passion is soccer, its top club Boca Juniors, and its sports god the legendary Diego Maradona. But as world number three Coria and countryman Gaston Gaudio on Friday set up an all-Argentine showdown, tennis has come into its own.
Even more so since Brazil spanked Argentina 3-1 in a World Cup qualifier earlier this week.
"Iust got interested in tennis in the last year because the players started winning. And we're doing so poorly in soccer, we've got to replace it with another sport," said Pedro Matteucci, 22, standing on the sidewalk with 20 other storefront TV onlookers, from men in suits to dogwalkers.
Traders at the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange tuned their TVs to the tennis matches, causing a lull in morning trade.
Argentina's racket fever even infected a sports bar called "Crazy about Soccer," where spectators cheered on Coria and a small poodle barked in seeming agreement.
"At work everybody was talking about the results, all the radios were turned on," said Beatriz Armand, 38, a computer specialist who watched the Coria-Henman match during her lunch break.
"There is much more enthusiasm for tennis now. Before, I was the only one watching," she added.
At Argentina's swankiest tennis spot, the Vilas Club -- founded by 1970s Argentine tennis star Guillermo Vilas -- people sweating on treadmills and cycling machines were glued to big-screen TVs.
"I am very proud ... Having two Argentines in a Grand Slam final is amazing. We Argentines don't have many things to be happy about, so we grab on to what we can," said Violeta Levy, a doctor.
ECONOMIC COLLAPSE
Argentina is still reeling from a monumental economic collapse in early 2002 that decimated a once-thriving middle class and put the game of tennis out of reach for the majority of the population.
Argentina had three players in the men's semi-finals, including number eight David Nalbandian, while Paola Suarez reached the women's last four.
Others, like Gaudio's former coach, had more personal reasons to cheer. Gabriel Mena, grinning widely, watched his protege storm his way into the Open final on Friday morning.
"I was the first one that told his father he should leave school to dedicate himself to tennis because he is phenomenal. No one believed in him, I was the only one that said he was a crack player, the Maradona of tennis," Mena said.
Gaudio once promised Mena that if he made it to the French Open final, Mena would be there to watch.
"I was waiting for his call. He sent me (the airline ticket) and I'm flying to Paris tonight. I'm thrilled," Mena said.
