The 2020 of Argentine tennis: the growth of Schwartzman and the emergence of Podoroska

Diego Schwartzman, with his constant evolution that allowed him to reach the “top ten” and placed him in a privileged place when he reached the semifinals at Roland Garros, plus his historic participation in the London Masters; and Nadia Podoroska, a brilliant irruption that allowed her to be captured by the radar of the best in the world when she climbed to “semis” in Paris, were the axes of Argentine tennis in a 2020 marked by the coronavirus pandemic.

The 28-year-old “Peque” Schwartzman started in 14th place in the world ranking and finished it in ninth (he was eighth after his performance in Bois de Boulogne), with the ratification that his fierce tennis and combative spirit made him surpass himself and, far from sheltering himself in the comfort zone after the good he had done in 2019, he grew and incorporated that extra that elite tennis players demand.

The 23-year-old “Peque” Podoroska started the season in position 255 and closed it at box 47, physically away from her native Rosario, and living for two years in the Mediterranean port area, in Alicante; There he built a strategy that allowed him to enjoy his own fairy tale at Roland Garros, where he surpassed the classification and once in the main draw he took over the “flashes” with his access to the semifinals.

Schwartzman, without the innate talent of the most outstanding Argentine tennis players of the century -Juan Martín Del Potro, David Nalbandian, Gastón Gaudio and Guillermo Coria-, went to extreme lengths to create a consistent game that allowed him to complete the best season of his career, with a before and after the recess that took place between March and August, motivated by the pandemic.

Is that the “Peque” did not obtain results to stand out between January and March, just his appearance in the final of the ATP in Córdoba or his access to the “semis” in Buenos Aires, and when he returned in August after the break he starred in a tour about disappointing cement, including their quick elimination from the US Open, in the opening round.

The tennis player trained by Juan Ignacio Chela settled in Europe and began his reaction at the Masters 1000 in Rome, where he beat the Spanish Rafael Nadal for the first time in the brick dust of the Foro Italico, then he got another impact against the Canadian Denis Shapovalov , one of the jewels of the new generation, and just gave up in the final against the world number one, Serbian Novak Djokovic.

That performance was the prelude to what was to come at Roland Garros, where he was installed in the top four with five consecutive victories, the most resounding over US Open champion Dominic Thiem of Austria in the quarterfinals, and just said goodbye to “Rafa” in the semifinals, although he was the one who caused the most problems on his way to the 13th. conquest of the trophy of the Musketeers.

One more final, in Cologne, Germany, then the quarterfinals in Paris-Bercy, that made it the eighth Argentine in history to play the Masters, a tournament that brings together the best of the year, and registered his name with those of Guillermo Vilas, José Luis Clerc, Coria, Gaudio, Del Potro, Nalbandian and Mariano Puerta.

The confirmation of “Peque” was great news for Argentine tennis, as was the appearance of Podoroska, who regained the role lost since the times of Gabriela Sabatini and built a spectacular closing of the year.

In addition to her performance in Paris, “Peque” won the ITF tournaments in Malibu, Guadeloupe and Saint Malo, and reached the quarterfinals at the WTA in Linz.

Other highlights were Horacio Zeballos from Mar del Plata in his version of doubles player and Francisco Cerúndolo from Buenos Aires, while Juan Ignacio Londero from Cordoba, from whom more was expected, and three Davis Cup champions in Zagreb in free fall were scored. in the final stretch of their careers: Guido Pella, Federico Delbonis and Leonardo Mayer.

Zeballos, in a pair with the Catalan Marcel Granollers, won the Argentina Open, the ATP 500 in Rio and the Masters 1000 in Rome, and qualified for the London Masters, where he reached the semifinals, to conclude the year as number three of the world in the specialty.

Cerúndolo, 22, won three titles in the second category of the circuit, the Challengers, in Split (Croatia), Guayaquil (Ecuador) and Campinas (Brazil), and will close 2020 among the best 140 in the world, a remarkable evolution if take into account that two seasons ago there were 571.

A separate paragraph for Juan Martín Del Potro from Tandil, one of the best Argentine tennis players in history, who at 32 still suffers from injuries, has not competed since June 2019 and is trying to rehabilitate after three right knee surgeries.

The 2009 US Open champion and double Olympic medalist, in London 2012 and Rio 2016, barely touched the racket throughout the year and passed it to doctors, although he announced that he has the illusion of competing in 2021 to close his brilliant career as it deserves: on a tennis court.