Rafael Nadal once defied his own belief that he wasn’t the favorite for the French Open, soon after his maiden Monte-Carlo Masters triumph in 2005.

Nadal made his debut appearance at the Monte-Carlo Masters in 2003, breaking into the top 100 of the rankings for the first time after his third-round exit. His second appearance in 2005 also marked a significant milestone, as the Spaniard won his maiden Masters 1000 title at the event.

The then-18-year-old defeated the likes of Gael Monfils, Gaston Gaudio and Richard Gasquet to reach the final in Monte-Carlo. He triumphed over defending champion Guillermo Coria in the title clash, securing a 6-3, 6-1, 0-6, 7-5 victory, becoming the youngest Masters 1000 champion since Michael Chang won the 1990 Canadian Open title.

Unsurprisingly, Rafael Nadal’s victory invited a question about whether he could be considered the favorite at the French Open. However, the Spaniard tempered expectations, pointing out that he was making his debut at the claycourt Major. He emphasized that he was keeping his focus on the tournaments leading up to Roland Garros instead.

Nevertheless, he also expressed confidence in his abilities, suggesting that there was a possibility of success if he maintained his high level of play.

“No, no, no. I am not favorite, no. Is my first Roland Garros. I only think about the next tournaments: Barcelona, Rome, Hamburg now, you know,” he said in his post-match press conference.

“I am playing good now, but I don’t know when is in the French Open I gonna play good or I gonna play bad. If I play the same like this, I can won, I can do a good result. Not favorite, but I can do good result. But I don’t know, is after one month,” he added.

Despite his reservations, Nadal achieved a historic victory at the French Open, becoming the first man to win the claycourt Major on his debut since Mats Wilander in 1982.

Looking back at Rafael Nadal’s run to the 2005 French Open title

Rafael Nadal entered the 2005 French Open as the fourth seed, beating Lars Burgsmuller 6-1, 7-6(4), 6-1 in his opening match. He advanced to the fourth round with a dominant 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 win over Xavier Malisse and beating Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.

The Spaniard then triumphed over Sebastien Grosjean 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals. He secured a 7-5, 6-2, 6-0 win over David Ferrer and beat top seed Roger Federer 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 to set up a title clash with Mariano Puerta.

Nadal emerged victorious in the final, beating the Argentine 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-1, 7-5 to clinch his maiden Grand Slam title, as well as the first of his record 14 French Open titles.