Rafael Nadal's first ever RG final opponent Mariano Puerta confesses to lying about doping

Former French Open finalist Mariano Puerta has admitted that he lied to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) about doping, which helped him reduce his suspension by six years. The Argentine player had tested positive for etilefrine just four months after his French Open final defeat to Rafael Nadal.

In an interview with La Nacion newspaper, Mariano Puerta admitted to the lie but clarified that even though he had tested positive for a banned substance, he never took any advantage of it on the court. The retired tennis player said that the late lawyer Eduardo Moline O'Connor had helped him create a false case to escape a harsher punishment.

Mariano Puerta's rise after French Open loss to Rafael Nadal and the dope test that derailed his career

Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal is the most successful player in French Open history. The Spaniard has won 12 Roland Garros titles in his career - an all-time record - and is currently the defending champion there.

But 15 years ago, Rafael Nadal didn't have quite as intimidating a reputation on clay as he does now. In 2005 he played his first-ever Grand Slam final, and his opponent was Mariano Puerta.

While Nadal was the fourth seed in the competition, Puerta was unseeded. The Spaniard had beaten the No. 1 seed Roger Federer in the semifinals, and was a firm favorite heading into the final.

Puerta on his part surprisingly overcame the 13th seed Ivan Ljubicic, ninth seed Guillermo Canas and the 12th seed Nikolay Davydenko on his way to the finale.

Nadal went a set down early in the match but rebounded in fine fashion, eventually winning 6-7(6-8), 6-3, 6-1, 7-5. It is worth noting that Rafael Nadal was making his French Open debut that year.

A few months later the Buenos Aires-based Puerta broke into the top 10 of the ATP rankings for the first time, and attained his career-high of No. 9 in August 2005.

But in December that year, Puerta had a positive dope test for the second time in his career, leading to an eight-year suspension. As he tested positive after the French Open loss to Rafael Nadal, all his achievements after that tournament were annulled.

Mariano Puerta in action during the 2005 French Open final against Rafael Nadal

The South American player managed to reduce his suspension to two years, stating that his then-wife Sol Estevanez took Effortil, containing etilefrine, as a medication against menstrual cramps. He explained that he drank water from the same glass that his wife used after taking her medicine.

"But I did not take any sporting advantage. I don't want to be seen as a deceiver," Puerta said in his interview after revealing that his claims to reduce the suspension were false.

Since Puerta had had a positive dope test earlier, his legal advisers told him that no other explanation would help his cause.

"I never met the person who made the pills, never knew his name, no one of the family wanted to know," Puerta continued.

The 41-year-old returned to the court in 2007, but bid farewell for good just two years later. Puerta now has a message for current tennis players, where he urges them to be 'extremely responsible':

"To today's tennis players, I would say don't do anything that puts you in a position like mine. How can you be safe? Being extremely responsible, do not delegate, do not trust anybody. The price that you might pay for making a mistake is very high. It doesn't make sense. I was irresponsible."

It will be intriguing to see how the top officials in the tennis world and the doping bodies react to this revelation by Puerta.