The Davis Cup arrives in Rosario for the first time: how the venue was born and why the times are not changed due to the heat

At the time of the draw which took place in December in Malaga, as part of the finals of the latest edition of the Davis Cupstipulated that Argentina would receive the first weekend of February at Kazakhstan for the Qualifiers 2024to the Argentine Tennis Association a problem arose. He Lawn tennis in Buenos Aires, the stadium where the Albiceleste national team usually plays at home, would not have been available on that date, because it would have been in full preparation for the Argentina Open. Nor could it host the Córdoba duel, which is also involved in an ATP event.

It was therefore necessary to find a new headquarters for the team led by Guillermo Coria. And the search was very short: rosary beads It has quickly become everyone’s favorite and, after some quick management, this Saturday will become the fifth city in the country’s interior to host tennis’s oldest and most important team competition.

“We never really considered an alternative. We thought about Rosario and told Guille “Start convincing them why it has to be there.”. It is a city that has enormous potential and where a lot of tennis is played. And with Rosario’s tennis history, Davis had never come here. “We thought it was a good time,” he said Clarin Agustin Calleripresident of the AAT.

“In the interior of the country, events like Davis are very popular. And the Jockey was the ideal club to bring her, for all that it means for national tennis. Fortunately, the Santa Fe government, the city and the club saw the potential of this event, which to put it into context, is a qualifying stage to play in a World Cup. It’s very important, they accepted immediately and thank goodness, because we didn’t have much time either. Otherwise, I don’t know how we would have dressed up,” she added.

This will be only the ninth series to be played outside the city of Buenos Aires in over one hundred years of Argentine history in Davis. The first one has been played Mar del Plata in April 1996, with a local win against the Bahamas in the Americas Group I semifinals. “La Feliz” was the venue after that painful 2008 final, lost against a Spain without Nadal. And also the clash with the defeat against Italy in the first round of the 2002 World Cup.

The other internal locations were Mendoza (a victory over Mexico for the American zone quarterfinals in 2001); Cordoba (two in the same year, the semi-finals of that same area with the celebration against Canada and shortly after the victory against Belarus with the qualification for the World Group); AND Saint John (two duels in 2018, victory against Chile for the round of 16 of the Americas and against Colombia for the playoffs in the top category).

“Bringing Davis in is very important. We know the effort that children and their families in the provinces make to play. This is a very strong tennis area. We are one of the federations that brings more kids to the nationals, which has more players competing in internal tournaments. That’s why the expectations that exist are wonderful,” Coria analyzed.

“Every Davis has something special, even more so because it’s in my backyard. Although I don’t want to take full responsibility for this. I united the parts, I created that strength and then everyone did their part, an immense job, so that all this could be organized in a short time”, said the Magicianwho despite being born in Rufinus, adopted this city as his own – where his wife and, subsequently, his children were born.

Coria spoke well: the 3,500 tickets put up for sale, starting from 25 thousand pesos, sold out in just two days. “We knew people would come and now we will have a great weekend for tennis, I hope the boys can win,” Calleri said.

The Cordoban explained that it was necessary to make an investment to build the stands, build the commercial area and the VIP sector and prepare the jockeys’ facilities for the matches. It was a joint work between the AAT, the provincial and municipal administrations and the club, with the support of the sponsors (those who always accompany the team and some new ones from the Rosario clubs who joined). Once the competition is over, the economic impact of the crash will be known.

Calleri also assured that insecurity, a hot topic in the daily life of Rosario’s society, was not presented as a particular concern for the series.

What has started to worry us in recent days has been the heat. For this Saturday the thermal sensation could exceed 38 degrees, with humidity that will not drop below 50 percent. Very difficult combination to play tennis at midday or early afternoon. The forecast is similar for Sunday, with even higher humidity.

In the previous days, even suffocated, the players and the captain admitted that they had not enjoyed training under the sun and with such high temperatures; and that these conditions could make the matches even tougher. But they also stated that they are prepared for the challenge and that, perhaps, this factor will end up working in their favor against rivals who are more accustomed to the cold at this time of year.

“The good thing is that it catches us at a time when the boys are coming back from preseason and are in good shape. I was careful not to overdo it in training. We need to see how the body reacts during the match, but I think they adapted to the conditions very well. They come from the heat of Australia, but here it is worse due to the humidity, even if they are used to playing in these conditions, but you have to manage the anxiety. We will have to try not to put this issue in our heads too much,” commented Coria.

“There is a heat wave throughout the country, what can we do against this wave?”, complained Calleri. And he clarified: “The program could not be changed. For a rule of ITF, the matches always start at that time, because there is also the problem of television for Kazakhstan with the time difference. And it’s also a precaution in case it rains, so you have a margin to complete the day. Luckily the boys are fine. They were training well in these conditions and everyone already knows what it means to play the Davis Cup. “We have enormous confidence in them.”