Argentina closed 2022 without the expected results in team-level competitions, such as the ATP Cup, Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup. A review of how the national team did throughout the year.
Despite the fact that in the male branch there were some dazzling appearances such as that of Francisco Cerúndolo and Sebastián Báez within the ATP circuit, added to the sustained presence of Diego Schwartzman in the Top 20, the albiceleste could not stand out at a collective level.
The year started with the ATP Cup, the tournament that was played from the very first day in Australia and gave the players little respite. Inside of the Group D, Argentina, with Alejandro Fabbri as captain, won their first two games against Georgia (3-0) and Greece (3-0)con small and Federico Delbonis as those responsible for the success in singles, and Maximo González and Andrés Molteni in doubles. In any case, in the third match, against Polandthe blow was hard: and 0-3 that put the Europeans in the semifinals and sent the South Americans back home.
The calendar continued until the decisive stage of March in the Davis Cup. With Guillermo Coria in command and a payroll made up of Schwartzman, Báez, Federico Coria, Horario Zeballos and Machi Gonzálezthe national team received at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club Czech Republic for a place in the Finals.
The expectation was enormous because the country had not played them since 2019. I mean, pre pandemic. And the chosen ones lived up to it: it was a devastating 4-0 with triumphs from Báez to Jiri Lehecka; from Schwartzman to Tomas Machac; from Zeballos/González to Lehecka/Machac in doubles and from Fede Coria to Vit Kopriva.
This earned him the opportunity to get into the Group A of the Finals in September, in Italy. But Unipol Arena witnessed three painful defeats against Sweden (1-2), Italy (1-2) and Croatia (0-3). The illusion of qualifying for the quarterfinals in Malaga in November vanished and that made that milestone even greater in 2016. The most salvageable? The absolute debut in team competitions for Francisco Cerúndolo. The one with the best performance within a meager overall performance.
Lastly, and with fresh memories, the women’s team led by Mercedes Paz and composed of Nadia Podoroska, Paula Ormaechea, Lourdes Carlé, Julia Riera and Solana Sierra had action in the Billie Jean King Cup. Brazil took a 3-1 victory in Tucumán and forced the team to play the American Zone in April 2023.
