Tennis players having breakdowns in the middle of a match isn’t exactly new. From John McEnroe’s iconic “you cannot be serious” to Serena Williams’ clashes with linesmen and umpires at the US Open, few stars have ever been able to keep their composure at all times.

However, in Argentine tennis one particular meltdown has reached near-mythical status: Gaston’ Gaudio’s shouting “qué mal que la estoy pasando,” roughly “what an awful time I’m having.”

Part of a tirade that went throughout a hard-fought, five-set win for Gaudio against Russia’s Igor Korolev, at Roland Garros 2006, the phrase became so linked to him that, years later, he repeated it at a star-studded ad for telecommunications company Claro, in which he was linked to a marriage to a famous model on live television.

The rant turns 20 this June, with the 2026 tournament getting underway on May 24th. But while the meltdown is certainly one of Gaudio’s most infamous moments, it’s certainly not his most important one as a tennis player.

Born in Temperley, in the southern Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area, on December 9, 1978, Gaudio grew up in the bosom of an upper-middle-class family. The youngest of three brothers, he began playing tennis at age 6.

Former coach Roberto Carruthers recalled in 2004 how Gaudio used to sneak away from school to go to the club and play, but even back then, his talent was apparent.

A fervent fan of Argentine football giant Independiente, he split his time between tennis and football until his father had a........

© Buenos Aires Herald