Thread by @Yolitatennis

On May 26th. 2005, I saw @DjokerNole play for the first time and became a fan.
I remember calling my husband and telling him:"Look at this boy. He'll be #1 one day". Little did I know how much more he would be.
To celebrate this 14th anniversary, I decided to reminisce. ❤️

We need to go back one more year, to 2004,to Roland Garros. I loved that tournament because the entire "Legión Argentina" was there: Cañas, Zabaleta, Calleri, Chela, Mónaco, Nalbandian, Gaudio, Coria... I loved them all... I wanted all Argentinian SFs and almost got my wish.😍

But my favourite of them all was Guillermo Coria.
Tennis is a cruel sport, and even now, after all the heart-breaks I've endured as a Nole fan, nothing compares to that RG final in 2004.
He had it, Coria did... until he didn't.😰
He was devastated. 😰

We didn't know then that that had been his last chance, that Nadal would become the owner of Roland Garros for over a decade.
We hoped. And we endured the two losses to Nadal in the Monte Carlo&Rome finals -one of the best clay matches ever- because we had hopes for RG.

When the time came, I checked the draw and Coria's draw was kind. I was hopeful. 😀 In the second round he was due to play a qualifier from Serbia-Montenegro.
I checked him out: youngest player in the draw, just turned 18, ranked 153. I breathed a sigh of relief. 😅

The day of the match, a boy who looked 14 came out, looking all intense. He was broken to start, fought hard, kept fighting, got broken a second time and went to the changeover 0-3. He also looked totally out of breath. So I was relaxed and went to get a cup of coffee.

When I came upstairs, the score was 3-3 and I immediately started remembering the final the year before. 😫This boy was dictating play, bashing the ball with abandon, toying with Coria. I couldn't believe it. The boy took the first set. 😱Not before having called the doctor.

He couldn't breathe, he said, but he'd try to finish the match.
The match was full of drama, of course 😛, and eventually Novak Djokovic retired.
At that moment I realised in horror that I had switched sides. That at some point I had started to root for the youngster. 😱

I felt very guilty, but there was nothing I could do. I was invested in this young boy who had mesmerised me with his game and personality.

Looking back on that 1st. match, it had the essentials in Novak's matches: his BHDTL, his killer forehand, his bad drop-shots. 😂

He was a very aggressive player. He applauded his opponent's good shots, he berated his gods for the lack of luck...vintage Novak.😍

We also had unfair commentary by Mary Carillo, doubting his ailments, and a fairer Cliff Drysdale.

We had a comeback from 0-3 to win the set.

We had a return winner, like the famous "lucky shot".

Everything was there. New and irresisitble.

I could feel this boy was special and meant for great things.

But I never imagined then that I was watching for the first time the best tennis player I'd see in my entire life. ❤️