ESPN 2008 French Open

PARIS -- Guillermo Coria opened up the court with a cross-court forehand, then stepped in and whacked a forehand passing shot down the line past a startled Tommy Robredo. Coria pumped his fist, executed a deft 180-degree spin to acknowledge his box and raced to the changeover bench in possession of the first set.

It was a victory for muscle memory and, suddenly, it was 2004 again.

A day after Gustavo Kuerten played the last match of his career, Coria stepped onto the same Court Philippe Chatrier in what looked to be another nostalgic victory lap. The 25-year-old Argentine is ranked No. 604 in the world, but he was able to parlay a protected ranking of No. 105 into a berth in the French Open when Andy Roddick pulled out with a shoulder injury.

Based on recent results, Coria's prospects were bleak. This was his first Grand Slam tournament since the 2006 U.S. Open, and a series of debilitating injuries and a crisis of confidence have reduced him to playing mostly Challengers, in which he sometimes loses in the first round.

But, against all odds, for a sublime hour or so on Monday at Roland Garros, Coria was vintage Coria, circa 2004, when he memorably played himself into the final here. In retrospect, when he lost that championship match to Gaston Gaudio in five sets, it was the highest point of his career. Strangely, it also was the lowest.

Coria eventually succumbed to Robredo, 5-7, 6-4, 6-1, 6-4. But rather than providing an epitaph for Coria, this match represented a new beginning. An hour later, he was still smiling.

"One month ago I didn't think that I would play this tournament," Coria said. "I'm very happy with my match. This demonstrates that I can play against a player who is ranked 13th or 14th in the world, so this gives me a lot of confidence. It shows that I'm on the right track, and I'm quite humble about it."

Coria, a 5-foot-9, 150-pound sprite, was once the fastest among ATP players. His nickname, El Mago -- the magician -- does not begin to capture his dazzling ability to make shots, all kinds of them, from every conceivable angle. His speed and racket skills combined to make him a lights-out defensive player on clay.

He rose to No. 3 in the world in 2003 and reached the semifinals at Roland Garros. In 2004, he blew through to the final against Gaudio and won the first two sets. But then the crowd, always wanting more tennis, got behind Gaudio, and Coria took it personally and imploded. He bungled two match points and, after suffering constricting leg cramps, wound up losing the match 8-6 in the fifth.

In his postmatch press conference, El Mago burst into great, racking sobs. Four years later, he is still dealing with the fallout.

On Sunday, Argentine journalist Roberto Nappo asked Coria the question on everybody's mind: If he had won that Grand Slam title, would his life have been different? Better?

"He never admits the defeat set him back," Nappo said on Monday. "He said, 'I don't know what would have happened.'

"But the way the match went, and with the crowd so ugly, it was devastating. This, I think, was crucial. It was mental, not physical. We would have had a wonderful player for a few more years, but what we got … was nothing."

Coria had arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder after the loss -- Nappo maintains that he wouldn't have had it if he had won -- and managed to finish both 2004 and 2005 ranked among the top 10. In 2006, he was visited by a variety of injuries -- elbow, shoulder and thigh among them.

By then, his confidence and that window to the psych -- the serve -- were both long gone.

"I had no motivation," Coria said. "I played but, in fact, it didn't matter. And whether I won or I lost, I didn't mind."

Coria took 13 months off, although he said he never stopped practicing, and returned to competitive tennis last fall. But he failed to win a Challenge match.

In February, Coria defeated Italian qualifier Francesco Aldi at the Brasil Open. It was Coria's first ATP victory in 19 months. He called the win over the world's No. 238-ranked player "the happiest day of my career."

And so when Roddick withdrew, there was Coria, back at the French Open, looking like his old self. The magic is still there, rest assured; several strokes against Robredo, with their absurd angles, drew oohs and aahs from no less a tennis authority than Bud Collins.

There remains an elfin quality to Coria. He still wears his cap backward and, from a distance, appears to be 12 years old. But there are wrinkles at the corners of his 26-year-old eyes and two deepening furrows across his forehead. He plans to play at least three more ATP tournaments and qualify for others if his ranking doesn't rise high enough. He even hopes to play for Argentina's Davis Cup team.

At the end of the match, Coria spun around and waved briefly to all four sides of the stands at Philippe Chatrier. He believes in his heart it wasn't for the last time.

"I'm back," Coria said, "and I'm really eager to be on tour. I feel great, and I hope that next year I will be at Roland Garros. I hope that one day I will win the tournament."

Greg Garber is a senior writer for ESPN.com.