Canas: ATP player of the month (July)

MONTHLY HONORS New Tennis Masters Toronto champion Guillermo Canas has been named ATP Player of the Month for July after moving up to seventh place in the ATP Champions Race 2002. Taylor Dent, who captured his first ATP title in Newport, has been named Rising Star of the Month, while Bob and Mike Bryan were named Team of the Month.

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CANAS A BIG HIT

GUILLERMO CANAS once said that he hoped to be as famous as Guillermo Vilas in Argentina one day. Following his victory over Andy Roddick in the final of the Tennis Masters Toronto last week, the 24-year-old from Buenos Aires took a step closer to achieving his dream.

With five Argentines reaching finals on the ATP circuit in as many weeks, the country's media are going crazy over the "Legion Argentina." Canas' win in Canada was Argentine newspaper La Nacion's most visited on-line story on Monday, receiving over 235,000 hits, while national newspapers Ole and El Clarin both carried extensive coverage.

After arriving in Cincinnati for the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters, Canas spent 1 hour, 30 minutes on an ATP teleconference call to Latin American media, while five radio stations aired live interviews with their latest star.

"It's always been my dream to win a Tennis Masters Series event, " said Canas. "Winning this kind of tournament really puts me up in the elite of world tennis. These are the tournaments that make you big in this sport. Now I realize I can be among the best."

Canas, who moved to seventh position in the ATP Champions Race 2002, added: "It's great to be in the Top 10 in the Race, and now it's important for me to keep playing good tennis for the rest of the year, which is my big goal. It's great to be able to bring some happiness to people in Argentina."

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MORE CANAS NEWS...

MEDIA MONITOR After Guillermo Canas' victory in Toronto, Argentine newspaper El Clarin took a closer look at the rapid rise of tennis and praised its latest heroes. Writes Gustavo Flores: "The only happy side that can be observed in Argentina of 2002 comes from sports. And in this area, tennis is ahead several lengths with a season that will be etched with fire into the annals of the national sport. Yesterday, Guillermo Cañas managed to add another giant link in the chain of successes that the Legión has accumulated throughout the world. There are no longer any surprises or amazements: It is the time for the consolidation of an Argentine power. There was so much celebrating in 2002 that not even the calendar had time to catch a break. The first week of the year arrived with the gift of a title: the one Cañas won in Chennai, there on the Indian hard courts. For the statistics: It had been 23 years since an Argentine had won in the first tournament of the year. The big Willy, Vilas, had been his predecessor ... It's time to celebrate. Like Vilas in his days, this group of players that are now known as integral parts of the Legión, made a little daily phenomenon possible, namely that Cañas, Nalbandian, Gaudio & Chela are common names in any talk about the country's sports; that tennis started to reach heights unknown only a few months ago, that people were asking for the results ... For this alone, so much effort was worthwhile."

source: the atp insider

PLAYERS Aug. 05, 2002

One to Watch: Guilllermo Canas

The Argentine has just won his first Tennis Masters Series shield and is on top of his game.


After winning his first Tennis Masters Series shield in Toronto, the last thing Guillermo Canas probably needed was a first round draw in Cincinnati against three-time winner Pete Sampras. But following his victories over four of the Top 10 en route to the biggest title of his career in Canada, it won't be a surprise to see the 24-year-old from Buenos Aires add another name to his list of famous scalps.

Roger Federer, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Marat Safin, Tommy Haas and Andy Roddick all fell victim to Canas in Toronto, whose rise comes at a time when Argentine tennis has become a major force to be reckoned with.

"We've got a great history in tennis," says Canas. "We haven't had a World No. 1 but we've always had many good players. It's a very good time for tennis in my country, and we're all friends with each other. David Nalbandian and Agustin Calleri are a little younger, but we have seen them coming up through the juniors, and Argentina should have more players in the Top 100 in the next few years."

Canas, nicknamed "Willy" by his English-speaking peers, nearly gave up the game after suffering a career-threatening wrist injury in 2000. But after finishing that year at No. 227, Canas won his first career title in Casablanca in 2001, reached three other finals and finished the year at No. 15 in the ATP Champions Race.



His rapid rise earned him the ATP's Comeback of the Year award, and Canas has backed his results up in 2002 with a title in Chennai, two final appearances in Casablanca and Stuttgart, and a quarterfinal run at Roland Garros.

Standing in 7th position in the ATP Champions Race 2002, Canas' 43 match wins is only one win behind Andy Roddick for the most wins on the ATP circuit this year, and his never-say-die reputation is gathering momentum.

"I try to fight for each ball," says Canas. "It's the same every day - I'm trying to run for every single ball. It gives me a lot confidence when I'm playing like this."

Push

Watching his friend Nalbandian reach the final at Wimbledon also gave him an extra boost heading into the North American hard court swing. "I think we've had very good results on clay courts but we've also had very good results on other courts, too," says Canas. "We've had Nalbandian in the final of the most famous grass court tournament, and I've won two hard court titles this year. We help push each other and it's nice to see one of your friends in a final of another tournament."

Like most Argentines, Canas grew up idolizing Guillermo Vilas - "I would love to be as famous as he is in our country," he says - as well as Ivan Lendl. "When I was young, I saw him play and I'd like to be compared to him because he was No. 1 in the world. I'll try to do my best!"

Congrats to Guillermo! Very much deserved! Surprised they didn't give it to roddick.:rolleyes:;)

Mabuhay Guillermo, it couldn't happen to a nicer guy! Oh and did you hear what Cliff said about him, that he looks like a prono star, Pat was left speechless! LMAO!

I meant "porno" not prono, lmao! That my friends is my fingers running away from my brain.

Cliff!!!! Tsk tsk tsk.........I don't want to go there.:o

Cañas deserves to be the player of the month. his performance at Toronto was astounding. well done Guillermo Siffredi!

Missed that lovely comment by Cliff....

Congrats to Guillermo! He played brilliantly in Toronto.

(and i will never call him Willy)

Canas looks like a porno star ? :confused: Cliff really should keep these fantasies to himself...

Hey, seeing as Hewitt won Wimbledon in July, techinically shouldn't he get it ;)

that's what you get for being mean to the media...:o :o :o or maybe the ATP is playing faves...:p :p

Hey, I'm not complaining ;)

But if this happened on the WTA imagine the outrage on the boards :p

Let me give an example "the media is doing this cause they hate Aussies :fiery:" :p

GO CANAS!!!
And GO MEDIA......

You know to where. :p :rolleyes: