Une of the main strengths of Spanish tennis is, as is known, the dense network of tournaments of the first echelons of the professional circuits that are organized in our territory. Tournaments that, in addition to allowing the public to attend high-level tennis regularly, allow our young tennis players to develop in an individual sport of such demanding, also economic, such as tennis. minimizing the risk of talent loss due to lack of means.
One of these tournaments is currently being played at the Sporting Tennis Club of Valencia. a $ 80,000 ITF category tournament, at the gates of a WTA circuit that does not have a ‘second tier’ like the ATP Challengers, but that in practice, due to participation and organizational level, reaches the main category. Organize it Anabel Medina and the company Tennium and the women’s national coach told us that “this tournament is a project that I had five years ago, when I was beginning to think about the end of my career and there were no tournaments of these characteristics in Spain. I thought that if there could be one, that the young women who are beginning to be professionals have a tournament close to home so as not to always go away, with twice the expenses normally, it will be something very positive. “
In fact, in this tournament, where the promises of Spanish tennis abound and in which the ‘top 100’ participate, the player is very careful: “We want the tournament to cost as little as possible: We pay for food, we have affordable hotel prices, we give new balls … All the facilities we can. It is a tournament, they tell us, that looks like a WTA because of its organization. “
In tournaments like Valencia everyone has to get involved a lot “
Q: Do you think the WTA should open the door more to these tournaments?
R: These ITF tournaments are like the start, the springboard to the WTA circuit. I agree that they should be given more importance. In fact we have to work a lot to give them visibility, and that we have some sponsors excellent, out of 10, including the BBVA and also the administrations public. With us they have turned 100%, it is not usual for a tournament of this category to have the affection that they are having with us with the sponsors. They are tournaments that normally suffer, and they are the base of the pyramid. If the tennis players don’t go through here then they can’t get to the top. To carry them out the people you have to get involved a lot on a personal level, on an emotional level and yes, you have to give them more affection of all kinds. I think that the ITF does give us value, but then we have to explain very well to people what we are, what we do, how we do it, what the objective is and from there, create a history and that they be part of that story, that they like what we tell them and that from then on they join us.
Q.- And this project has convinced both public and private sponsors.
R.- This tournament has joined Tennium. We are co-promoters, I am always in contact with Joaqun Ros. This is an ambitious project for the future. Obviously we are working on making a WTA and one of the things that we were fully aware of was the importance of private sponsorship, of not having to wait to survive for public institutions to cover us a very high percentage of the budget. BBVA is the main sponsor and we have a very good private sponsorship base, so that helps us to have a mattress and to be calmer. The answer we have public and private It is helping us a lot.
It is very important that the Spanish Federation is supporting these tournaments. It shows in the results
Q.- How does the national team see the young Spanish girls who are in this tournament?
R.- I see them very well. In fact, in the project of the Spanish Federation, in which we especially support four players, three have passed through here: Ane Mintegui, Jessica Bouzas and Leire Romero. I see them very well. I think we made a very important leap with Carla surez y Garbie Muguruza, and now with young people like Paula Badosa and Sara Sorribes. Also very important is the fact that the Spanish Federation has cared a lot about doing events of this category at the national level, from tosupport them economically. We have a longer schedule and that is reflected in results. Leire Romero has won 15,000 tournaments this year and made the quarterfinals in Marbella; Jessica Bouzas started the year 700 WTA and is already 350. Mintegui has won junior in Wimbledon… This type of project works.
Q.- The women’s circuit lives a moment in which it is not possible to speak of dominating tennis players. How do you see it?
R.- I think it is more competitive than irregularity. We are used to always having a visible head, a reference, but what happens now is that everything is much more matched, all the players are very physically prepared and they all have the ability to do well in the big tournaments. This is how the circuit has evolved in recent years. There are many Grand Slam winners and we already saw the final in New York. It was a very good game. I knew a little bad for Sakkari, because he is fighting a lot and he also deserved a Grand Slam final, but my little heart asked me a Raducanu-Fernndez, because it was going to be very good for women’s tennis.
In women’s tennis there are now many players who can win a Grand Slam “
Q.- And it has been women’s tennis, with the case of Osaka, who has put the issue of mental balance on the table.
R.- All sports are high pressure. You have to realize that they are very young players. For example Raducanu has now won the US Open with 18 to, You have to put yourself a little in the situation and in the head of an 18-year-old girl who has had a spectacular success. She has been congratulated by everyone and suddenly they find something to they weren’t used to. And you have to manage it with 18 years, not with a maturity of 35, 40, 45, when you can realize the situation in which you find yourself. Naomi Osaka is a reflection of what many athletes have been able to feel at some point in our careers, each one our level. Each of our careers has had our moments of pressure, goals and expectations and pressure on them. It does not seem strange to me that a player comes out saying that she has pressure, that she does not know how to manage it and that she is in a difficult moment. What we have to do is understand it, support it. What she has done has been to verbalize it so that people understand that they are human, that this can happen, that nothing happens and that we are first people and then athletes.
Q.- How do you see the final of the Fed Cup, the Billie Jean King Cup …?
R.- I am very excited. The truth is that it was about time, after spending so much time fighting, that we can to compete at least, that we have competitions and we can fight for the Women’s World Cup. I think that at least in this case the pandemic has benefited the team because it has given time for Spanish players to find themselves in a very good moment, such as that of Paula Badosa, Saria Sorribes or Nuria Prrizas. Even that Carla was able to return to the competition. And we have Garbie as a figure, who is important for the team. I am very excited, I hope we can win and lift the trophy again. Although Spain has many trophies from the Billie Jean King Cup, they have not been won in a long time.
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