PARIS -- Nearly 15 hours into his time here at the French Open, Albert Costa sensed a drop shot coming from Arnaud Clement.

	Albert Costa is showing the heart of a champion as he defends his title.

He bolted from the baseline, wild-eyed, his mouth flapping open with each lunging step, and flicked a backhand volley past a stunned Clement. And to think, people were worried about his physical conditioning after three consecutive five-set matches.

Costa, the defending champion here at Roland Garros, went on to win the game and the final set on Monday 6-2, 7-5, 7-5 -- in a relatively brief three hours and seven minutes.

"Now, I feel great," Costa said afterward. "Today is the first day that it was three sets, so I don't feel tired. I think this match give(s) me confidence because I play much better tennis and also I played less time."

Clearly, something happens to Costa on the terre batu of Paris. He played Clement in early May at Rome and was lucky to escape with a three-set win.

"He didn't say a word and he held on all the time," said Clement, the last Frenchman to exit the tournament. "While in Rome, he could get upset very easily. He lacked confidence."

Last year, Costa played the tournament of his life, beating three-time champion Gustavo Kuerten, Guillermo Canas, Alex Corretja and Juan Carlos Ferrero. It was an amazing development because Costa had never been as far as a Grand Slam semifinal in 24 previous tries. It was his first Grand Slam singles victory and would remain, it was presumed, the only Grand Slam of Costa's career.

Not so fast.

Costa has quietly worked his way into the quarterfinals, opposite 21-year-old Tommy Robredo. By the time his next match comes up, he should be feeling quite fresh. Twice, he has come back from the precipice of an 0-2 start.

He trailed lucky loser Sergio Roitman in the first round, but rallied to win in three hours and 38 minutes. He went the distance against Radek Stepanek in the second round (three hours, 40 minutes), and then fell into another 0-2 hole against Nicolas Lapentti in the third round. That match went an extraordinary four hours and 38 minutes.

Through four matches, Costa has already logged 15 hours and three minutes. If he manages to reach the final, he will obliterate last year's running time of 19 hours and 17 minutes.

"I think maybe the first round I was feeling a little the pressure, no? But after that, I wasn't. I really wasn't.

"The people who have never won the tournament, they have more pressure because they want to win the tournament. So at least I had won."

There is a theory circulating here that goes like this: Costa's spirited defense of his French Open title has gained him more respect -- even though he has only reached the quarters -- than in winning the year before.

"I was the best player in the tournament," Costa said. "I think I get credit. This year I'm in the quarters. So it means like in this tournament, I have motivation and I'm playing good."

Greg Garber is a senior writer for ESPN.com.