The match clock had just struck 3 hours 13 minutes on Saturday as Tommy Robredo engineered a deft drop volley to end the brave challenge of the British qualifier Daniel Evans, 7-6 (6), 6-1, 4-6, 7-5, on a humid evening at Flushing Meadows.
It is the eighth time that Robredo has reached the second week of the United States Open in his illustrious career, but this run will feel all the more special after a bleak period two years ago when it seemed that his life as a tennis player might be over.
In 2011 and 2012, Robredo, from Spain, was sidelined for 14 months with a leg injury. As he had always relied on his stamina and sheer determination to go with his baseline artistry, his injury was a result of wear and tear − an unavoidable consequence of 13 years' worth of lung-busting rallies, despite his impeccable physical conditioning.
During his time out, Robredo insisted, retirement never crossed his mind. Instead, he found that the break rekindled his love for the game. Even though he was forced to return on the Challenger Tour last summer while watching his former rivals compete at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, he said he was simply glad to be back.
"It was hard playing Challengers, but it had been much harder to be at home watching all of my friends playing and be sitting there without any chance to play," he said. "That was the worst feeling. And then when I was ready, for me, I didn't care whether I was playing Futures, Challengers, ATP, whatever. It was just a gift to be able to play again."
In 2011, Robredo said, life in professional tennis had become a grind. "I had been playing and playing for 10 years in a row with nearly no holidays," he said. "And when you do that, it gets to the point where you're doing it as a job rather than your passion.
"While I was waiting to come back, I realized that I love tennis and I really need it. So since I returned, I've appreciated it a little more, for sure, because I know what I nearly lost."
With this run at the United States Open, Robredo will climb back up from his current world ranking, 22nd, into the top 20, and he has been a man on a mission in 2013. The high point was his performance at the French Open, where he came from two sets to love down on three successive occasions to reach the quarterfinals, culminating in an thrilling victory over Nicolas Almagro. Robredo sank to his knees and wept as a packed Court Suzanne Lenglen chanted his name.
"I've shown I was right to continue playing," he said. "I've shown that I'm still playing at a good level. I don't know if it's the same level as when I was in the top 10, but after Roland Garros, I reached top 30 in the world after only one year of playing again, and I think that's not easy to do."
At 31, Robredo is still a relative youngster to Tommy Haas, who is showing that it is still possible to reach the latter stages of the majors while well into one's mid-30s. However, Robredo seemed perplexed when asked if Haas's resurgence had been an inspiration for him.
"What other people are doing doesn't really inspire me," he said. "What inspires me is that I'm feeling good again, I'm in good shape and I'm enjoying my tennis again. That gives me the power and belief to work hard in practice each day to see if I can keep winning matches. That's the only thing which matters to me."
He thinks there is far more to come after reaching the third round at Wimbledon, losing to the eventual champion, Andy Murray, and now he will have the opportunity to see how he matches up against his fellow veteran Roger Federer on Monday.
"These performances have given me a lot of mental strength and a lot of belief that I can keep going," Robredo said. "Let's see where my ranking is at the end of the year."
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