Almost two decades have passed since Marcelo Rios decided to hang up the racket permanently. Like many of his colleagues throughout history, the mental exhaustion to which everyone who engages in a professional activity is subjected ends up being the trigger to retire at an early age.
In the case of Chino, it could be a similar one since his temperament showed a certain weakness on a psychological level that could lead us to foresee that determination at some point. In any case, it is also highly commendable that he, with these qualities, has managed to remain forever in the modern history of tennis. Those who enjoyed his heyday always mark him as a unique player, capable of making shots that were indecipherable. Well earned was that time in which he became number one in the world. However, according to Dominik Hrbaty, Marcelo Rios would not be able to shine today.
“He was talented, able to play well on almost all surfaces, with lots of angles and variety. Today it is very common to see that, but at that time, no”, assured the former Slovakian player. In a talk a few years ago with the newspaper El Mercurio, he praised his former colleague, but without ceasing to insist that with today’s opponents it would have been difficult: “It would be common, although in our time it was extraordinary.”
In turn, the one who reached the semifinals of Roland Garros brought out that, unlike most opponents, he did not mind facing the man born in Santiago, since he beat him the three times they were measured. “When I had to face him I felt comfortable,” he said. Furthermore, he said: “We played very tough matches. I always beat him and I didn’t give him many chances because I played him very hard, very fast.”
a black beast
It is difficult to find players who have become a true nightmare for Marcelo Rios during his years of dominance on the circuit. Hrbaty is a great exception, since he never knew what it was like to succumb to the Chilean, as great stars in tennis history did.
The first time they were face to face was in the 1999 Miami Master, an edition after the trans-Andean man won the contest. The beating was categorical: 6-2, 6-0. That same season, they met at Roland Garros and the score showed more parity, settling in four sets, while in 2001 he beat him in five sets in the Davis Cup.
