Rafael Nadal confessed on Wednesday that he misses the five-set finals that characterised his first two titles at the Rome Masters.
The Spaniard who is only just back from months of injury, is playing his third event in succession after Barcelona last month and Madrid which ended at the weekend.
The winner of 10 clay titles at the Foro Italico and holds 22 Grand Slam singles honours, is in the unfamiliar position of an unseeded entrant ranked 305.
But asked to recount his favourite memories from the tournament, he had no hesitation.
“Most of the important moments of tennis have been playing in matches best-of-five… at the end of the day it makes the matches more emotional, more dramatic, the people get more involved.”
Nadal said he was sorry to see the format reduced more than a decade ago to best-of-three.
“I miss that past times when we were playing the Masters 1000s at the best-of-five, those amazing battles that are part of the history of our sport.
“It’s true that I won 10 times here. But (I have) much more fresh memories of the first two victories in five sets against (Guillermo) Coria (2005 final) and against Roger (Federer, 2006) than the others.”
Nadal opens first-round play against No.108 Belgian qualifier Zizou Bergs.
“All the matches are tough for me today, difficult and more unpredictable than what they used to be for me, especially on clay.
“I accept that role. I accept that challenge. I’m excited about the way that I can be able to play if I keep working the proper way and my body allows me.”
His optimism extends to his own chances as he starts with a clean slate on what is suggested will be his final season on court.
“”I’m excited to be playing in Rome. It’s a tournament that brings back a lot of unforgettable memories.
“But it’s day by day. This will be my third week almost in a row on the Tour, third tournament almost in a row.
“That hasn’t happened for a super long time – that’s good news.
“I need to keep going. I need to keep exploring how I will be able to manage to play every day. But I’m happy the way that I feel today.”
