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'We're cool, you know'
On, off court Spanish players a close-knit corps
Posted: Sunday June 07, 1998 04:45 PM
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Spanish compatriots Alex Corretja and Carlos Moya hug after the championship match (AP) |
PARIS (AP) -- They travel together, play video games together, practice together, party together. And win together.
They're nice guys, too.
What is it about these Spanish players?
"We're cool, you know," says Alex Corretja.
Whatever it is, an ever-growing crop of Spanish players keeps on getting better. On Sunday, Carlos Moya, perhaps the most promising of the bunch, won the French Open title in straight sets over countryman Corretja.
A day earlier, the dependable Arantxa Sanchez Vicario assured a Spanish sweep when she beat Monica Seles for her third title at Roland Garros.
And there were many others to take note of in Paris: Felix Mantilla, who reached the semis; Albert Costa, Alberto Berasategui and Francisco Clavet, all of whom reached the round of 16.
"We have around millions of guys on the tour now," Corretja said.
The players' box, often a site of tense coexistence between rival clans, looked like a family picnic on Sunday. Moya's family hugged that of Corretja when the match was over. Sanchez Vacario was there, and so was her mother. Everybody was happy.
In fact, loser Corretja was pretty cheery, too. He hurdled the net after the match to congratulate his buddy. He knocked around a soccer ball on the victory stand with Moya and Pele, the soccer great.
And he came into the post-match news conference with a big smile.
"I'm really happy because I've been playing well for the last two weeks, and I lost to a really good friend of mine," he said.
Why are the Spanish players so close? One reason is that they grow up together. The Spanish tennis federation has developed a tiered system of training centers. Talent is spotted in youngsters, and developed early on.
All the top players are based in Barcelona, meaning three of the four men's semifinalists this year live in the same town.
And in contrast to some American stars, who travel and mix only with their own entourage, the Spanish players spend a lot of time together on the tour. Moya, Mantilla and Corretja went out for ice cream and video games to celebrate their quarterfinals wins.
The solidarity on tour helps the players do well, Corretja says.
"You have a lot of trouble going around and seeing people who just want to beat you," he said. "It's great if you have some friends who can help you once you feel sad, or if somebody just beat you, and you go to the hotel and just feel alone in the room."
At 21, Moya seems to have the brightest future of all.
He stormed into prominence at the 1997 Australian Open, beating defending champion Boris Becker in the first round, then beating Michael Chang, and getting all the way to the final, where he lost to Pete Sampras.
He also got a lot of attention in Australia for his long-haired, dashing good looks. But mostly, he showed that a so-called clay-court specialist also can win on the harder surfaces.
Moya has more all-court weapons than some of his compatriots, and will move to the No. 5 ranking this week.
"If I win Wimbledon, maybe I'm No. 1, huh?" he said with a smile, knowing his chances of winning on grass are remote.
Corretja has yet to win a Grand Slam title, but has at least shown he has the perseverance to do it. He's perhaps best known for his marathon match against Sampras at the 1996 U.S. Open, when he took the American to a fifth-set tiebreaker, then lost on a double fault after Sampras had vomited on court.
Now Corretja just wants to keep up with buddy Moya.
"Geez, he just won a Grand Slam already," he said. "I've got to push a little bit."
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