Ferrero seeks sweet revenge
By Guillaume Baraise
Thursday, June 5, 2003
Revenge is a dish best served cold. One long year after tasting bitter defeat
at the hands of Albert Costa in the 2002 Roland-Garros Final, third seed Juan
Carlos Ferrero now has a chance to take cool, calculating vengeance on the man
who stole his French Open dream. The man from Valencia is being tipped to beat
the man from nearby Barcelona, but that favorite status didn't help Ferrero
much last year and is unlikely to have any bearing against a man who has held
onto his title with unbelievable tenacity so far.
CURRENT FORM
Juan Carlos Ferrero readily admitted he was given the fright of his life by
Fernando Gonzalez in their gruelling five-set quarter final. The bookies'
favourite struggled to banish the demon of self-doubt in a match he should
have won more comfortably. That fragile confidence is virtually the only chink
in the armour of a player who is otherwise ideally kitted out for clay court
success. Prior to the Gonzalez hiccup, the Spaniard had only lost one set all
tournament long; that was the first in his match against Tim Henman, and he
punished the Englishman for his impudence thereafter. His clay court record
this season is unblemished. He retained his Monte-Carlo title before returning
home for the Valencia tournament where he won again. A muscle tear forced him
to retire against Roger Federer in the semi finals in Rome, but the enforced
period of rest that ensued can only have done him good. He looked tired in
last year's final remember, so a pre-Grand Slam break was probably just what
the doctor ordered.
Tired? Did I hear tired? Albert Costa does not know the meaning of the word.
Only the fourth man in history to win four five-set matches in a Grand Slam,
the reigning champion has hung onto his title with a stubborn determination
that has sometimes bordered on obsession. Two sets to love, 4-1 and break
point down in the third set of his first round match against qualifier Sergio
Roitman, the Catalan should have been watching the rest of the tournament from
the comfort of his armchair. That would have made him the only holder ever to
lose his opening match though, and Costa is one proud man. The Spaniard
rallied, staging the comeback of his life to make the second round. Unable to
get his game going, he was forced to five sets by Radek Stepanek before
prevailing. Another marathon match against Nicolas Lapentti and another
fightback from two sets down saw him through the third round. At last, in his
fourth round match with Arnaud Cl戗ent, everything clicked and he won in
straight sets. Then, against Tommy Robredo in the quarter finals, he had to
dig deeper than anyone has ever done at Roland-Garros and win for the fourth
time in five sets. The never-say-die champ must feel he is invincible and has
the psychological advantage over Ferrero having beaten him in last year's
final.
STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES
Juan Carlos Ferrero was born to win Roland-Garros. After all, he has the
perfect game to win here: power, stamina, tactical know-how, technique. His
wickedly bouncing forehand usually gives him an edge, and his backhand down-
the-line is one of the best game. As soon as an opponent is pushed back far
enough he picks them off with a deft drop shot. His first serve has come on a
lot, and his second virtually impossible to attack. Lightning fast, he is an
accomplished clay court slider. Virtually unbeatable when he plays at his
best, his form can dip alarmingly when he loses confidence as demonstrated
against Gonzalez and Costa last year. Panic spells failure against a player
of Costa's class, so he must keep his nerve if he is to take his revenge.
It hardly needs saying after his performances so far, but Albert Costa is one
heck of an athlete. His staying power in the four five-setters has been quite
breathtaking. While his adversaries have wilted in the heat, the Catalan has
found the resources to battle on. The man from Barcelona has mastered the art
of the clay court slide to perfection and gets around the court faster than
most. He is a little slow to get going sometimes, as witnessed in his matches
here, but when his back is against the wall there is no-one better. His
backhand is a peach of a shot and his lifted forehand hard to control.
A drop-shot specialist, he is superior to Ferrero at the net but a less
effective server.
PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS
They have met five times before, Costa winning three of them, but obviously
the match that has most import here is last year's Roland-Garros final.
Ferrero missed the boat then, only getting his game together in the third set,
by which time it was too late.
1999 - Kitzbuhel - clay - Quarter final - Albert COSTA - 3-6 6-2 6-3
2001 - Barcelone - clay - 2R - Juan Carlos FERRERO - 6-4 3-6 6-3
2001 - Hambourg - clay - Semi final - Juan Carlos FERRERO - 6-1 6-2
2002 - Hambourg - clay - 1R - Albert COSTA - 2-6 6-3 6-4
2002 - Roland-Garros clay - Final - Albert COSTA - 6-1 6-0 4-6 6-3
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