There is no point of comparison between youth tournaments and professionalism. A player who shines among the Juniors does not always adapt wonderfully in the transition. In fact, several promises end up falling by the wayside. However, there are others who often confirm what seems like a no-brainer. Such is the case of Hugo Gaston, who broke in by winning the gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires 2018 by beating local Facundo Díaz Acosta. Despite this, he did not rest on his laurels and continued to fight for his dream: to be able to make a living from tennis. Current ranking 103, this week will seek to get into the top 100 and, in addition, will try to qualify for the Masters Next Gen, although for that he must have a good performance in the Masters 1000 of Paris-Bercy, where he passed the previous phase after defeating Kevin Anderson and Lorenzo Musetti.
“I am happy with my progress and how I manage the important moments in the games. Chaining two wins against strong players is great, “he said in an interview with the prestigious newspaper The team. Indeed, he will make his debut in the main draw against Arthur Rinderknech, who stands as the main card of the French Davis Cup team for the finals.
PUBLIC SUPPORT
“I love to play with this environment. Really, I find it a lot of fun and they are always all behind me so I have no choice but to thank them. I adore it and I hope it continues every time I play,” he said. While Gaston performed much better on clay than on hard courts (he reached the Gstaad final this season), he explained that he can do very well on both surfaces. Sure, his leg speed and ease of passing multiple balls per point allow him to play with a greater margin on clay. Anyway, he clarified: “I never had doubts that I could play very well on this surface. Even my team believed the same. Maybe the media will be happy to see me play well hitting hard (laughs)”.
A YEAR OF GROWTH LOOKING TO END IN MILAN
Gaston, who wielded a racket for the first time at the age of three since his father was president of a tennis club, has Rafael Nadal as an idol for his mentality and, logically, for his left-handed condition. Beyond being aware of the difficulty of the circuit, he dreams of lifting several Grand Slams and becoming No. 1 at some point. Despite that, the 21-year-old Frenchman wants to go step by step and that is why his last goal in 2021 will be to qualify for the Milan Next Gen Masters, which will take place from November 9 to 13.
Although he occupies the eleventh place, a good performance in Paris-Bercy could place him within the classifieds. In addition, Jannik Sinner, who have serious chances of entering the ATP Finals, and Felix Auger Aliassime, who appears scored to contest the ATP 250 in Stockholm, would be dropped without any inconvenience, a situation that would free two places. In that sense, Carlos Alcaraz, Sebastian Korda, Jenson Brooksby, Lorenzo Musetti, Brandon Nakashima, Juan Manuel Cerúndolo and Sebastián Báez would be – until now – the classified. And the last place would be between him and Holger Rune. It will not be easy, but the ticket to the Italian city depends purely and exclusively on him.
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