The Italian flag appears next to the name of Luciano Darderi, that was classified this Thursday for the first time in his career to the quarterfinals of an ATP circuit tournament, In cordoba. However, this talented 21-year-old young man is more Argentine than dulce de leche and enjoys like a child playing in the province of Fernet accompanied by the warmth of a recognizable audience in the extensive world of tennis.
Nation in Villa Gesell on February 14, 2002 and he fell in love with the racket from a very young age. He started playing at the age of 5 and divided his training between the brick dust of his hometown and that of Harrods Gath & Chaves, a club located meters from the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis, where tennis legends passed by.
At the age of 13, for example, he experienced up close the revolution that generated Rafael Nadal, who in 2015 lifted his only Argentina Open trophy in that legendary club. In previous years they played there Guillermo Vilas, eight-time champion, Ivan Lendl, winner in 1981, David Nalbandian (2008) or, closer in time, a Carlos Alcaraz who will return this year to defend his title.
Darderi, what He has dual nationality because one of his grandparents was Italian And because of the facilities that his new country gave him to access European tournaments, receive help and travel around Europe with the community passport, he dreams of being top 100, settling down and achieving part of what those racket glories achieved. He has the conditions – he always had them – but he suffered from the always difficult adaptation to the circuit.
In 2019 he reached the semifinals of the Avvenire Tournament in Milan, one of the most prestigious Under 16 tournaments in the world along with the Orange Bowl, and played in the junior teams of Australia and Flushing Meadows. People began to talk about him and that powerful drive with which he always seeks to dominate from the baseline to take the court and define the points.
But among professionals it is more difficult to bring out that virtue. And the hierarchy of other types of rivals exposes defects that seemed hidden. So he had to wait until February 2023 to add his first victory at the highest level. And it was precisely in Córdoba: he defeated the Frenchman Hugo Gaston before losing in the round of 16 to Sebastián Báez, the tournament champion. Since then he played just one game in Acapulco until reaching the current edition of Córdoba, where He is showing his best version.
“I was never so solid,” said in the mixed zone after sweeping the Austrian in 64 minutes of play Sebastian Ofner38th in the world ranking. “I played a great game. I had very few mistakes and, above all, “I was able to stay mentally focused, which is what I was looking for with my team,” he added.
As such Roger Federer, who went from the strong character he exhibited as a junior to becoming the great knight of the courtsDarderi had to work a lot on that issue. I used to lose my mind easily.
“I remember that at first he was very angry and competitive on the court. I’m still a bit like that; I have a very strong character, but little by little I am calming down. When I was 7 years old I played against 50-year-olds and I got angry because I didn’t beat them. It was all about competing for me,” he recalled in an interview with TyC Sports.
Luciano Darderi celebrates the most important victory of his career. (Córdoba Open press)
Now the pieces begin to fall into place, each one in its place and Luli Darderi, As his friends on the circuit call him, he finds the results he has been looking for for a long time and that he knew he could achieve. It’s just that he knows he’s good.
“Beating someone 30th in the world is very tough for me because I’m still young and 130th, but I think I have the level. At some point the ranking that I deserve will arrive, it is a matter of continuing to work,” he added after beating Ofner at the Mario Alberto Kempes Sports Center.
The live ranking shows it in position 121, which would become its best historical position next Monday. A new victory would leave him one step away from the top 100. And it would give Darderi that mental boost to continue growing.
A day spent in water
The dream of Luciano Darderi, who reached the quarterfinals after overcoming the qualycould be crossed with that of Romanian Burruchaga at the ATP 250 in Córdoba.
Burru, nicknamed after his father, world champion in Mexico ’86, could be his next rival. He was fighting in the third set against the German Yannick Hanfmann and was winning 2-1 when rain forced the match to be suspended. They will complete that match this Friday at 12 on the center court.
Next, in another of the pending round of 16 matches, the defending champion Sebastian Baez will face the Bolivian Hugo Dellien, while at 1 p.m. on court 1 there will be an Argentine duel between Facundo Díaz Acosta y Thiago Tirante.
2024-02-09 03:01:38
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