Fernando Gonzalez reached two consecutive finals in October. After losing out to Ivan Ljubicic in the
final of the BA-CA Tennis Trophy in Vienna, the big-hitting Chilean propelled himself into serious
contention for next month's Masters Cup in Shanghai by reaching his first Masters Series final. World
number one Roger Federer proved too strong in the Madrid final, but Gonzalez is starting to find the
consistency that has eluded him for much of his career. The 26-year-old will compete in Basel this
week but expects the Paris Masters in Bercy to determine the final Masters Cup spots. "It's close.
I have to keep winning," he said after his defeat to Federer. "The other guys, they're going to play,
but I think everything is going to be decided in Paris. This is a motivation I have, a last one. It
keeps me alive and keeps me playing."
Gonzalez parted ways with long-time coach Horacio de la Pena earlier this year and Larry Stefanki
took over the reins. The association bore fruit straight away as Gonzalez became the third Chilean
(after Marcelo Rios and Nicolas Massu) to break into the world's top 10. The pair have been focusing
on improved fitness and net play. Gonzalez believes his backhand has also improved a lot. Despite
having a huge serve and some of the fiercest groundstrokes in the game, the popular perception has
always been that his inconsistency precluded him from being a true Grand Slam contender.
His recent performances suggest that may be about to change.
After enjoying an outstanding career as a junior, Gonzalez, the son of a Santiago flour mill manager,
won his first ATP title when he defeated Nicolas Massu in an all-Chilean US Men's Clay Court Championships
final in Orlando, Florida in 2000. In 2004, he and Massu combined to win Chile's first ever Olympic gold
medal in the doubles event in Athens.
Gonzalez enjoys cars and describes his Porsche as his greatest treasure.
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