The gray clouds hid the sun and a few drops were still falling on the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis when around 12 Francisco Cerundolo he stepped on the brick dust of the Buenos Aires club and prepared to train to prepare his debut in the Argentina Open 2023which will be this Tuesday, not before 3:00 p.m., against the German Yannick Hanfmannfrom the classification.
Under the overcast sky of an unstable day, the 24-year-old from Buenos Aires debuted as number one in Argentina. It is that this Monday he appeared in the 30th step of the ranking, two above Diego Schwartzman, and became the highest ranked national tennis player in the ATP for the first time in his career. An achievement that meant a lot to him.
“I was never the one in anything…”, he commented between laughs in a chat with Clarion. “Not at all tennis, I mean. I was never the best in any of the minor categories or in junior. For this reason, being number one in Argentina is something very nice and I am very happy to have achieved it. I had never set it as a goal, he admitted. But about a year ago I began to see myself very close, so it was one of the objectives for this season, because I had been looking for it for a while. It’s a great pride.”
-Is it an achievement that you put up with the title you won in Bastad or is it something totally different?
-They are other sensations. The title was something that at the time generated a lot of euphoria. It was very nice and we celebrated a lot. This was more calm, because I saw that he was just there. It wasn’t 1, but it was 2. Although it’s a more pleasant feeling to see you on top of all Argentines. That is to say: ‘That’s it, I already did it’.
Francisco jumped a step in the ranking and reached 30th thanks to his victory against Federico Delbonis in his debut in Córdoba. But also thanks to his brother Juan Manuelwho gave him a hand by eliminating Schwartzman in the round of 16 and sending the small to the 32nd position.
“When we saw the draw and he won in the first round, I told him: ‘If I don’t win against Fede, beat Diego, who remains one. If I win and you lose, nothing happens. We continue in the race. We laughed and screwed around a bit. I thanked him afterwards. He was very happy. It is also an award for the family and for everyone who is with me,” he recalled.
-Last year you said that after your explosion in Miami (he reached the semifinals and said goodbye to Casper Ruud), it was difficult for you to adapt to the new exhibition. Being the new leader of Argentine tennis can generate a bigger explosion. Are you ready for what may come?
-Yes, totally. Miami was a great first step, a great introduction to the world of tennis and the world in general. It was all new. But after that I played the best tournaments in the world and against the best. I was living all those experiences and today I am in another place. I am prepared to be the number 1 in Argentina. I think it caught me at a good time, not as improvised as it happened last year.
-It’s been almost a year since you’ve been consolidated among the best 30 or 40 in the ranking. Do you feel comfortable in that place?
-Yes, very comfortable. When Roland Garros 2022 finished and I was 40th or 50th, I told my coaches: ‘I feel strange. I feel that the ranking overwhelms me. I don’t know if I feel at the level’. soon after i played Wimbledon (Note: He fell in his debut against Rafael Nadalbut he stole a set), I won my title (in Bastad, with a two-set win against Sebastian Baez) and I think that totally changed the chip of the head. He was very crazy because, from one day to the next, I began to say: “Now I do feel part of it, I feel at the level and everyone respects me”. He played all the games with opponents from the top 35 or 40, because he had no luck in the draws, and they were tough games. And from all that I began to get used to it. Today I feel part of the top 30 or top 40. I don’t feel overwhelmed like at the beginning.
-The title was the break?
It was a mix of everything. The match with Nadal at Wimbledon a bit, in which I felt that I could play in the big stadiums against the great players. The following week, the title arrived. Everything came together and that generated confidence, which was what I needed to be up there.
-A year ago, when you were preparing to debut in this tournament, you were out of the top 100. You have advanced a lot in the last twelve months and not only in the ranking. Where do you see the greatest evolution?
It was a year of pure growth. Every month I was improving in the ranking and I was doing good tournaments. It’s strange, because in tennis one is more used to losing than winning. And having such a good year, at such a high level, is not easy. I think it was a mix of everything. I settled in a lot mentally, I began to think that I could beat those who were higher up and I trusted myself much more. I improved my game a lot too. My backhand, my serve… I completed myself. Before, everyone said that my right hand was good and now I think I’m solid in all aspects. And physically I became quite strong. I did not give advantage on that side. It was a complete combo.
Cerúndolo had a good start to the season. Despite the fact that he placed first with two losses in the United Cupmade a Australian Open very positive. In Melbourne he won his first Grand Slam main draw matches and reached the third round, before bowing out to the Canadian. Felix Auger- Very different.
Later he traveled to Finland to play the Qualifiers from Davis cup which Argentina lost 3-1. He won his first single against Otto Virtanen, but an overload in the left hamstring did not let him play the second. That annoyance also conditioned him in Córdoba, where he withdrew in the quarterfinals against Frederick Coriawhen he fell 6-3 and 3-0.
“The leg is fine, but we are still in the recovery process,” he said. “It’s a difficult situation, because you’re not injured, but you’re not perfect either. So you’re afraid. You don’t know how long to push yourself, because you say: “I’m not well but I’m not bad and if I push myself, I can break and that’s where I have to stop”. It’s complicated. You have to know how to carry it, know that there is always a risk of injuring yourself. That’s why I try to handle it in the best way and know what my limit is. I hope that soon I can play without those thoughts in my head.“.
And he closed: “I started 2023 well. I won my first matches in a Grand Slam and my first match in the Davis Cup. It’s something nice, it gives me confidence. It helps me face the year in a good way. I hope I can be physically fit to compete and not be speculating. I want to close this brick dust tour well. And then try to continue climbing the ranking and keep as much as possible as the number 1 of Argentina. And enjoy it while you have it.”
From Alcaraz to Djokovic
Francisco Cerúndolo is the fifth seed and one of the great attractions of the Buenos Aires tournament, which has as the top favorite Carlos Alcarazsecond in the ranking and leader of the new generation that is, little but steadily, taking over the tennis elite and seems increasingly prepared to take the scepter and displace the old guard.
The Spaniard, who last year was crowned in the US Open and became at the age of 19 the youngest number one in history, is opening the way. And for the Argentine, seeing everything that Juan Carlos Ferrero’s pupil is achieving is a great motivation.
“It’s a beautiful time for tennis, because you don’t see it as impossible. Until a few years ago, you saw Nadal, Djokovic, Federer, Murray, perhaps Del Potro… You saw four, five or six players who were consolidated, whom it was impossible to take out and beat in a Grand Slam or in important tournaments. Now there is a very big replacement on the circuit, with Alcaraz, with Tsitsipas, with Ruud… Many are my age,” he said.
“The new generation has been breaking into the highest positions in the ranking -analyzed-. In important tournaments, many finalists begin to appear, the occasional champion like Carlos or Daniil Medvedev. The era of Nadal, Federer and Djokovic is going to end soon -although Djokovic still has a few more years to go- and it’s a nice possibility, a motivation for all of us to see that anyone can win any tournament. It’s all positive.”
-Do you see Djokovic staying among the best for a while yet?
-Yes, for me he is the one who is playing the best today. The best tennis player, number 1 and the champion of the last Grand Slam. He’s awesome, because, with everything he’s already won, he still wants to play and win. I respect him very much. And I think it’s good for tennis that he continues at that level, that he continues to demand of us. If we want to beat him, we have to keep working to improve. At 35 years old, he conquered Australia with great comfort and that gives us an indication that there is still a long way to go.
HS
