Álex Corretja: “Una de las cosas más importantes del tenis y de la vida es saber borrar lo que acaba de suceder”
Estuvo varias veces a punto de ser el primer tenista español en ser número uno del mundo y fue el último de los nuestros en levantar la Copa de Maestros, en 1998. Como comentarista se ha forjado una carrera de éxito gracias a una mezcla de conocimiento, capacidad comunicativa y cercanía
Paris, June 10, 2001. In the midst of a Roland Garros final, a furious tennis player storms into the locker room. He had just hit a winning reverse off the court by a "damn centimeter" that would have broken his opponent's serve and put him up two sets in the match. However, the set had flown and now the final was in a best-of-three scenario.
The player is Álex Corretja, who lost the previous year's final to Carlos Moyá. He had returned to the tournament this time, facing Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten. His preparation had been intensive, skipping the pre-season in December for an early January start. He traveled to Sierra Nevada to train at altitude and boost his red blood cells, accompanied by a sparring partner, a fellow runner, a physical trainer, a coach, a medical team, and a nutritionist.
All focused on Roland Garros. As the score tied, Corretja looked in the mirror and said, "You're never going to win this ridiculous tournament." He stepped onto the court, and Kuerten served him 6-2 / 6-0 in the two following sets.
Written by urgent.news from El Pais's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
