Albert Costa could arguably have been described as a journeyman pro until his surprise French Open victory of 2002.

Prior to that, Costa had spent most of the late 1990s in the top 30 of the world rankings, without ever getting past the last eight of a Grand Slam.

His best tournament result had come in Hamburg in 1998, when he landed the Masters Series title on his favoured clay surface.

But Costa was one of three surprise Grand Slam winners in 2002, when he proved himself a worthy winner at Roland Garros.

He overcame three-time champion Gustavo Kuerten and clay specialists Guillermo Canas and Alex Corretja to reach the final.

There he faced strongly fancied compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero, but blitzed him from the start and held his form to win the title.

Costa seemed to bask in the glory thereafter and achived little in the latter half of the year.

But his place in history is assured thanks to his performance at Roland Garros.