Thanks for the Memories and the great week Albert Costa lost to JCF 6-1 5-7 7-5

Good win Al and glad to turn that defeat against Ice from RG. It's Ok, Vinny there are plenty of ladies waiting at La Rambla.

Good luck against Hrbaty.

well done Costa :bigclap:
I never was a big fan of his, but im glad he's winning a match in his last tourny in front of his home fans.

:lol:

GREAT. To have at least one win at his last tournament is great.

Al Costa extracts revenge for his loss at the opening round of RG last year. He will retire with a positive head-to-head score against Vince, adding a significant note to his (great) career.

great win for Albert
I always liked him the most from the clay courters
a very natural player
he has a sweet backhand

Glad he gets at least one more victory.

Vammmmmmmmos Albert, he has done it again.

Very fitting. He'll play JC in the 3rd round.

A repeat of the 2002 Roland Garros final.

Very fitting. He'll play JC in the 3rd round.

A repeat of the 2002 Roland Garros final.


That's fucking nuts. You can't make this stuff up...

Oh wow, now this is surprising!!!! Actually I wouldn't mind if he was able to win this tournament for the end of career... Not really likely to happen, but good to see Albert motivated for tennis once again.

Good to see that Al will be playing against the guy he beat for his most memorable triumph in what will in all likelihood be his last match.

Great week for Costa and a successful career irrespective of the results.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/svein_sveynsson/party-smiley-048.gif http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/svein_sveynsson/party-smiley-048.gif

Albert :D If Ferrero loses he should say that his elbow bothered him, for old times sake.

How Dominik managed to consistently lose his serve at love, especially in the second set, I'll never know.

How Dominik managed to consistently lose his serve at love, especially in the second set, I'll never know.

It gets very windy in Barcelona señor.

It gets very windy in Barcelona señor.

No excuse for the consistent poor display. :)

No excuse for the consistent poor display. :)

True, he'd almost struggle to beat Ginepri at the moment.

How Dominik managed to consistently lose his serve at love, especially in the second set, I'll never know.aw :hug: You know how Hrbaty is, when he's having a bad day, he misses everything.

Good for Costa, nice for him to go out on this successful note :)

ALBERT :worship:

great way to go out! :hug:

another great result for Albert in his last run :yeah:

Bad loss for Dominik :help:

Hopefully its just Costa finding the fire again, like what he did defending RG in 2003. Good luck to him and it will be great if he could win this tournament and go out on a high.

Albert :yeah:

http://www.terra.es/addon/img/feed/deportes/20060426/7207c3198b739g.jpg

Good luck against Ferrero.

hope he whips up on JCF. Love you AL, you are gorgeous, sexy, classy and have a natural, beautiful game and nice backhand :hearts:

LMAO, Albert you're a genious :worship: he says he retires and starts winning matches again :bounce:
Roland Garros 2003 v.2.0 anyone??? :p

way to go Albert
Vamos ALBERT COSTA

he will play compatriot JCFerrero

GOOD RESULT, Albert! :worship: :worship:

:yeah: Now beat Ferrero :devil:

Nice to see him pick up another win.

LMAO, Albert you're a genious :worship: he says he retires and starts winning matches again :bounce:
Roland Garros 2003 v.2.0 anyone??? :p

Ferrero certainly hopes so. ;)

imagine if he beat juanqui again?

Good Luck Albert :D

He lost a tight one and I hope they gave Al a standing ovation.

Al :worship: thanks for gracing tennis courts around the world all these years, I wish you won but good fight nevertheless.

JCF is finished... :o

Good luck to Albert... I loved watching him play and he'll be in the record books forever with his great performances in Paris in 2002 and 2003!

i only remember costa for not winning many indoor matches.. an easy target always...

Al Costa :hatoff:

Thanks for the memories

Good fight by Al in his last match, he leaves behind great memories to his fans.

i only remember costa for not winning many indoor matches.. an easy target always...

I remember when the Swedes were good at tennis, but everybody's time comes up at one point.

Well, it had to end one day. It's always too early but that's life. Good luck to Costa for the rest, whatever he will choose to do. Thanks for everything. :)

well done for coming through in the end JC :)

costa can retire happy now, he had a good tournament with two wins and a tight 3 set loss to Ferrero is nothing to be ashamed about

Good luck to Costa in whatever happens next....At least his last match was 3 sets

He lost a tight one and I hope they gave Al a standing ovation.They did, according to Reuters "The two friends embraced at the net after the match and the 30-year-old Costa received a standing ovation."

Congrats on a great career Costa.

I think it's very nice that his final match was against JCF. Good luck to him in his future endeavors :)

They did, according to Reuters "The two friends embraced at the net after the match and the 30-year-old Costa received a standing ovation."

That's good to hear.

Thanks Albert for all the great moments you have offered us. Tennis would have not been the same without you. You were a fighter and an excellent professional, and that is the way we will remember you as a tennis player.

Albert Costa, thanks for a showing that winning RG02 was no fluke. Nine career titles on clay, not bad at all:

Kitzbuhel 99, 98, 95
Gstaad 99, 96
Estoril 99
Mallorca 97
Barcelona 97

You can retire in peace, knowing that you achieved the pinnacle of clay achievements. ;)

They did, according to Reuters "The two friends embraced at the net after the match and the 30-year-old Costa received a standing ovation."
That's great to know.


Good luck Albert. :)

I will miss Big Al. :tears:
It was so touching, both his daughters and his wife came on the court.

Good run here and a good career. Best of luck in your next endeavors whatever they may be Albert.

They did, according to Reuters "The two friends embraced at the net after the match and the 30-year-old Costa received a standing ovation."

Aww that's really nice to hear that :) Really sweet and even though his career ended in a loss, it's still nice to see him bow out like that. Thanks for the great years Albert and have a great retirement :) :D

I will miss Big Al. :tears:
It was so touching, both his daughters and his wife came on the court.Aw, that's sweet :D

Congratulations on your win, JCF. :)

Congratulations on a great career, Albert. You're a gentleman and an honorable sportsman. :)

Aw, that's sweet :D
After the ovations he spoke smth too and there were some 'suits' there but I didn't get more coverage. Seemed nice anyway, I was sad. :tears:

the match has been very emotive and at the end his family came on court, wife and daughters ..... he was close to cry
we will miss you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

thanks for all :worship:

I enjoyed the few of his matches I had the pleasure of seeing - a great example of a fighter and a champion. Well done Albert - you have done your fans proud...may the rest of your life be filled with fun, happiness and more achievement. :bigclap:

I got used to seeing him in Estoril year after year; apart from being a great player, he was always very professional and very nice to everyone. He's had a memorable career on clay and will not be forgotten. :)
Thank you Albert, for everything you gave to tennis over the years. :bigclap:

Enjoy having more time with your family and best wishes!

http://www.openseatbarcelona.com/photos/06_costa_thursday3_sm.jpg

http://www.openseatbarcelona.com/photos/06_costa_thursday.jpg

Here's a short video from Fox Sports Noticias of the hug at the net as well as his farewell on the court with his family.

Albert-Costa-FSN-Barcelona-retirement-260406

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ0O6aUJYXs

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=IKW13ILG

why to retire, albert, you are not that old :sad:

goodbye, i still remember him as almost the only one who can beat muster on clay at his prime, but he did not win on RG until 2002, good luck to you in your future :wavey: :angel:

Albert chose the perfect place to retire...home town type crowd. He could play more but looks like he's ready to stop and enjoy the rest of life. Bravo Albert!!

Fare well, Albert! :) :wavey:

http://www.openseatbarcelona.com/photos/06_costa_thursday3_sm.jpgawwwwww what an absolutely beautiful family, those girls are precious!

Albert chose the perfect place to retire...home town type crowd. He could play more but looks like he's ready to stop and enjoy the rest of life. Bravo Albert!!

It makes perfect sense to retire in his home city. He is going to play on the Oldies tour later, and hopefully become DC captain in the future.

http://www.elmundodeportivo.es/mundo-img/20060428a/_archivo55_photo_10_1_1_20060428_ysu07f1.tif.jpg

Two great guys! :angel:

great picture of ALbert & ALex,
I read that they are close friends

yes perfect play to retire
I remember some of his classic matches with Muster, in his prime only COsta could beat the beast Muster (Mimi)

Albert Costa, thanks for a showing that winning RG02 was no fluke. Nine career titles on clay, not bad at all:

He won 12 titles actually, but he and Alex will still be hanging out for sure.

I remember some of his classic matches with Muster, in his prime only COsta could beat the beast Muster (Mimi)

They had some very good battles and Costa was the one who ended Muster's winning streak in clay finals, but Muster had the advantage of 5-1 in their meetings, but they were always close matches.

Still an oldie, but one of the more memorable pictures.

http://www.swissopengstaad.com/content/pics/wallpapers/milchbad_800.jpg

Thanks for the great performance at RG 2002/03,Albert :worship:
Best wishes to you and your family :hatoff:

Just found another pic as well.

http://www.deportesdenavarra.com/edicionimpresa/20060428/fotos/5672740.jpg

Here's a short video from Fox Sports Noticias of the hug at the net as well as his farewell on the court with his family.

Albert-Costa-FSN-Barcelona-retirement-260406

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ0O6aUJYXs

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=IKW13ILG

the videos didnt work :(
the first one was only a second & just said JCF
the other from megaload didnt download, it said something like download limit exceeded :(
I was looking forward to seeing costa

btw very creative avatar

Just found another pic as well.Thank you! I can't et over how adorable the twins are, and they dressed to match him? :lol: just too cute.