from the official Wimbledon website
24 June 2004

The number six seed Juan Carlos Ferrero saved two match points to defeat Stefan Koubek 4-6, 7-5, 5-7, 7-6(6), 8-6 in the second round today. For much of the match it seemed that the 2003 French Open champion was destined to become the biggest casualty of The Championships to date. But he held on to win 8-6 in the fifth.

It was a boost to the Spaniard in a difficult season, after his best year to date in 2003. Chickenpox, that least fashionable of adult illnesses, cost him four weeks out in March. Then rib and wrist injuries forced another two-week lay-off in May. His late decision to attempt a defence of his title at Roland Garros ended in second round defeat. Today he was clearly in pain with a thigh injury but held on for a dramatic victory.
Left-handed Koubek, 27, made his returns count in the first set. At 5-6 Ferrero saved one set point with battling play from the baseline. But Koubek immediately earned another with an unreturnable crosscourt forehand. An unforced error from Ferrero gave the Austrian the first honours.

At once matters became worse for Ferrero with Koubek earning another break, at which point rain gave the Spaniard time to regroup. On resumption he pulled the set back to 4-4 and Koubek hurled his racket to the turf, a sight which would become familiar during the rest of the match.

But Ferrero was also frustrated, engaging umpire Norm Chryst in lengthy debate on a line call and chiding himself for his own unforced errors. A moment later he wrong-footed Koubek with a powerful forehand to break him for 6-5. When Ferrero took the set to level the match, Koubek’s racket bounced across the lawn again.

Although Koubek’s serving was the more accurate of the two, the third set seemed destined for a tiebreak until Ferrero suddenly yielded a set point. When the Spaniard’s forehand clouted the net cord and fell back towards him, he was a set down again.

At 1-2 in the fourth Ferrero called the trainer and attention was given to his right thigh, already strapped beneath his shorts. After another rain break the Spaniard made it through to the tiebreak where sterling baseline work took him into the fifth set, where he had to save two match points before grasping a richly-deserved triumph.