Félix Mantilla Botella 

Born: September 23, 1974 in Barcelona (Catalonia)
Height: 1.80 m
Plays: Right-handed

The son of schoolteachers, he initiated playing at the age of ten… The late 90s marked the beginning of a golden era for Spanish tennis (it lasted more than 20 years in total), as evidenced by their first Davis Cup title in 2000. Sergi Bruguera, once hailed as the “King of Clay,” saw his dominance wane, while the sensational French Open runner-up of 1994, Alberto Berasategui, struggled to replicate his earlier successes on clay. Nonetheless, they remained dangerous, as a new generation of young Spaniards emerged (in order of birth): Àlex Corretja, Félix Mantilla, Albert Costa, Carlos Moyá and Juan Carlos Ferrero.
With smaller ATP events kicking off on clay, it became predictable that at least one of the Spanish youngsters would reach the final. Mantilla, however, achieved less than his peers – he’s the only one from that group without a Grand Slam final or participation in the “Masters”. Despite his prowess on clay, he struggled to adapt his style to faster surfaces, yet he played four finals on hardcourts. In 1997, Mantilla enjoyed his best season, clinching five clay-court titles, reaching his first significant final in Hamburg, and playing a pivotal role alongside A.Costa in Spain’s World Team Cup triumph. Those results positioned him as one of favorites for the French Open ’98, but he faltered in the semifinal to Moyá, who went on to defeat Corretja in the final. Despite this setback, Mantilla’s patience, super-confident topspin backhand, and fighting spirit allowed him to achieve numerous victories in subsequent years including a title in Barcelona – an exceedingly important event for all Spaniards, who wield their racquets for a living.
Mantilla stood out for his unique clothing style, being the sole male player known for using the ball holder clip, a practical accessory predominantly favored by female players. It’s also worth mentioning his ability to dig out of hopeless situations: he displayed remarkable resilience, saving nine match points in two clay-court matches, with triple MP-down on both occasions (!) – first time he did it against Berasategui in Hamburg ’98 trailing 1:5 in the 3rd set when began facing match points, for the second time against another Spaniard, Albert Portas in Palermo ’01 when found himself at 2-6, 3:5* (0/40); moreover he came back from a 2:5 deficit in the 3rd set against A.Costa at Monte Carlo ’99, withstanding four match points before losing the semifinal…
In 2002, his performance declined, but he bounced back in Rome 2003, stunning the tennis world as No. 47. His route to the title was sensational, defeating six “Top 10 players,” including Roger Federer in the championship match. Following this triumph, he reflected: “When I come to Rome, I always feel like a gladiator in the Colosseum. […] The people enjoy watching me. I’m just running and fighting all the time. I don’t have the serve of Sampras or the volley of Rafter or the talent of Agassi, but I am strong physically, I am strong mentally.” Understandably, it was his swan song at 29. His last match appeared to be at the US Open 2005 when he faced Guillermo Coria, ending the season due to shoulder problems. In 2006, a diagnosis of skin cancer prompted him to take a 1.5-year break from hitting the ball. Upon his return, he played a few events, mixing Challengers with ATP tournaments. The final two matches of his career were against Robin Haase, concluding with consecutive losses.
Mantilla’s mentality was enigmatic; while he staged astonishing comebacks from multiple match points down and was also able to win three straight five-setters at the Australian Open 2003 (before losing round 4 in five), he catastrophically struggled in deciding tie-breaks (a miserable 8-20 record), notably losing three of them to Ferrero, whom he never defeated in eight meetings.

Career record: 313–218 [ 225 events ]
Career titles: 10
Highest ranking: No. 10
Best GS results:
Aussie Open (quarterfinal 1997)
Roland Garros (semifinal 1998)
World Team Cup 1997 champion