Former professional tennis player Laura Montalvo reflects on an era before smartphones, digital calendars, and instant messaging, when players relied on hotel faxes, hand-written postal letters, and military escorts during tour stops in war-torn regions of Europe.
Long before digital schedules and instant messaging defined the professional tennis circuit, traveling athletes faced a vastly different daily reality. For former Argentine tennis player Laura Montalvo, who reached No. 23 in the world doubles ranking and captured nine professional titles, checking the hotel reception desk for a fax was a routine part of daily life during the 1990s.
“With Paola Suárez, we slept in the same room and spent a lot of time together,” Montalvo recalls of her touring days alongside the former world No. 1 in doubles and current Billie Jean King Cup captain. “We would arrive from the club or from eating and go straight to reception to see if our family had sent us a fax. Although it seems silly, receiving one changed our mood for the better, of course.”
During an era devoid of smartphones and social media, communication with home required patience and unpredictability. Players wrote traditional letters without knowing when they would arrive in Argentina, or where replies would find them as tournaments shifted locations across long stretches of Europe.
Planning European Tours Amid Post-War Reconstruction
Montalvo began her professional journey at just 15 and 16 years old, embarking on a three-month European tour alongside coach Francisco Pancho Aranguren and a group of young Argentine tennis players that included Valentina Solari, Valeria Strappa, and Mariana Díaz Oliva.
Several stops on the circuit brought the teenagers face-to-face with the stark realities of regions recovering from armed conflict. During a swing through Croatia as the country emerged from war, the official tournament hotel doubled as housing for refugees.
“We landed in Zagreb and had soldiers waiting for us on the tarmac to escort us to the hotel or the club,” Montalvo notes. Due to regional conflicts, travel routes required lengthy detours to avoid restricted airspaces. A flight from Vienna to Zagreb that typically lasted 40 minutes stretched to an hour and a half to steer clear of potential bombing zones.
Later in her career during the 2000s, Montalvo traveled to Sarajevo alongside former player and current member of the Board of Directors of the Argentine Tennis Association Florencia Molinero. Upon arrival, the touring athletes encountered heavily damaged infrastructure, pockmarked buildings, and widespread destruction.
Despite heavy military checkpoints and constant security monitoring around venues, Montalvo notes that tennis operations inside the clubs maintained a sense of competitive normality, leaving lasting impressions of resilience and perspective.
Camaraderie Within a Generation of Argentine Tennis
Those demanding travel conditions forged tight bonds among the travelling Argentine contingent. Players routinely shared coaches, split accommodations, and leaned on each other while chasing ranking points across demanding international draws.
That generation established a presence on the international stage, anchored by Gabriela Sabatini alongside standout performers such as Suárez, Díaz Oliva, Inés Gorrochategui, and Betina Fulco.
Reflecting on the stark contrast between her formative years on tour and modern athletic infrastructure, Montalvo points to pocket technology as the ultimate divider. “The little phone changed everything,” she observes. “The luxury back then was sending a fax.”
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