In the corridors of the clubs the same phrases are repeated: “if one can, I can also” and “the triumph of one, gives the other strength to go for more.” It is clear that the Legion was the best generation in the history of Argentine tennis. Beyond the fact that the two most prominent tennis players did not belong to that time (Guillermo Vilas -in the 70 / 80- and Juan Martín Del Potro -contemporary to the present-), the Coria, Gaudio, Nalbandian, Calleri, Zabaleta, Acasuso, Chela , Monaco and several others scored one before and one after. They made a connection with the people and the younger ones began to find out where they could wield a racket to become like their idols. Today, those young people who grew up watching the games on television and even the CDs on YouTube in some cases, dream of leaving a legacy and this season they showed that Argentine tennis has a promising future with a group of under 23/24 who had great performances on the Challenger circuit and who in 2022 will seek to make their mark in ATP tournaments. At Punto de Break we are going to review the main albiceleste projects and how they fared in 2021.
– Juan Manuel Cerúndolo (20 years old; 90º)
Champion of the ATP 250 of Córdoba since the previous phase, he was one of the most outstanding Argentines of the year. His performance on clay was enormous and he showed all his intelligence to play. With some clear aspects to improve (serve and physical), Juanma is on his way to hitting the ATP circuit several times.
– Sebastián Báez (20; 99º)
One of the largest (if not the largest) Argentine project. He performed on brick dust, but also made it clear that he can play very well on concrete (he fell 7-6 in the third in qualifying at the US Open and reached the semi-finals of the Next Gen Finals). He had a rise of more than 200 positions in the ranking and that in the middle he had Covid-19. He also won six Challengers.
– Francisco Cerúndolo (23; 127º)
It was the year in which he had to take a leap in quality, but he could not finish adapting. Although it started very strong with the final in Buenos Aires, it had a season from highest to lowest. He added a Challenger to his case, but was left with the taste that he could explode a little more. The right runs a lot, although – like his brother – he must add one more point with the serve. The frozen ranking hurt him and he couldn’t reach the top 100 and ATP tournaments.
– Tomás Etcheverry (22; 130º)
One of the most regular. Most of the weeks he got into the Challengers semi-finals and even reached three finals (two titles and one loss). In Córdoba he was one step away from beating Ramos and getting into the top eight. He trains with Charly Berlocq and has a great repertoire of punches.
– Camilo Ugo Carabelli (22; 210º)
Sparring for the Argentine team of Davis, was consecrated in the Challenger in Warsaw to confirm some good weeks. This year he managed to consolidate all the game that he had been observed since he was a child, although he still has a lot to give.
– Thiago Tirante (20, 238th)
He was 204th after the title at the Ambato Challenger. Despite having started the year out of the top380, the La Plata was rising week after week and there were even a couple of weeks in which he missed some tournaments due to being in close contact with a positive for coronavirus. One of the best punches of this generation. Actually, it has a missile on the right.
– Santiago Rodríguez Taverna (22; 325º)
He was away from the circuit for a long time due to lack of money to be able to compete and this year he decided to settle in the Monastir Futures and, through hard work, he managed to add triumphs. In fact, he competed almost every week of the year and is currently in Córdoba playing other M15s and M25s. At the close of the South American Legion Dove Men Tour, he reached the quarterfinals in Campinas (almost eliminating Báez), where he beat Jaume Munar in his first win against a top100.
– Facundo Díaz Acosta (20; 336º)
The double junior Olympic medalist had a bumpy year. Slower in progress than others of his generation, he traded victories with defeats. His peak of performance came from the M25 in Eupen, where he finished the week with the winner’s trophy.
Beyond these cases, we must highlight the performance of Juan Pablo Ficovich (24; 232º; champion at the San Pablo HC), Genaro Olivieri (23; 346º); Facundo Juárez (24; 396º), Francisco Comesaña (21; 475º), Bautista Torres (19; 507º), Alejo Lingua (20, 531º), Román Burruchaga (19, 562º), Mariano Navone (20, 571º). This latter group is sure to start breaking into the Challenger world mid / late next season.
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