The day that Nadal beat Coria in Rome: “One of the hardest games of my life”

Next week the Italic Forum in Rome was to host the Masters 1,000 from the Italian capital with the presence of the great figures of the ATP and WTA circuit. In the Roman tournament Rafa Nadal was looking to defend the title he achieved last year 15 years after his first victory on Italian clay.

The ATP wanted to remember on its website how the Nadal's first win in the Foro Italico after winning Guillermo Coria in a final agony that went to 5 hours and 14 minutes long and ended with the results of 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6 and 7-6 (6) for Spanish. “I am very happy, today I played one of the hardest games of my life”Nadal, who was 18 at the time, confessed at the end of the game.

Nadal was seen again with Coria, whom he defeated a few weeks earlier in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters 1,000 to add his first title on the Monegasque clay. The Argentine seemed to take revenge when in the fifth and final set he went 3-0 in favor. “I think the support of the public was very important to me because when I went 0-3 in the fifth I ran out of strength. But the public did not stop supporting me and that made me win the game.”

Coria himself surrendered to Nadal after the courage of the Balearic to lift that adverse situation. “I am not satisfied because I have run for five hours to lose by two points. I'm very disappointed. It is normal, but I lost against a top player who played a great game. He was very close to beating him, but he was very confident, he has made incredible blows. I think few players can hit that hard. “