“Its’ always been my dream to win this tournament,” said Nadal, who became the first man to win in his debut since Mats Wilander in 1982. “It was such a tough match and a great
final.”
In a highly competitive and entertaining match between two talented left-handers, Nadal put up a defensive wall against the streaky Argentine, pulling off amazing shots on the run when it looked like he was totally out of points.
The 19-year-old Spaniard and the 26-year-old Argentine wowed the sold-out crowd on Court Phillipe Chatrier, going end to end chasing down each other’s heavily topspinned blows. But in the end, it was Nada’s ability to exhaust Puerta that keyed his victory, as he mixed in deft drop shots, slapping backhands
and heavy forehand to every part of the court.
Puerta had won two heroic matches against Guillermo Canas and Nicolay Davydenko coming into the final, but couldn’t muster up enough magic in the fourth set.
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