In this week’s 56-player draw in Barcelona, there was not only ample room for eight byes in the large bracket, which gave the top eight seeds free passes to the second round, but for five wild cards as well.

Not surprisingly, these admissions were given to Spanish players, since representatives from the host country would likely increase fan interest. What was surprising was one of the names among these lucky participants. It was Felix Mantilla. I knew his name from somewhere, but I couldn’t quite remember where. Curious, I did some research on him in an effort to jostle my memory.

Born in 1974, Mantilla is a 32-year-old veteran on tour, although he hasn’t competed since the 2005 US Open. Shoulder injuries were one reason for the lay-off, but more notably, Mantilla was diagnosed with skin cancer in 2006. He has since recovered, and is playing this week in the Open Seat tournament for the first time since these setbacks. Adding to the special meaning of this week, Mantilla hails from Barcelona, and is a former champion at this event, winning in 1999 over Karim Alami. With all of these various layers converging at an event to which Mantilla has such a connection, Felix’s return is surely an emotional one on many levels.

Mantilla’s resume as a player is an impressive one, with his accomplishments defining himself as someone to be reckoned with on clay. In 1993, he turned pro, and he reached his first ATP final only two years later, falling to celebrated Spanish star Carlos Moya in Buenos Aires. It wouldn’t be the last time that Mantilla and Moya crossed paths.

Mantilla won his first tournament as a pro in Porto, Portugal in June of 1996, but Felix really established himself as a mainstay on tour the following year, when he achieved a number of career highlights. At the Australian Open, he reached the quarter-finals, but lost to Moya, the eventual finalist, in four sets, 7-5 6-2 6-7 6-2.

Later in the year, Mantilla reached his first ever Tennis Masters Series final, but lost to Andrei Medvedev in Hamburg. Felix’s performance at Roland Garros a few weeks later wasn’t as successful as he had anticipated, reaching only the second round. However, the remainder of the year was when Mantilla’s emergence as a threat on clay started to take shape.