Francisco Cerúndolo, at 24 years old, is the new No. 1 in Argentine tennis, when he had never managed to get among the best in any of the minor categories. His regularity on the circuit in the last two years has put him up there and keeps him in the top 30 in the world, in an expectant position for promotion.
Nadia Podoroska defeated Paula Ormaechea in Cali and won her first WTA title
Rosario prevailed in two sets in a definition between Argentines, something that had not happened since 1989
He started the year in Australia competing on concrete, with temperatures over 30°C. He went to play Davis Cup in Finland with -5 ° C and on an indoor court, to return to Argentina, at the Córdoba Open. He recovering from an injury, playing on brick dust and with a minimum of 34 ° C during the day. But none of that stopped him and he made his debut in a tough match against Federico Delbonis, with whom he ended up melting into a hug when the result closed in his favor.
Low profile, measured when speaking, respectful and polite, he avoids controversy; but he usually says what he thinks and feels. That is why he does not hide his broad smile and his pride at seeing himself at the top of Argentine tennis.
The furious attack of a tennis player in an ATP tournament: he broke three rackets in 25 seconds and lost the match
Alexander Bublik did not hide his discomfort when he saw that he was being left out of the ATP 250 in Montpellier
“Being No. 1 in your country excites you, it moves you. I was there, very close, I knew that if my brother beat Diego (Schwartzman) he would be No. 1, regardless of my results. Obviously it is something very nice to be the best in what you do in your country. I think it is a very big prize, something unknown to me, because I was never No. 1 in any Junior category. So, being No. 1 here, in the senior category, is something very nice. It was an objective that I had for this year or next year, I liked it ”, he explains at the start of the talk.
There are other cases of those who were not among the best in their category, in Argentina, such as Javier Frana and Diego Schwartzman, but who later surpassed those who had previously been ahead of them and that surely drags some thoughts from the past. “Of course it makes you think backwards, because you were always like from below or seeing others win tournaments or go to a South American to a World Cup, or that they have better contracts or whatever. He always looked behind. But, when I was already a professional and I began to beat a lot of people with whom I spent 8 or 10 years losing and, well, at the end of the day it is being here and now”, says Francisco.
Del Potro, the last match point: the documentary that shows the tennis player’s efforts to play again is released
The Star+ platform will present this Monday, February 13, a 90-minute special with the hard process that the 2009 US Open champion went through
– And what generates you?
– It does a lot for you. You start to think about perseverance, resilience, about being there, training, continuing, failing, but continuing and continuing, trying. I think that is the most important thing and that is why I always say that it is a prize to be in this place. I don’t know if I deserve it or not, but I love being able to have this No. 1.
His father, Toto Alejandro Cerúndolo, shares that pride, gets excited and extracts those distant memories, too, from his own childhood: “How did we get here? he wonders. My old man and the fronton of the Communications Club come to mind, when I was 6 years old. Where it all started. I was very shocked by what happened to Fran ”, Toto said moved.
Tennis does not leave much time to get excited and offers new challenges. This promotion modified the calendar and, therefore, the surfaces for Francisco, who has not stepped foot on brick dust for almost seven months. That is why it is unknown what will be the results that accompany it in South America.
– What do you expect from this tour that almost seems strange to you?
– Yes, totally, as you say. My last powder match was at the ATP 500 in Hamburg, in the semi with Musetti (Italy). That will have been in July, it’s been a long time, 7 or 8 months. I don’t know how long it happened. But for sure, it’s by far the longest I’ve gone without playing on this surface. It’s still my favorite anyway, where I grew up, where I played all my life. Obviously I’m not going to grab his hand from one day to the next, but I think that after a couple of games I’ll feel comfortable again. I have to adjust some details of mobility and ball impact, but I think you don’t lose the essence. So I hope to have a good tour, I look confident. I would like to be able to play well and try to win one of these tournaments.
– I’ll change the subject and take you to the Davis Cup. Was the expedition to Finland worth it?
Yes of course! (He rushes to answer, before finishing asking the question) I always say that when Argentina calls me, I’ll be there. Unfortunately, here it happened that we lost, it happened that I was injured, but well, it takes its toll on the physical, because it was hard, but after all I was there. Having gone as No. 1 in Argentina is something very nice, which I had never experienced. The truth that it was worth it. And I would do it again, even though I know what happened to me now. The Davis Cup is one or two weeks a year, but at ATP 250, I think I can play it all year and all the following years, that’s why I don’t doubt it when they call me.
– How was life during the Davis Cup in Finland?
– We had a great time, we were with the team and I think we left everything. We train well, we get along very well. Individually I managed to win my first match in the Davis Cup, which was also something I had pending, and that makes me happy.
– What is it like to have Mago Coria as captain, who became No. 3 in the world?
– It is very good, it is very positive to have him, Leo Mayer, Tero García and all the rest of the team. I think it’s great to be able to share with people who played incredible tennis and who were in the highest positions. Both Guillermo and Leo, who was a Davis Cup champion, or Tero, a great doubles player. They all contribute, from their side, experience and knowledge that perhaps we still do not live them or do not know them and that they already know them better than we do. That is why I try to listen, learn and get everything positive from them.
When the conversation leads to suggesting whether to think of a Davis Cup team or whether we must resign ourselves to having the captain summon whatever there is, Francisco begins by pausing, he does not rush. He does not analyze what he thinks, but the way in which he is going to communicate it, but he does not delay in saying it. “I don’t know, I never give my opinion, I don’t like to get involved in those things. If they call me, great, I accept; And if they don’t call me, it’s their decision. There is a ranking, which generally does not lie and it is for something that each player is there “, he overturns in the first instance, to later add with a little more depth: “Later, there is a decision of the coach of who he summons, depending on the surface or the place. But, there is also the decision of the players if they want to go or not, that is personal to each one. There are still a few months to go before the next series and to find out who the captain is going to call. As I said, if they call me, I’ll go.
Despite his great tennis moment, Francisco has already passed the third year of his undergraduate studies in Management in Economics and Finance, at Palermo University. “I’m still studying, but now we’re on vacation, so I’m not putting anything into it. But I like it, luckily I’m putting subjects in it and now I’m going to sign up for this semester’s classes”, he says proudly.
– What are the objectives for this year? Do you set a goal and say: ‘I look and think about this’?
I have several goals. I already completed the smallest ones, which were winning a Davis Cup match and winning a Grand Slam match and, luckily, I did it in the first month of the year. Now I would like to win another ATP title, get into the Top 20 in the world and I would also like to reach a second week of a Grand Slam tournament.
Keep reading:
