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Rafael Nadal’s Monte Carlo: The Birth of a Tennis Legend
Published: April 13, 2011
It was, after all, a mere filler in the broadcasting schedule at the end of a decent afternoon’s tennis from Monte Carlo.
But it became instead a moment of hesitation, of curious interest, of captured attention.
And it revealed the moment when the career of the one of the world’s great athletes was launched, when a slender, passionate young man stepped up to the line and walked into tennis history.
It was the spring of 2005, the centre court at Monte Carlo, Rafael Nadal.
At one end of the court stood the Argentine, Guillermo Coria, who had reached No. 3 in the world only the year before and was the title-holder in Monte Carlo. Coria had also reached the final of this Masters in 2003 and had some experience of the young player he was facing.
He had met Nadal, in 2003, at this very event and had beaten him, 7-6, 6-2, but the fresh-faced 16-year-old had still done well to take out Karol Kucera and Albert Costa.
Now 18, Nadal was also on a really hot streak. He had started to win titles—Costa Do Sauipe and Acapulco—and very nearly beat Roger Federer in a five-set thriller of a final in Miami. But the previous week’s Valencia had been less impressive: Perhaps the youngster was running out of steam.
If that was in Coria’s mind, he was very soon disabused. Nadal rushed to a two sets lead, 6-3, 6-1. In 2005, the finals of Masters events were still best of five and so they played on.
Coria was thrown a life-line in the third, which he won, 6-0, and at this point, the commentary team began to talk of Nadal’s tiredness, of his need to hold onto the fourth set or the match would slip from his grasp.
Little did they understand the significance of the player blossoming before...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis
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