Ferrero seeks sweet revenge By Guillaume Baraise
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 Clément, 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
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 Clément, 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
