Felix Mantilla: the gladiator?s finest hour
With his surprising title at the Italian Open this weekend, Spanish veteran Felix Mantilla stamped his name among the men to watch at Roland Garros later this month. While we are used to seeing surprise winners at the Hamburg Masters Series -- the names of Roberto Carretero and Albert Portas may ring a bell -- Mantilla was the first unseeded player to win the tradition-filled Rome event since Australia's Martin Mulligan in 1963.
It would be a mistake to place the 28-year-old Mantilla in the same basket as the modest Carretero and Portas, or even Martin Mulligan. Felix was a French Open semifinalist in 1998 (when he lost to eventual champion Carlos Moya in four sets), a year in which he also briefly broke into the top ten. But the Spaniard had fallen off the radar of most tennis observers since he suffered a shoulder injury and underwent surgery in the summer of 2000. His return to the tour in 2001 was marked by a title in Paler
mo, but very spotty results in the more important tourneys.
Things may have turned around for Mantilla on the North American hard courts last summer. On a rainy July evening in Toronto, Felix earned a confidence-boosting 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over number one Lleyton Hewitt. ?It's a special day for me,? said the Spaniard after the Hewitt win. ?It showed me the way, and now it's in my hands to keep improving." Two weeks later Mantilla kept the good vibes going, reaching the Indianapolis final (losing a tight three-setter to Greg Rusedski). He also started 2002 well,
reaching the round of 16 at the Australian Open and semifinals in Auckland and Acapulco.
In Rome this week he excelled, beating former Roland Garros champions Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Albert Costa on his way to the final, where he toppled one of the hottest players on tour, Roger Federer, 7-5, 6-2, 7-6 (10-8). It was a gritty performance, in which Mantilla fought furiously and saved 14 of 17 break points.
Mantilla is something of a lone wolf on tour. He has tended to keep his distance from the other top Spanish players of his generation, Alex Corretja, Carlos Moya and Albert Costa. It has sometimes been a little difficult to warm up to Mantilla, who often presents a gruff exterior. However, after the Rome title he showed a more sensitive side, shedding tears during the trophy presentation as he described his joy at winning ?the biggest victory
of my career?.
Mantilla credits his success to a number of factors that came together for him this spring. He began to use a new racquet last month in Monte Carlo, where he played well a narrow three-set loss to eventual champion Juan Carlos Ferrero. ?That gave me more power in my shots.? He has also been putting in long hours of off-court physical training, and says that his strong early season play gave him a better feeling on court. ?For me, it's important just to believe that I can be
strong out there.?
It?s been a long road from the operating table back to the elite for Felix Mantilla. ?I didn?t believe that I could get back to this level after my shoulder injury,? he admitted after the Rome final. Felix will be going to Paris filled with confidence, and with a new identity -- the gladiator! He had asked that music from the film of the same name be played before the final, ?because I feel like a gladiator fighting in the Coliseum.? The Romans also noted that Mantilla, who now sports a beard, looks
somewhat like Russell Crowe in the film.
We suspect that anyone entering the arena against him in Paris later this month had better be ready for battle. ?Mentally,? warns Mantilla, ?I have never been as strong as I am now.?