Road From Perdition

That he arrived at Roland Garros, his first Grand Slam tournament since the 2003 US Open, ranked 37th is a remarkable illustration of his determination.

That quality was evident as he came back from 4-2 down in the fifth set against Davydenko. Puerta said the presence of 1977 French Open winner Guillermo Vilas in the crowd had helped him through.

8220;He was sitting there supporting me, he was talking to me,8221; said Puerta about the former Argentine great. 8216;8216;Guillermo was a reference for all of us Argentines, we play tennis because of him. I have a special relationship with him and like to talk to him.8217;8217;

Puerta will no doubt seek advice from Vilas again before trying to stop the rampaging Nadal on Sunday. 8220;It will a real battle, we8217;re both left handers and we will both arrive full of confidence,8221; he said. Reuters