As much as tennis fans all over the world might feel sadness at Alex Corretja’s decision to retire, the man himself has no regrets. Speaking on the day when his retirement was officially marked by a special ceremony during Spain’s Davis Cup by BNP Paribas tie against Italy in Santander, Corretja said he will head into retirement without a backward glance.
No regrets for Corretja
“I don’t have any mixed feelings,” said the 32-year-old from Barcelona, whose 15-year career was curtailed by a stubborn eye injury. “My emotions are clear. I am very happy about everything I achieved and everything I did in my life on and off the court. I gave 100 per cent all the time and I’m leaving the profession of tennis very happy about the way I achieved everything.”
Corretja’s biggest achievement as a player was winning the Masters Cup indoors in Hanover in 1998, when, having already saved match points to get past Pete Sampras in the semis, he came from two sets down in the final to beat compatriot Carlos Moya in five sets.
Corretja won a further 16 titles on the ATP tour, was twice runner-up at Roland Garros (in 1998 and 2001) and reached a career high of No. 2 in the ATP rankings.
Spanish Davis Cup stalwart
He also excelled when playing Davis Cup, appearing 20 times for Spain, most recently when partnering Feliciano Lopez in doubles in the 2003 final against Australia in Melbourne.
Undoubtedly his greatest achievement in Davis Cup came in 2000, when he helped his team defeat Australia in Barcelona to win the competition for the first time in history, but a special place will always remain in Corretja’s heart for the day, in April 2002, when he came from two sets down to beat Sampras on grass at the Westside Tennis Club in Houston during a World Group quarterfinal.
“Even now when I talk about it, it seems like kind of a miracle, because it was not normal to beat Sampras from two sets to love down on grass in America,” said Corretja. “You know, you hang in there. Some days you feel like you have something that you deserve and you don’t get it; other days you don’t expect anything and you have big surprises.
“The greatest moments are when you are on the court and the people are behind you. It’s something very special. When you play a regular tournament you play for one person; when you play for your country you play for many people and that is something I will always keep in my mind.”
Trophies not most important for Corretja
Yet for all that he was one of the most accomplished players of his generation, Corretja does not want to be remembered for trophies or titles. Ask him what makes him most proud about his career and the answer has little to do with how much silverware he won.
“Being recognised as a good person,” he answered. “That’s the most important thing for me and that’s what my parents thought was most important ever since I was a kid. Of course it’s nice if people recognise your titles but that will be secondary in the future, it won’t be the most important thing. The most important thing is that people remember me as someone that always tried to be clear with everyone and honest.”
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