As the new millennium dawned, Argentine men’s tennis quietly entered a new golden age. A generation of young talents sought to lead the country back to the sport’s elite, as it had been during the days of Guillermo Vilas and José Luis Clerc in the late 70s. 

Among them, one of the early breakthroughs was Guillermo Cañas.

With a hard-fighting, never-say-never style of his own, the star hailing from Tapiales in the western Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area went toe-to-toe with some of the biggest stars of the era.

By the time he called it a career, he had lifted seven singles titles — including an Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Masters-level tournament — and reached as high as No. 8 in the men’s singles rankings. 

And yet, if you ask most fans, the majority will remember Cañas for just two 2007 matches, when he defeated the legendary Roger Federer in back-to-back tournaments.

“It’s funny, sometimes it feels like all I ever did was beat Federer twice; that’s all fans remember. All my career boils down to that,” he told the Herald.

With all of its highs and lows, Cañas’ career took a first big step in Casablanca, Morocco. After coming back from an injury that nearly derailed his career, he won his first ATP Tour-level title, an achievement that turned 25 years old this April. 

“I feel old hearing it,” Cañas said with a chuckle. He has lived in Miami since 2010 and runs his own tennis academy.

Having suffered a wrist injury that saw him drop to the 227th spot........

© Buenos Aires Herald