Genaro Olivieri grew up admiring Rafael Nadal. The Mallorcan’s willpower, his work ethic and his dedication, which have led him to be one of the best in history, are qualities that the Argentine tries to emulate every day. Perhaps for this -or perhaps for a sign of fate-, he was on the brick dust of Roland Garros, the same on which his idol built an incomparable reign, where the native of Buenos Aires had his triumphant baptism in the most important circuit of men’s tennis. This Tuesday he beat the local team in five sets Giovanni Mpetshi Perricardone of the great promises of French tennis and 233rd in the standings, and reached the second round of the French Grand Slam.

It was the first tournament victory ATP extension for Olivieri, who is contesting his first event at that level. And it was an award for a true tennis “worker”, who after a promising career as a junior, struggled to find a place in professionalism, but who has been growing sharply for a couple of seasons.

“What madness I experienced. What I experienced on the pitch was incredible”, he commented, excited, after the victory. “It’s a dream I’m starting to realize. This is still ongoing and I don’t want to wake up.”

Born in Bragado 24 years ago, Olivieri, 231st in the standings, is part of that talented new generation of players led by Francis Cerundolo, 23rd in the world. Genaro started playing tennis after a doctor advised his parents to take him to sports to combat his high cholesterol. It didn’t take long for him to stand out among the guys in his category and very quickly he earned the pot of “great promise from Argentina”.

In those early years, his passion for Nadal was born. He liked the Spanish so much that he even copied the look to take the field.

“I dressed like him. It was difficult because in Argentina you couldn’t get the long pants that I used to wear. So I bought Nike pants one size bigger, they fit longer on me and I hemmed them so they wouldn’t fall down and I could play comfortable. Everything to be more like Nadal. I also had muscular ones. And later, when he started playing with short sleeves, I switched to short sleeves. He was my idol and always will be. “It’s no explanation for what he’s gotten from skinny. It’s impressive,” he said a few days ago in a chat with the site battenis. com.

And, with laughter, he added: “I was sad when I found out that I wasn’t going to play in Paris this year. How crazy it would have been to face him here, crazy! I would have played the whole game crying.”

Olivieri was one of the best juniors of his litter. He won three titles (all in 2015) and reached the eighth step of the ITF world rankings in June 2016, the year in which he played four Grand Slams and sealed his best performance with the quarterfinals of Roland Garros.

It was also progress at the ATP level. He got his first point in August 2014 at Future of La Rioja. To evaluate the earliness of him, Fran Cerúndolo e Thomas Etcheverry -two that today have already established themselves among the best in the standings- did so two years later. And when Genaro entered the top 1,000 in December 2016, porteño was 1,930th and La Plata 1,756th.

His good performances caught the attention of Daniel Orsanicthen Director of Development of AT extension and Argentine captain of Davis Cupwho took him as sparring partner of the series with which the albiceleste team, with Juan Martin del Potro in the lead, they beat Italy in the quarterfinals, on the way to the unforgettable consecration.

During that duel in Pesaro, he said clarion who was very excited to make the leap to professionalism. “The most important moment of the race begins, the icing on the cake. But I’m not afraid, because I’ve been preparing all my life,” she said. But the transition cost him more than he expected.

He was progressing, but at a slower pace than other boys his age (Will the difference in size have an effect? Olivieri is just 1.70 meters tall). Only in 2019 was he able to add his first titles on the (former) Future circuit. In his eighth final, he won a M15 in Buenos Aires in July, when it was 649th in the standings. And in November, like the 481st, he celebrated in a M25 in Naples.

In April 2021, he suffered a severe blow: his father died, Charles Oliveri, renowned Argentine pelotari and the biggest promoter of his career. Genaro thought about leaving tennis, but he got back up and made a big leap in 2022.

In November, he finally won his first challenger, in Montevideo, with a tough victory in the final against Etcheverry, who was already 85th, and days later he appeared on the 190th step of the standings, his best placement to date. His victory on his debut in Paris ensured him 191st place and another win to contend with Andrea Vavassori (148th) in the second round – would have allowed him to knock down his ceiling and get closer to the goal of the top 100 that he set for himself this year.

“My father supported me in every way, from a psychological point of view to a financial one, in the end he also knew about tennis… He pushed me a lot, he wanted me to play more than me. He was my career and life partner “When he passed away I didn’t want to play again, I had no motivation, but I came back and when I entered the pitch I had a sacred fire. Because I think somewhere he is watching me and enjoying himself.” he said.

Olivieri -who won his third title last February ITF in Tucumán- he had once again enjoyed a court, but he had one thing to settle: the ATP circuit. He had played the qualys of last year Wimbledon and the US Open and in January that of Australiawithout being able to overcome them. Even that of houston, last April, again no luck. But he arrived in Paris confident, won all three matches in the qualifying round – he lost just one set, in the third round against Adrian Andreev – and fulfilled his dream of entering the main draw of the French Major.

He wasn’t satisfied and this Tuesday he celebrated his first victory at the highest levels of professional tennis on clay Bois de Boulogne. There, where his idol Nadal has bathed in glory 14 times and with the strength his father sends him from heaven, Genaro Olivieri took a huge step forward in his career. But the Roland Garros dream has just begun and he doesn’t want to wake up.