Luciana Moyano, the Cordovan woman who grew up on the tennis court her parents built in the backyard

Argentina won 113 medals in Rosario South American Youth Games. Of the 31 gold medals that left the national delegation in third place in the medal table, behind Brazil (64) and Colombia (34), three came from tennis and from the hand of Luciana Moyano. The woman from Cordoba, carrying a flag at the opening ceremony with the basketball player Nicholas Chiaravigliowon gold in the three trials she played, the singles, the women’s doubles and the mixed doubles, and one of the most famous Argentine athletes.

Perhaps for those not following the coming and going racket tournaments for minors in the world, his great performance was a pleasant surprise. But in the land of Santa Fe, Luli he did nothing but confirm his great gift and show again that, at the age of 16, he was one of the Argentine juniors with the greatest projection.

Born in Córdoba in September 2005, Moyano grew up on a tennis court, literally. Since his brothers practiced this sport, his parents built a complex in their house, which ended up becoming their playground.

“What I watched all day was tennis and I was always holding a racket. From watching my siblings play and accompany them to tournaments, I started to like it. I can’t remember at what age I started practicing it more. Seriously., but all seven of them I played my first tournament, where I reached the final, and I never stopped “, he said in a chat with Clarion The Cordoba woman, who is so focused on her career, that she has been attending school online since sixth grade to be able to travel to compete without problems.

Last year he had a good season. He won Cordoba J4is runner-up in South American Sub 16 with the Argentine team and reached the round of 16 of Billie Jean King of its category played in Turkey. He had fun playing his first main draw at the WTA level: in November, after qualifying, he made his debut Tomorrow of Argentina woman. And he closed out 2021 with two golds -singles and mixed doubles- in Cali Junior Pan American Games.

“In the competition in Buenos Aires I learned a lot, I added a lot of experience and a lot of confidence for the tour that came later and that ended with the Pan American Games. I never thought I would win a medal in Cali. I wanted to get on the podium, but I never thought I would be able to do it. It was something very big “, recalled Moyano, who at the good end of the year, had a nice rise in the ITF junior ranking: from 149th before playing in the WTA to 91st in the last update of 2021.

Now 2022 he continues to climb. With a title Lambere J1the fourth for him on that circuit, a semis in Porto Alegre J1and a final on JB1 from Lima, became 32nd. Now the bottom three positions appear and this is the second best spot in the Argentine.

These performances also allowed him to score points to fulfill a great goal: to play in the junior Grand Slams, a dream that is about to come true. Because once he closes his participation in Rosario, he leaves for Europe, where he will have his debut in that category at Roland Garros.

“I’m really looking forward to it. And beyond the chance to play those two Grand Slam (NdR: Will also play Wimbledon)something I’ve been looking for for a long time, the idea is to keep adding experience and keep learning “, Moyano assures

The woman from Cordoba stepped hand in hand with her father and now her trainers are her siblings Matthias (33 years old) and Agustin (30). But because it was very clear that he wanted to build a professional career and get as high as possible in the WTA rankings, the bigger the team he was with every day.

“I’m always trying to get more people to join. I have a physical trainer, a psychologist, a nutritionist, someone who handles the whole issue of insoles, my kinesiologist … They’re all important people to me, because they help me improve every day and they are the ones responsible for me being here today, ”said Luli, a right-handed, aggressive and fighter player.

Her psychologist, Lorena, is an important support to manage the pressures that usually come up when big results come like with Cali or Rosario.

“There are times when you feel pressure. In Rosario, he is the flag bearer so he appears in all the media and comes out as a favorite. But I think I handled it well and didn’t feel much. When I have these feelings and I need to discharge, I talk to my psychologist. He and the others in my work team help me get out of those situations, ”he explains.

Moyano also has the support of two sponsors, who helped him with career banking, OLX Cars, who has been with him since 2020; Y Babolatproviding rackets, bags, shoes and everything you need to play.

“Tennis is a very expensive sport and my parents make a lot of effort so that I can travel. Many also always ask how I am, if I need anything and there are always people helping me. And the support of these two companies adds a lot ”, assured the Cordovan woman, one of the great promise of Argentine tennis, who at just 16 years old, is already thinking, working and training as a professional.

Rosario’s experience

“Everything I experienced in Rosario was insane. I was surprised that they chose me as the flag bearer, because there were so many men in the delegation, and I am very grateful. The feeling of carrying the flag is hard to explain. Before the ceremony I was very nervous, because a lot of people are watching and it’s not something that’s normal in tennis, even at this level. But it is a pride “, Moyano recalled.

He also felt nervous because of the large number of people – and knowing that his family was on the stand – in the first games he played on the fields of Provincial Athletic Club. But he got used to it very quickly. On Saturday, April 30, she defeated Peruvians Alessia Martínez and Lucciana Pérez in the women’s doubles finals with Luisina Giovannini, which he defeated the next day in the first round to win gold in singles. And shortly after that same day, he won the title in mixed doubles Lautaro Midon with a victory against the Peruvian duo formed by Pérez and Gonzalo Bueno.

Very competitive -maybe he can idolize Rafael Nadal-, that’s the harvest that went to find Rosario.

“After what I experienced last year in Cali, I was determined. I wanted to win and I think I played well all week. If I won silver instead of a gold, I don’t think I would have left very happy. Although ‘t I’m sure after some days, I would have realized that getting a medal of any color is very positive “, he acknowledged.