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Standing on a hostile court against two top 100 rivals in the world, beating one (Nicolás Jarry, 20th place), taking a set from the other (Alejandro Tabilo, 54th) and playing loosely as if he had been playing at the level for several years. professional, not just anyone does it. The tennis vein runs within ‘Nacho’, his grandfather Eduardo ‘El Gringo’ and his great-uncle Enrique ‘El Pibe’, glories of Peruvian tennis, and that same vein came to light in Santiago, placing the momentary 1-1 and fighting for fifth and definitive point. Although the result was not good, at 19 years old, he has shown great projection and a very high ceiling. Depor spoke with the ‘Colorado’ to find out what lessons the series left him and what is coming.
Ignacio Buse is ranked 442 in the ATP. (Photo: Getty Images)
You had a great first day, beating a top 20 like Nicolás Jarry, and then fighting to the end for the fifth point against Alejandro Tabilo, how would you summarize your time in Santiago?
It is clear that throughout the year I compete a lot and, of course, we never reach that level requirement, so after having had two excellent days, on the second day I played pretty good tennis, but I couldn’t win. They were days of a lot of pressure, anxiety, a great desire to go out on the field, uncertainty at the same time and also a lot of unity in the team. We always support each other through the good and the bad, and we hope that next time we can qualify.
You had only had two previous matches in the Davis Cup at home, but you had not experienced that pressure as a visitor and that demand before as a tennis player…
Yes, before each game of course I was very nervous. I think the key was being very hyperactive, that is, jumping a lot, moving to get rid of the nerves.
How does Lucho Horna tell you that you will be a starter, regardless of the opponent’s draw?
Throughout the week, we were training, I with the highest probability of being a starter in this series, due to the fact that I had already done the preseason on hard court and was coming to play in a hard court tournament, although the tournament had not been held. been the best. I have been playing more tournaments on hard courts and Lucho liked that, but it was a possibility that I would play. Only on Thursday, before the press conference, Lucho told us that I was going to play singles and the Huertas brothers were going to play doubles.
What was it like taking the responsibility of playing after Varillas fell in the first game and having the feeling that the locals already felt like winners of two points?
I said, it would be incredible if Varillas wins and we start 1-0 and even more pressure for Jarry. I knew perfectly well that I could enter the game and I could play excellently and even win it. The thing was, I was convinced of that. The Chileans, since they were 1-0 up, already thought that Jarry was the winner, but many people, Chilean friends, told me to spoil their party on Saturday. It was an incredible atmosphere, because the stadium was full until the end. These experiences add a lot to me as a tennis player and as a person.
Responding to those powerful serves to Nicolás Jarry, which are his main virtue, was quite a challenge. Has it perhaps been the toughest demand you have had so far?
Yes, I consider myself a person who returns quite well, especially Jarry’s serve, he is super good at that and his height makes it even more difficult. Well, we decided that we had to get it in anyway and then get to the point and at the point I felt more confident to win it, when I was already building the point.
If before the series against Chile they told you that you were going to beat the top 20 in the ranking, did you believe it?
I believed it, because I had been dreaming about it for a long time, but the point was to do it, you can dream it and everything, but in the end one has to achieve it.
What was going through your mind after that result, after beating Jarry?
I still couldn’t believe it, it was like a feeling of I really did it. I also thought about my family, that I would have liked them to be there at that moment and that I had given hope back to Peru, because if they lost that game we were 2-0 down and the next day was going to be very difficult.
The next day, the doubles come, Varillas’ other match and yours, did you already know that you were going to close the series with the fifth match?
Yes, but I think I got so carried away by the emotion of the previous match that I wasn’t as psyched up throughout the day and I only started to get psyched up when Varillas was losing. I still got very well psyched up, I got psyched up just like I did with Jarry’s match, I started by winning the match and well then Tabilo, who has an incredible level and has just won an ATP, did things better than me and he passed me by. second and third set.
Ignacio Buse debuted with Peru in the Davis Cup last year in February against Ireland. (Photo: Tennis to the Maximum)
That first set was very good from you, then Tabilo grew, the public also encouraged him and everything added up for him to recover. Did you feel the pressure of playing this fifth and final point, was it a new experience for you?
Yes, really inhuman anxiety before the game. I had never felt that anxiety in my life, because I also knew that the Chileans were going to be making more noise than ever because it was the fifth point and they wanted everything for everything. But it’s still something you have to deal with and the next time I’m in a situation like that, I’ve been through it before, and it’s not going to be the same. These are things that add to the experience.
Something that stands out is that at 19 years old you stayed focused, you dominated a very hostile scenario with 5 thousand Chileans celebrating your mistakes and celebrating your rival’s points…
Yes, you had to focus on what you had to do and not let anything influence you. If I started messing with the public, worrying about them, it was a head-scratcher and it wasn’t worth it. It is better to be focused on your thing and nothing else. Of course I enjoyed it and at some point I also laughed. I remember that in the third set with Jarry, the Davis Cup physical trainer told me ‘laugh, laugh, you’re enjoying it’, I really laughed, I mean I was enjoying it and I loved the atmosphere. These are times when one has to know what to do.
You showed that you are up for these matches with a pressuring public, which although it is not usually seen on the ATP circuits, in the Davis Cup it is…
Yes, definitely. For me, there should even be many more Davis Cup matches, because this environment feeds us. Definitely, I have spoken with my teammates, with the team, and all the energy is concentrated on that Davis Cup week and the post-Davis week, we were all like ‘what a shame it’s over’. Now, we have to wait a long time, but everyone goes back to their own thing, and that’s how we wait until it arrives again and we all have the energy to do the best for our country.
After the fifth game against Tabilo, what did Lucho Horna tell you?
I was destroyed after the defeat and the whole team approached me giving me a hand, especially Lucho was with me a lot, he told me that he didn’t understand it now, but this was adding a lot to my career, to my experience. What he was sure was that I will have many more years of Davis Cup and that we will achieve that goal, which we have lost with our heads up.
There is a phrase that many commented after Santiago, they said we lost the series, but we gained a player, how do you take that phrase?
I love that phrase, because I feel some responsibility now. ‘Juanpi’ is still in a super good moment, he lost an ATP, but that doesn’t take away any of his merit. People are not aware of what it is like to be in the top 100 and play ATP, you can win, lose, the level is very demanding. I still take that with great joy, especially with hope for the years to come.
What lessons does this tie against Chile leave you, specifically after having shared the court against two top 50 players?
I had a lot of uncertainty before the games, now I leave knowing that I can perform in such complicated situations, the crowd against me, the surface they wanted, the balls they wanted, everything they wanted and I was able to perform in that situation. Also all the Peruvians who were there were supportive and those who also saw it from a distance and sent all their support, it was always very good.
Once the Davis Cup is over, the path of each tennis player continues. In your case you are in Spain, what is coming up for you?
Now, I have three M25 Futures in Portugal (the first one on February 12). It depends on whether I enter some Challengers, I’ll change, but in March I’m also going to play some Challengers in South America, maybe that’s still not 100% confirmed.
What do you need to participate in more Challengers tournaments?
I think a little consistency, being less irregular, being more solid and establishing myself. For example, that I don’t do well in one tournament, that I don’t do well in another, and so on, that I do a little better in each one and gradually rise in the ranking. So go little by little from Futures to Challengers. Of course, there will be weeks that don’t go well for me, but you have to deal with that. We still have to ask people to be calm, that if a week goes badly for me, to continue supporting, not to back down.
The good thing is that Peru, beyond Varillas, who is the present and the leader of the team, has two great prospects and promises like you and Gonzalo, both 19 years old.
Yes, I think that with that Varillas already takes off a little of the weight he had on top of carrying all the equipment. The Huertas are also young, I consider them young, because there are people on the circuit who, at 36 years old, continue to play at a good level. I would believe that we are going to see them much longer in the Davis Cup. We, needless to say, have several years left and we hope that our careers are healthy so that they continue to lengthen.
You mentioned that Lucho started you, because you came from a preseason on a hard court. You had that bonus of knowing the surface in Spain and the United States, how important is it to be accustomed to different surfaces, not just clay as the Peruvian has historically done?
I put together my schedule and I don’t have any preference, I can start with clay or hard court, whatever. For example, after the Davis Cup, I am going to play on hard courts, I am going to do three tournaments in Portugal that are on hard courts. My style of play is not based on hard courts, but I know what ball to take, how it goes up and that type of game. I think my style adapts well to all surfaces, but I still try to try a little of everything.
Ignacio Buse’s Instagram. (Instagram)
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2024-02-08 20:35:48
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