Flying Dutchman batters Coria
By Nyree Epplett
Friday, June 6, 2003
Before last week he'd never won a singles match at a Grand Slam tournament.
Not one. He'd never even played in the main draw at Roland Garros. This
Sunday, the 'Flying Dutchman' Martin Verkerk will aim to clinch the men's
singles crown and become the first player to win on his debut since Mats
Wilander in 1982.
Not bad for a guy who contemplated giving up the game two years ago, because
he didn't think he had the will to win.
On Philippe Chatrier Court Friday, and against all odds, the big-serving,
46-ranked player from Leiderdorp belted his way past No7 seed Guillermo
Coria 7-6(4) 6-4 7-6(0) and into the final in under three hours. He will meet
No3 seed Juan Carlos Ferrero who ousted defending champion Albert Costa in
three sets.
"I'm really emotional about it," said Verkerk, who threw himself to the
ground in ecstasy and broke down in tears at the end of the match. "To be in
the final of Roland-Garros is a dream.
"I don't like to say it but it is unbelievable. For me it's a miracle. Not a
miracle, but it's a big thing."
Behind a thunderous first serve (average speed 198km/h), 19 aces and a
devastating selection of pulverizing groundstrokes, Verkerk overcame the
fastest player in men's tennis by doing what many believed he couldn't –
keeping his head under pressure and staying with the Argentine from the
baseline.
He took risks when it counted, ripping 62 winners to Coria's 31, taking 25
points at the net and using his brute strength to pin Coria to the baseline.
"I mean I don't know anymore what happened to me. It's like, the thing is
I'm playing well. So the main thing is that I worked really hard. So maybe
they say 'If you work hard, it comes one day.' And this is the day. Let's
keep it that way. I cannot explain it any other way," said 24-year-old
Verkerk whose refreshingly frank and often humorous post-match media
conferences have endeared him to the Roland-Garros press and fans alike.
"If you go two times that you want to quit the game because you think you're
not mentally strong enough, your father who puts in (who was my sponsor for
a few years), Nick (who puts his life in me, my coach) and all those things,
with one, with this result. I change my whole tennis life around from a
nobody to probably somebody who achieved something in tennis."
With the first set progressing on serve, and the nimble Argentine starting
to open up the court with his brilliant backhand down-the-line shot, things
looked bleak for Verkerk. Coria – who had beaten former champ Andre Agassi
in the last round - dominated from the baseline, caressing his groundstrokes
into the corners and making the Dutchman overplay his shots.
But Verkerk wound up his monstrous first serve, placing it wide to the
Argentine's forehand to open up the court and close out the tiebreak.
An incensed Coria threw his racquet into the back of the court, hitting a
ball boy on the full, an act which can be penalized by instant default.
The Argentine immediately apologized to the ball boy and the umpire,
removing his shirt and handing it to the ball boy as a keepsake. Intense
discussions between the tournament referee, assistant referee, ball boy and
Coria ensued in the break, before the match was allowed to resume.
Verkerk was happy that his opponent's semi final encounter didn't end on that
point. "He was too nice. He said to me sorry. He said to everybody sorry.
You see also at the end what kind of sportsman he is, so I'm really happy
that he was not disqualified."
Surprisingly, the No7 seed immediately rebounded to break the Dutchman's
serve in the opening game of the second set, after stunning his opponent
with two magnificent drop shots and watching a Verkerk forehand float over
the baseline.
But Verkerk rallied to break back in the fourth game and again in the tenth,
taking the set when Coria dumped a drop shot followed by a forehand into the
net, and then sprayed another forehand wide.
Coria broke again early in the third set to lead 3-2 but the Dutchman
snatched the break straight back with a screaming backhand crosscourt
winner. Coria saved six break points on his serve in the eighth game to
stand at 4-4 but his spirit had been broken and he slumped drastically in
the tiebreak to hand the Dutchman his berth in the final.
"He was much better in the first set. My serve kept me in the match," said
Verkerk, adding that he was far from relaxed on court today. "I didn't feel
my legs. I was really tired at the end."
At match point the charismatic Dutchman - realizing he was about to
experience a life-changing moment - saw his whole life flash before him.
"I mean because I saw the ground, you know, like the challengers. I mean
I was struggling. Two times I wanted to quit with tennis because I was
mentally not good.
"Your whole life goes by, the hard work, the cramping on the court at
practice, the running because I'm not really enjoying running.
"It was already change to be in quarter final, but to make a final of a
Grand Slam, I don't know what's gonna happen with me. I always will be
the same, that's what I know, relax. I mean not be arrogant and everything.
Verkerk, who hadn't appeared inside the top 100 until last year, said that
he would have laughed off suggestions of him appearing in a Grand Slam final
at the beginning of the year. "You will say 'Okay, you lost it maybe a little
in your head. So relax a little," he grinned.
But each victory on the red dirt this past fortnight has injected a little
bit of confidence into the 1.91m Dutchman and he now believes he has a real
chance of capturing the singles title. He doesn't think the occasion will
prove too overwhelming either.
"No it's not too much. It was already too much to get to the quarters or
semis. I don't like to say it about myself but to come on a big occasion
with the crowd and everything, from the first ball on, I don't feel pressure
or nervous or anything.
"I'm close by. I can beat Moya, I can beta Coria, why I cannot beat Costa or
Ferrero?"
If Verkerk wins on Sunday he will become the first unseeded champion since
Gustavo Kuerten in 1997.
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