mtenis.com.pl

Spaniard reflects on 20th anniversary of title run

“It's the start of the end of my problems”.

These were the words of Alex Corretja shortly after being proclaimed champion of the 2000 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. At the time, winning on hard courts was unheard of for Spaniards, who had historically dominated on clay courts, where they had learnt the game. But that season he broke down a barrier in the Coachella Valley that only one of his compatriots — Jose Higueras (1983) — had overcome before him.

The truth is that for Corretja, success away from the red dirt was not unchartered territory. While his cabinet included another ATP Masters 1000 trophy from the 1997 Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, in 1998 he triumphed on hard courts at the season-ending championships in Hannover. His ability to produce his A-game on all surfaces was well known on the ATP Tour.

So, what was worrying the Spaniard before Indian Wells? What were the 'problems' he was referring to after winning the trophy on Sunday, 19 March 2000? The man himself answered that question for ATPTour.com 20 years after his achievement.

“It really was very important because it helped me believe in myself again,” said Corretja.

Download ATP Tour App

The Catalan, who just a year earlier had been on the verge of becoming World No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, arrived at Indian Wells unseeded.

“It was very important to demonstrate to myself that 1998 was a great year and that I was able to have more great success,” said Corretja. “So being able to aspire to win another big title again made me feel that I was on the right track. Indian Wells gave me back my self-esteem.”

Corretja ended 1999 as the World No. 26 and a few months later he fell outside the Top 30 for the first time in five seasons. As if that was not enough, his morale took a heavy blow in January. When he thought he was heading in the right direction after reaching the semi-finals in the first tournament of the year in Sydney (l. to Hewitt), the same rival steamrollered him at the Australian Open 0-6, 0-6, 1-6.

“I had started the year 2000 full of hope, recovering after suffering a lull the previous season, both physically and mentally, after a push to be the World No. 1,” said Corretja. “I went to Australia after completing a good pre-season, but I took a heavy blow against Hewitt. I got there feeling that I was recovering, but that match made me think I was not as good as I'd thought.”

It was a resounding blow, but not a knock-out one. Nowhere near.

Corretja made use of the Davis Cup to recharge his confidence alongside the rest of his teammates in his nation’s first-round tie against Italy (4-1). As well as sealing the second singles point for Spain, he closed out the tie with a doubles win alongside Joan Balcells. But, above all, the ATP Tour event in Scottsdale, Arizona proved crucial in rediscovering some harmony with his racquet.

“It’s true that I lost 8/6 in the third-set tie-break against Albert Costa in the quarter-finals, but I was feeling great as I did that,” said Corretja. “I got to Indian Wells thinking that I could do something big, because I was starting to play very good tennis.”

Corretja was feeling increasingly more like the player who had made an assault on the elite a year before, who could look any opponent in the eyes to fight for the biggest titles on the ATP Tour. However, before embarking on his venture at the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the year, he would suffer another setback.

“The day before starting, I remember in one training session I was on the receiving end of a 6-1 [set]. I was devastated,” said Corretja. “I thought I was ready to play and suddenly I took a beating that lowered my expectations a little, but at the same time it made me start the tournament playing well, without stressing myself too much.”

You May Also Like: Massu, A Year After Thiem’s Title At Indian Wells: “It Laid The Foundations”
Between 13 and 20 March, the Spaniard put together one of his best weeks in tennis. From start to finish, he left big names in his wake in every round. The Spaniard claimed a 6-2, 6-2 win against Slovakian Karol Kucera in his opening match, but it was his 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-2 second-round victory against Patrick Rafter that marked a turning point.

“The Australian was very uncomfortable and after winning that match, I started to feel good in my legs,” said Corretja. “Indian Wells is very dry. The court is very fast, but at the same time the ball bounces very high. [It is] something that suited me very well and I felt very comfortable.”

In the Round of 16, Corretja saw off Frenchman Fabrice Santoro 7-6(6), 6-1, before the bar was raised from the quarter-final stage. Each of his remaining three opponents were members of the Top 10. Corretja defeated No. 5 Magnus Norman 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 and No. 8 Nicolas Lapentti 6-3, 6-4 to reach the championship match, where he overcame No. 10 Thomas Enqvist 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.

“The final was excellent. I won three sets without any difficulty against Enqvist, I was really feeling the ball,” said Corretja, who became the first Spaniard to win an ATP Masters 1000 event on hard courts (since the category was established in 1990).

“Maybe we weren’t the ideal types of players for that tournament, but looking back at these things with hindsight, I think that in my career I won tournaments that were unusual for the Spaniards,” said Corretja. “I was a player with Spanish style and character, but sometimes I produced these different things.”

Rafael Nadal and Marc López conquered Indian Wells ten years ago
"Rafa has shown that he is a very good friend.”

Shortly after winning the title at the BNP Paribas Open, the first words of thanks from Marc López were for his teammate in the first ATP Masters 1000 victory of his career. It was 20 March 2010, the same day that Rafael Nadal had lost his semi-final in the singles after a difficult third-set tie-break defeat against Ivan Ljubicic 6-3, 4-6, 6-7(1). But the man from Manacor reached the doubles final at Indian Wells alongside the Catalan and they would be crowned champions.

Nadal put behind him the bitter taste of his tie-break defeat, where he had been just one point away from reaching the final after two hours and 35 minutes.

“Rafa was back in the zone just hours after playing his semi-final match", continued López’s account after they won their second ATP Tour doubles trophy together (also Doha 2009). "I’m very grateful to him.”

Download ATP Tour App

The response from the Balearic Islander was immediate: “For me it’s a pleasure to play with Marc. He’s a good friend and we understand each other well. After losing an important match in the singles, this victory in the doubles makes me very happy. It’s always nice to win a tournament, so the title is very important to me and to Marc.”

Ten years after that unforgettable gesture from his doubles partner, Marc López went into the finer details for ATPTour.com. Without a high enough FedEx ATP Doubles Ranking to play in an ATP Masters 1000 tournament — he was the World No. 88 — he received a new proposal from Nadal to play in Indian Wells. It was a risky idea, but a winning one. The gamble lay in the fact that he would be travelling to the United States just to play in the tournament in the California desert, as Nadal was not planning on playing doubles in Miami.

“My schedule wasn’t very clear, because I was at a time of transition in my career, and I was close to not going. He told me that in Miami he wouldn’t play in the doubles, so I would only go to the U.S. swing to play one tournament. I wasn’t sure, but thankfully I thought about it hard and it’s clear that you can never say no to a chance to play with Rafa,” the Barcelona native now remembers with the peace of mind of knowing that he made the right decision.

After bouncing back in a tough opener against Leander Paes and Lukas Dlouhy, the third seeds, 6-4, 3-6, 10-6, the Spaniards would not lose another set in the tournament.

“I remember that I was very happy about winning that first match," López says. "In the end, it was a unique feeling for me winning each match, because I had barely played in the Masters 1000 tournaments."

ATP Heritage: Milestones. Records. Legends.

In the second round, they defeated countrymen Feliciano López and Fernando Verdasco. In the quarter-finals, they saw off Michael Llodrá and Andy Ram, and in the semi-finals they cruised past Simon Aspelin and Paul Hanley.

In the final, Lopez and Nadal put the cherry on the cake against top seeds Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic, coincidentally the same opponents they beat for their first title in Doha the year before.

“It was my first big tournament. We were playing some really great games and the final was against the same two we beat in the final in Doha. It changed everything for me. I entered the Top 30 in the world and was able to play in Miami with another partner (Thomaz Bellucci).”

My Point: Get The Players' Point Of View

It was a special tournament. Not only did Marc have the chance to win alongside a friend, win his first Masters 1000 title and seal a place in Miami, but it also proved to be the final step in believing he was good enough to win big tournaments and establish himself among the elite of the FedEx ATP Doubles Rankings.

“I remember that I wasn’t sponsored by any brand: I was wearing Wilson shoes, a Babolat shirt... let’s just say my outfit was not that of a first-class professional tennis player, but I remember it with great affection.”

That Saturday, Marc proved that he had made the right decision and Rafa, as well as a friend, had an excellent doubles player beside him.

“We didn’t plan on winning the tournament here, so we’re very happy. We really enjoy playing together, it’s our second title. It will probably be difficult to repeat, because it’s a very big one”, Nadal said.

Did You Know?
Lopez and Nadal won their second BNP Paribas Open doubles title together in 2012.

ATPTour.com looks back at Gasquet's early breakthroughs in Monte-Carlo
Richard Gasquet has enjoyed a successful career, climbing as high as No. 7 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, winning 542 tour-level matches and lifting 15 ATP Tour trophies. This month, the 33-year-old hit 15 consecutive years inside the Top 100.

But it all started for him at the 2002 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. At 15, Gasquet received a wild card into qualifying. The Frenchman took full advantage, making history.

After qualifying without dropping a set — including a 6-1, 6-1 victory against Nikolay Davydenko — Gasquet became the youngest player to win an ATP Masters 1000 match, defeating World No. 54 Franco Squillari to reach the second round of the main draw. He remains the youngest tour-level match winner since Tommy Ho at 1988 Rye Brook.

“It’s a great memory. I remember it, but it’s such a long time [ago],” Gasquet said in 2018. “It’s crazy. I was a child. I remember I came here, I got a wild card. I came with my father and my mother was [also[ there. I never expected to win against Squillari and play Marat Safin. it was a dream; that’s why I always dreamed to play tennis.”


Less than two years earlier, Squillari reached a career-high World No. 11. The Argentine had recently played well in Miami, advancing past David Nalbandian, Goran Ivanisevic and Thomas Enqvist. But he struggled against Gasquet’s pressure, as the Frenchman converted all eight of his break points.

Gasquet next played former World No. 1 Marat Safin, and the Russian prevailed 6-4, 6-1. At 15, the Frenchman was unable to find the energy to match Safin’s power after playing three previous matches at the event.

You May Also Like: Tribute: Gasquet, 'Le Monsieur', Reaches Elite Status With 500th Win
“It's already very good to be in the second round of such a tournament, so the only thing you can feel is happiness,” Gasquet said at the time. “He played well. He is among the best players in the world. It's not easy to play against such a player. My score was a good one. It wasn't easy.”

That wasn’t the only early success Gasquet had in Monte-Carlo. At 18, he upset World No. 1 Roger Federer 6-7(1), 6-2, 7-6(8), finishing his win with a backhand down the line, which would become one of his signature shots.

Watch over 165 classic ATP Tour matches from the 90s

Perhaps fittingly, Gasquet earned his 500th tour-level win in Monte-Carlo two years ago, beating Mischa Zverev to reach the quarter-finals that year.

“Of course it’s not the same face. I’m a little bit older,” Gasquet said, before cracking a joke. “Less hair now, that’s a problem.”