Nadal wins his first Roland Garros in 2005. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau)
Rafa Nadal will leave tennis in the coming days as a professional player after a career full of successes, epic points and comebacks only available to the Manacorí. The Spaniard will seek to further enhance his legend with a new trophy for Spain in the Davis Cup in Malagawhere the Spanish start with possibilities by having Carlos Alcaraz and the Balearic Islands himself on the national team.
However, in the memory of Nadal’s triumphs he will always stand out. the first one who marked the successful career of the Spanish in the land of Paris: are 2005 Roland Garros. From that moment on, the city of Paris has found in Rafa an emblem, a hero, a tennis player who has marked generations of children in the French country and around the world. But on that first occasion, it was not easy at all: the Balearic player had to win after coming back against the Argentine Mariano Puertasomething in which he has always been a specialist.
In 2005, a young and somewhat unknown Nadal arrived at his first final at the Philippe Chatrier with the maximum enthusiasm and level of play. Although at that time it was still in its infancy, it is true that there were players who were already they had heard of him and they knew of his talent. like german Lars Burgsmullerwhom Nadal faced in the first round in his debut in France. “Everyone was already talking about Rafa Nadal, everyone said he was going to become a great player,” he commented.
The matches were not easy for Nadal who was 19 years old at the time. On his way he had to face to face with high level playerswhere the great Roger Federer. They were found in semi-finalsand all bets were placed against the Spanish. But this one gave the surprise: the balearic devastated Federer in four sets and reached the final in his first edition at Roland Garros.
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, when they were young.
In the decisive match awaited him Mariano Puertaan Argentine player who was facing his greatest opportunity in sports, but who had the misfortune of running into what would end up being a true hurricane on clay. The Argentine started well and the first set was scored with a tight 7-6 that was decided in the tiebreaker. However, from that moment, the beast woke up: The Balearic was activated and swept Puerta in the next two sets. However, in the fourth set, the Argentine was able to force the fifth set, but Rafa did not allow it and closed the match finally with a 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 and 7-5 after coming back from that first set.
In this way, the path of thorns suffered by Rafa in 2004when he could not go to Paris because injuries throughout the season, was left behindand thus began the beginning of a historical legacy that is difficult to overcome on a track that idolizes the Spaniard for what he is: a legend of world sport.
Rafa Nadal retires from tennis: “Thank you all a thousand times”
An honor, and it was a moment I will always cherish, even if the outcome wasn’t what I had hoped for.
Thank you for joining us today, Lars and Mariano. Let’s start by discussing your memories of Rafa Nadal’s first Roland Garros victory in 2005. Lars, as an opponent in his first round, can you share your thoughts on how impressive he was back then?
Lars Burgsmüller: I remember it vividly. Everyone was already talking about Rafa Nadal back then, and everyone said he was going to become a great player. In fact, when we played, people were more interested in him than any other player. I was just glad to be on the court with him because he was so young but already very skilled. It was clear that he would achieve big things, and it’s amazing to see how right everyone was about that.
Mariano Puerta: Well, for me, it was a dream come true to play in the finals of Roland Garros, and unfortunately, it was against Nadal. I had a good start and won the first set, but from there, it was all downhill. Nadal showed why he is one of the greatest players of all time in that match. He was unstoppable on clay, and I wish I could’ve done better against him. Nevertheless, I have nothing but admiration for his career and what he’s accomplished.
Lars, can you tell us what it was like to witness Nadal’s rise to stardom, especially during that tournament in 2005?
Lars Burgsmüller: It was surreal. You could feel the excitement in the air as soon as he stepped onto the court. People knew he was something special, and they couldn’t wait to see him play. I remember after that tournament, everyone started talking about him more and more, and it wasn’t long before he became a household name. His success has been nothing short of incredible.
Mariano, how did it feel to be on the other side of that historic match against Nadal?
Mariano Puerta: To be honest, it was tough. I knew that beating him would be a massive achievement for me, but it quickly became clear that it wasn’t going to happen. He raised his game to another level, and I just couldn’t keep up. However, I don’t regret anything. Playing against someone like Nadal is
