2 Responses to hamburg98costa_corretja

1. Voo de Mar says:

   December 7, 2023 at 12:33 pm

   ## Corretja’s route to the final which wore him down:
   2 Alami 6-2, 4-6, 6-3… 1:58h
   3 Bruguera 6-7(0), 6-4, 6-3… 2:26h
   Q Kuerten 4-6, 7-6(8), 6-4… 2:47h
   S Mantilla 6-2, 3-6, 6-3… 2:12h

   Big physical crisis hit him already at the beginning of the 3rd set vs Mantilla when he held to lead 3:1 after 10 deuces.
   After that match Corretja said: “I do not know how I won – this is the most tired I have ever felt on a tennis court.”

   Before Corretja, also Medvedev in Paris ’93 and Muster in Cincinnati ’97 advanced to the “Mercedes Super 9” finals,
   having won four matches 2-1, they were defeated in the finals in straight sets
   

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2. Voo de Mar says:

   December 7, 2023 at 12:31 pm

   Points won by each set: | 35-22, 26-9, 5-3… |
   Points won directly on serve:
   14 % Costa – 7 of 50
   10 % Corretja – 5 of 48

   Strange tournament for Costa [26], his only Masters 1K title. # In the first round he miraculously survived against the triple champion of the event, then easily won five matches, the last two actually not even sweating! Corretja [9] could do the same what Kucera did a day before (retirement after 16 minutes), but it was the final, so he didn’t want to disappoint the crowd. His movement was visibly limited from the beginning, thus he was trying to implement unnatural tactics for himself: serve-and-volley. When he lost 11 straight games, he took a medical time-out, and after a consultation with a trainer, he decided not to prolong. “I felt I was dying on court, but I prefer to live,” Corretja said apologising to the crowd, which applauded loudly. ## He hadn’t any injury, he was simply exhausted after four consecutive three-setters within four days against baseliners, and felt that in the almost 30-degree temperature (unusually hot there), he had no idea how to potentially play five sets against the ‘fresh like a daisy’ compatriot. Two days after the Hamburg final they participate in another big event in Rome; Corretja wins his opening match, loses in the second round while Costa suffers similar destiny like his friend one week earlier – having played 11 matches in 13 days, he also feels that has not enough in the tank (struggling with his wrist at the end of the semifinal) to face a classy opponent (Rios) in a ‘best of five’ final and decides not even to enter the court.

   Costa’s route to his 7th title:
   1 Andrei Medvedev 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(3) – 2 m.p.
   2 Oliver Gross 6-2, 6-2
   3 Wayne Ferreira 6-3, 6-3
   Q Fabrice Santoro 6-3, 6-4
   S Karol Kucera 3-0 ret. [foot blisters]
   W Alex Corretja 6-2, 6-0, 1-0 ret. [fatigue]

   Serve and volley: Costa 1/1, Corretja 4/14

   # Costa trailed 6-3, 1-6, 1:4* against the defending champion, having problems with his back, later on 3:5 and at 4:5 he saved two match points returning (first Medvedev committed a double fault, then Costa played a stop-volley winner). The longest Costa’s match that week, didn’t last even two hours anyway. Costa’s second title when he saved a match point in the first round (previously it happened in Gstaad ’96).

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