Albert Costa
Encyclopedia
Albert Costa i Casals (born 25 June 1975, in Lleida
Lleida
Lleida is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida, as well as the largest city in the province and it had 137,387 inhabitants , including the contiguous municipalities of Raimat and Sucs. The metro area has about 250,000 inhabitants...

) is a former professional tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...

 player from Spain. He is best remembered for winning the men's singles title at the French Open in 2002.

Tennis career

Costa began playing tennis at the age of five. He first came to the tennis world's attention as an outstanding junior player. In 1993, he reached the French Open junior final and won the Orange Bowl. He turned professional later that year and quickly established a reputation as a strong clay court
Clay court
A clay court is one of the four different types of tennis court. Clay courts are made of crushed shale, stone or brick. The red clay is slower than the green, or Har-Tru "American" clay. The French Open uses clay courts, making it unique among the Grand Slam tournaments.Clay courts are more common...

 player. In 1994, he won two challenger series events and was named the ATP
Association of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...

's Newcomer of the Year.

Costa won his first top-level singles title in 1995 at Kitzbühel
Kitzbühel
-Demographic evolution:-Personalities:*Karl Wilhelm von Dalla Torre , entomologist and botanist*Alfons Walde , expressionist painter and architect*Peter Aufschnaiter , mountaineer and geographer...

. He won three further titles in 1996. In 1997, he won another two singles titles and was part of the Spanish team that won the World Team Cup
World Team Cup
The World Team Cup is the international team championship of the Association of Tennis Professionals . The tournament has been contested annually since 1978 and is generally considered to be second most prestigious men's team competition in tennis after the Davis Cup.Every year, the eight nations...

. He won another two singles titles in 1998, including the Tennis Masters Series event in Hamburg
Hamburg Masters
The German Open Hamburg, established in 1892, is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Hamburg, Germany and part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour. Originally a Grand Prix Tennis Tour event between 1978 and 1989 it was part of the Grand Prix Championship...

. Three further titles followed in 1999.

In 2000, Costa helped Spain win its first Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...

. He also captured a bronze medal in the men's doubles at the 2000 Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

 in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, partnering Álex Corretja
Àlex Corretja
Àlex Corretja i Verdegay is a former professional tennis player from Spain. During his career, he finished runner-up twice at the French Open . He won the ATP Tour World Championships in 1998 and reached his career-high singles ranking of world no. 2 in 1999...

.

Going into the French Open in 2002, Costa had not won a tour title since 1999 and was not considered to be among the favorites. In the fourth round, he defeated defending-champion Gustavo Kuerten
Gustavo Kuerten
Gustavo Kuerten is a retired former World No. 1 tennis player from Brazil. He won the French Open three times between 1997 and 2001, and was the Tennis Masters Cup champion in 2000...

 in straight sets. He followed up with a five-set victory over Argentina's Guillermo Cañas
Guillermo Cañas
Guillermo Ignacio Cañas , often referred to as Willy Cañas, is a retired Argentine professional tennis player. He was born in Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, and named after Argentine tennis star Guillermo Vilas. His highest singles ranking was 8th . After retirement Cañas took on coaching, he...

 in a quarterfinal. He then defeated fellow-Spaniard and long-time friend Corretja in a four-set semifinal. In the final, Costa came up against another Spaniard, Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat is a professional tennis player, and a former world no. 1 player, from Spain. He captured the men's singles title at the 2003 French Open, and in September of that year, he became the 21st player to hold the world no. 1 ranking. He was also the runner-up at the 2002...

. Ferrero had been in fine form in the run-up to the event and most observers considered him to be the heavy favourite going into the final. But Costa won in four sets – 6–1, 6–0, 4–6, 6–3 – to claim his only Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...

 title. The win propelled him to his career-high singles ranking of World No. 6 in July 2002.

Coming into the French Open as defending-champion in 2003, Costa spent a total of 21 hours and 15 minutes on court, winning four five-setters before eventually being knocked-out in a semifinal by Ferrero (who won the title).

During his career, Costa won 12 top-level singles titles. In 2005, he captured his first tour doubles title (in Doha
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...

, partnering Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...

).

Citing recurring injuries and lack of desire, he officially announced his retirement from competitive professional tennis on 21 April 2006, at the completion of the Open Seat 2006 in his hometown in Barcelona. In his last tournament, Costa defeated American Vincent Spadea and Slovakian Dominik Hrbatý
Dominik Hrbatý
Dominik Hrbatý is a retired professional tennis player from Slovakia.-Personal life:Hrbatý was born on 4 January 1978 in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. His father was an architecture engineer and his younger brother is an umpire...

 before losing 6–1, 5–7, 7–5 to Ferrero in the third round.

In December 2008, Costa was named Spain's Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...

 captain, replacing Emilio Sánchez Vicario. He is also currently coaching ATP pro Feliciano López
Feliciano López
Feliciano López Diaz-Guerra is a Spanish professional male tennis player. He was born in Toledo and now lives in the Spanish capital Madrid....

.

Personal

Less than a week after his 2002 French Open triumph, Costa married his long-time girlfriend Cristina Ventura. Àlex Corretja
Àlex Corretja
Àlex Corretja i Verdegay is a former professional tennis player from Spain. During his career, he finished runner-up twice at the French Open . He won the ATP Tour World Championships in 1998 and reached his career-high singles ranking of world no. 2 in 1999...

 was the best man at the wedding. The couple have twin daughters, Claudia and Alma, who were born in April 2001.

Singles: 1 (1-0)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Opponent in the final Score in the final
Winner 2002
2002 French Open - Men's Singles
Gustavo Kuerten was the defending champion, but lost in the fourth round to Albert Costa.Albert Costa won in the final 6–1, 6–0, 4–6, 6–3, against Juan Carlos Ferrero.-Seeds:# Lleyton Hewitt ...

 
French Open  Clay   Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat is a professional tennis player, and a former world no. 1 player, from Spain. He captured the men's singles title at the 2003 French Open, and in September of that year, he became the 21st player to hold the world no. 1 ranking. He was also the runner-up at the 2002...

6–1, 6–0, 4–6, 6–3

Singles: 3 (1-2)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Opponent in the final Score in the final
Runner-up 1996 Monte Carlo  Clay   Thomas Muster
Thomas Muster
Thomas Muster is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Austria. One of the world's leading clay court players in the 1990s, Muster won the 1995 French Open and at his peak was known as "The King of Clay." In addition, he won eight Masters 1000 series titles, placing him sixth on the all-time list...

6–3, 5–7, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2
Runner-up 1998 Rome
Rome Masters
The Italian Open is an annual tennis tournament held in Rome, Italy. It is the most prestigious red clay tennis tournament in the world after the French Open, with the men's competition being an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, and the women's...

 
Clay   Marcelo Ríos
Marcelo Ríos
Marcelo Andrés Ríos Mayorga is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Chile. Nicknamed El Chino and El zurdo de Vitacura , he became the first Latin American player to reach the top position on the Association of Tennis Professionals singles rankings in 1998. He held the World No...

walkover
Winner 1998 Hamburg
Hamburg Masters
The German Open Hamburg, established in 1892, is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Hamburg, Germany and part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour. Originally a Grand Prix Tennis Tour event between 1978 and 1989 it was part of the Grand Prix Championship...

 
Clay   Àlex Corretja
Àlex Corretja
Àlex Corretja i Verdegay is a former professional tennis player from Spain. During his career, he finished runner-up twice at the French Open . He won the ATP Tour World Championships in 1998 and reached his career-high singles ranking of world no. 2 in 1999...

6–2, 6–0, 1–0, retired

Singles

Wins (12)
Legend (Singles)
Grand Slam (1)
Tennis Masters Cup (0)
ATP Masters Series (1)
ATP Championship Series (2)
ATP Tour (8)

No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in the final Score in the final
1. 6 August 1995 Kitzbühel, Austria Clay   Thomas Muster
Thomas Muster
Thomas Muster is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Austria. One of the world's leading clay court players in the 1990s, Muster won the 1995 French Open and at his peak was known as "The King of Clay." In addition, he won eight Masters 1000 series titles, placing him sixth on the all-time list...

4–6, 6–4, 7–6(3), 2–6, 6–4
2. 14 July 1996 Gstaad
Allianz Suisse Open Gstaad
The Swiss Open is a tennis tournament held in Gstaad, Switzerland. Held since 1915, the tournament is played on outdoor clay courts...

, Switzerland
Clay   Félix Mantilla
Félix Mantilla Botella
Félix Mantilla Botella is a former Spanish professional tennis player, born in Barcelona. In common with many of his fellow countrymen, Mantilla's best surface is clay. While not as successful away from the clay, Mantilla also produced good hardcourt results...

4–6, 7–6(2), 6–1, 6–0
3. 11 August 1996 San Marino
San Marino Open
The San Marino CEPU Open is a professional tennis tournament played on red clay. It is currently part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Challenger Tour...

, San Marino
San Marino
San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino , is a state situated on the Italian Peninsula on the eastern side of the Apennine Mountains. It is an enclave surrounded by Italy. Its size is just over with an estimated population of over 30,000. Its capital is the City of San Marino...

Clay   Félix Mantilla
Félix Mantilla Botella
Félix Mantilla Botella is a former Spanish professional tennis player, born in Barcelona. In common with many of his fellow countrymen, Mantilla's best surface is clay. While not as successful away from the clay, Mantilla also produced good hardcourt results...

7–6(7), 6–3
4. 15 September 1996 Bournemouth
Brighton International
The Brighton International was a tennis tournament held in Brighton, UK. It was a WTA Tour event from 1978-1995 and an ATP Tour event from 1996-2000, upon the discontinuation of the women's tournament. The women's event was held in October....

, UK
Clay   Marc-Kevin Goellner
Marc-Kevin Goellner
Marc-Kevin Peter Goellner is a former professional tennis player from Germany.The son of a German diplomat, Goellner lived in Rio de Janeiro, Tel Aviv, Sydney as a youngster before moving to Germany in 1986. In 1990, he suffered two torn ligaments in his left foot, which almost ended his tennis...

6–7(4), 6–2, 6–2
5. 20 April 1997 Barcelona
Torneo Godó
The Barcelona Open also known as Torneo Godó, Trofeo Conde de Godó, Open Banco Sabadell, is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players. The event has been held annually in Barcelona, Spain since 1953, and is played on clay courts. Originally an event of the Grand Prix tennis circuit...

, Spain
Clay   Albert Portas
Albert Portas
Albert Portas Soy is a former professional tennis player.-Career:Portas turned professional in 1994...

7–5, 6–4, 6–4
6. 14 September 1997 Marbella
Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana
The Valencia Open 500, formerly known as Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana, is a professional tennis tournament played in Valencia, Spain. It is currently part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour. The tournament was first played in Valencia in 1995 before moving to Marbella, Spain for...

, Spain
Clay   Alberto Berasategui
Alberto Berasategui
Alberto Berasategui is a former professional tennis player from Spain. He reached the men's singles final at the French Open in 1994....

6–3, 6–2
7. 10 May 1998 Hamburg, Germany Clay   Àlex Corretja
Àlex Corretja
Àlex Corretja i Verdegay is a former professional tennis player from Spain. During his career, he finished runner-up twice at the French Open . He won the ATP Tour World Championships in 1998 and reached his career-high singles ranking of world no. 2 in 1999...

6–2, 6–0, 1–0 retired
8. 1 August 1998 Kitzbühel
Austrian Open Kitzbühel
The Austrian Open Kitzbühel is an annual tennis tournament held in Kitzbühel, Austria. The event was part of the ATP World Series from the creation of ATP World Tour till 1998, International Series Gold from 1999–2008 and ATP World Tour 250 series in 2009. It was a part of the ATP Challenger Tour...

, Austria
Clay   Andrea Gaudenzi
Andrea Gaudenzi
Andrea Gaudenzi is a former tennis player from Italy, who turned professional in 1990.Gaudenzi was born in Faenza, Emilia-Romagna. A right-hander, he represented his native country at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was defeated in the third round by America's eventual...

6–2, 1–6, 6–2, 3–6, 6–1
9. 11 April 1999 Estoril
Estoril Open
The Estoril Open is an ATP and WTA clay court tournament held in Jamor, Oeiras, Portugal . The men's tournament was created in 1990 and since its inception, every champion except 2004 champion Juan Ignacio Chela and 2009–2010 champion Albert Montañés has been in the Top 10 of the ATP rankings,...

, Portugal
Clay   Todd Martin
Todd Martin
----Todd Christopher Martin is a former professional tennis player from the United States.-Playing career:...

7–6(4), 2–6, 6–3
10. 11 July 1999 Gstaad, Switzerland Clay   Nicolás Lapentti
Nicolás Lapentti
----Nicolás Alexander Lapentti Gómez is a former professional tennis player from Ecuador who is ranked 214th...

7–6(4), 6–3, 6–4
11. 2 August 1999 Kitzbühel, Austria Clay   Fernando Vicente
Fernando Vicente
Fernando Vicente Fibla is a tennis player from Spain, who turned professional in 1996. He reached his highest singles ATP-ranking on 12 June 2000, when he became the World Number 29.-Singles: 6 :Wins...

7–5, 6–2, 6–7(5), 7–6(4)
12. 11 June 2002 French Open, Paris, France Clay   Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat is a professional tennis player, and a former world no. 1 player, from Spain. He captured the men's singles title at the 2003 French Open, and in September of that year, he became the 21st player to hold the world no. 1 ranking. He was also the runner-up at the 2002...

6–1, 6–0, 4–6, 6–3

Singles performance timeline

Tournament 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Career SR Career Win-Loss
Grand Slam tournaments
Australian Open
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...

A A A A 2R QF 2R 1R 1R A 4R 3R 3R 1R A 0 / 9 13–9
French Open A A 1R QF 2R 3R 4R 3R QF 1R W SF 3R 1R A 1 / 12 30–11
Wimbledon A A 1R A 2R A 2R 1R A A A A 1R A A 0 / 5 2–5
US Open A A 1R A 1R 1R 1R 1R 2R 4R 2R 2R 1R 1R A 0 / 11 6–11
Grand Slam SR 0 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 3 0 / 1 0 / 4 0 / 3 0 / 4 0 / 4 0 / 3 0 / 2 1 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 4 0 / 3 0 / 0 1 / 37 N/A
Annual Win-Loss 0–0 0–0 0–3 4–1 3–4 6–3 5–4 2–4 5–3 3–2 11–2 8–3 4–4 0–3 0–0 N/A 51–36
Summer Olympics
Summer Olympics
Tennis at the Summer Olympics
Tennis was part of the Summer Olympic Games program from the inaugural 1896 Summer Olympics, but was dropped after the 1924 Summer Olympics...

A Not Held 2R Not Held 1R Not Held A Not Held 0 / 2 1–2
ATP Masters Series
Indian Wells
Indian Wells Masters
The Indian Wells Masters is an annual tennis tournament held in Indian Wells, California....

A A A 1R 3R 1R 2R 1R 3R 1R 2R 2R 3R A A 0 / 10 8–10
Key Biscayne
Miami Masters
The Miami Masters is an annual tennis tournament for men and women held in Key Biscayne, Miami, Florida. It is an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the men's tour and a Premier Mandatory event on the women's tour and is played on hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park...

A A A A 2R 2R 3R 4R 2R 2R 2R SF 2R A A 0 / 9 11–9
Monte Carlo A A 2R 1R F 3R 3R QF QF 3R QF 2R 1R 2R A 0 / 12 22–12
Rome
Rome Masters
The Italian Open is an annual tennis tournament held in Rome, Italy. It is the most prestigious red clay tennis tournament in the world after the French Open, with the men's competition being an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour, and the women's...

A A 2R 1R SF 3R F 1R QF 1R QF 3R SF 2R A 0 / 12 25–11
Hamburg
Hamburg Masters
The German Open Hamburg, established in 1892, is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Hamburg, Germany and part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour. Originally a Grand Prix Tennis Tour event between 1978 and 1989 it was part of the Grand Prix Championship...

A A A 2R 2R QF W 2R 1R SF 2R 2R 3R 2R A 1 / 11 19–10
Toronto / Montreal
Canada Masters
The Canada Masters , currently sponsored as the Rogers Cup, is an annual tennis tournament held in Canada. The men's competition is a Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour. The women's competition is a Premier 5 tournament on the Women's Tennis Association tour...

A A A A A A 3R A A 3R 1R A A A A 0 / 3 4–3
Cincinnati
Cincinnati Masters
The Cincinnati Open is an annual outdoor hardcourts tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The event started on September 18, 1899 and is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original city., Between...

A A A A A SF 2R 2R 1R 1R 2R 1R A A A 0 / 7 7–7
Stuttgart / Madrid
Madrid Masters
There are two sporting events named the Madrid Masters:*Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open — a men's and women's tennis tournament*Madrid Masters...

A A A A 1R A 1R 2R 2R 2R A 2R 2R 1R A 0 / 8 5–8
Paris
Paris Masters
The Paris Masters is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Paris, France. It is played indoors at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy. The event is part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour...

A A A A 1R A 1R 3R QF 3R 2R 2R A A A 0 / 7 8–7
Masters Series SR 0 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 2 0 / 4 0 / 7 0 / 6 1 / 9 0 / 8 0 / 8 0 / 9 0 / 8 0 / 8 0 / 6 0 / 4 0 / 0 1 / 79 N/A
Annual Win-Loss 0–0 0–0 2–2 1–4 13–7 11–6 19–7 9–8 12–8 11–9 9–8 11–8 8–6 3–4 0–0 N/A 109–77
Year End Ranking 747 221 52 24 13 19 14 18 26 40 9 25 56 116 623 N/A


A = did not play in tournament

External links

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