Guillermo Ignacio 'Willy' Cañas (born November 25,
1977) is an Argentine professional tennis player. He
was born in Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, and
named after Argentine tennis star Guillermo Vilas.
His highest singles ranking was 8th (June 2005).
Canas plays a defensive counter-punching game from
the baseline, and utilises his retrieving skills in
order to frustrate opponents. He uses a two-handed
backhand and his favourite surface is clay, but he
is adept on hardcourt and grass too.
Guillermo Cañas started playing at age 7, and had an
excellent start reaching quarterfinals of Junior
Wimbledon in 1995, the same year he turned pro.
In 2001, after a right wrist injury the previous
year, he climbed from 227th place in the ATP
rankings to the 15th, and was named ATP Comeback
Player of Year.
In the 2002 ATP Masters Series of Canada, Cañas won
his first ATP Masters Series title in Toronto,
defeating Andy Roddick in the final.
After a year of suspension for doping, Cañas
returned to the circuit on September 2006 at the
challenger of Belém, Brazil.
In June 2002 rumors spread that he was being
investigated by the ATP for a doping offense. The
case was handled in secrecy. On August 8, 2005,
Guillermo was suspended for two years and was forced
to forfeit US$276,070 in prizes by the ATP for the
use of a diuretic called hydrochlorothiazide, a
substance with no benefits in itself other than as
treatment for hypertension, but used to cover other
forbidden substances. No traces of any other
forbidden substance were found in Cañas' sample, and
the player asserts the diuretic was present in some
medicine prescribed by ATP doctors Mercader and
Chinchila for a sore throat he contracted during the
Acapulco tournament in Mexico.
Cañas vowed to fight the ban, claiming he was
innocent of the charges against him. His
perseverance paid off on May 23, 2006, when he was
acquitted of deliberate performance enhancement
through illegal substances, since the substances
were in a prescription medicine. He was, however,
considered careless in not checking the medicine
before ingesting it. He was allowed to return to
full professional activity from September 11, 2006,
and the money prizes and points acquired before the
suspension are to be restored, though points expire
after a full year.
