The secrets of Francisco Cerúndolo, a great competitor who advances step by step and seems to have no roof

Speaking about what was happening to his son, less than 24 hours before the Bastad final, Alejandro Cerúndolo pointed out that, in order to beat Sebastián Báez, “you have to compete”. And since that ability to be competitive has been what has accompanied Francisco since he started playing tennis, on that side there was a particular tranquility in the intimacy of the new Bastad champion’s team. Francisco Cerúndolo loves to play tennis and has always shown an enormous ability to transgress, be different and adapt to everything to make his dream of being a professional come true. He has always been a great competitor.

The point is that in addition to sounding very good, Cerúndolo is also an example of a normal guy for whom at some point everything seemed to go the other way. And the pandemic had a lot to do with this, which damaged him considerably – like so many other players, that’s true – in terms of ranking.

But Wimbledon’s determination not to give up points, in his case, worked entirely in his favor. Because the best player lost (Djokovic’s case was eloquent, given that despite being champion he dropped to seventh place in the standings) and he, like many others in the squad behind the first, took advantage of it. For the first time, a “normal” tennis player like Cerúndolo had an advantage in the numbers that determine who is better than another.

The title obtained in Bastad brick dust is the product of a huge effort, of a tireless working spirit but, above all, of a process, in short. Because Cerúndolo is not Báez, who since he was a boy was an example of precocity, and because this Cerúndolo bears little resemblance to the one who reached his first final last year in Buenos Aires, where Diego Schwartzman beat him with enormous breadth and only allowed him to get three games.

The career of Cerúndolo, who it was far from being a crack in its youthful years, was laid out “the old way”, crossing the different levels of the circuit. Slowly but with extreme confidence. The old futures first, the rankings of the challengers and then of the challengers, the rankings of the ATPs and the latest ATPs have seen him grow little by little. Always with the bonus of betting on all surfaces, What’s more.

And he did the rest.

Supported by a drive with which he hits the ball very hard, has grown into everything external to the player: food, psychological support and the rest of the objects that are not seen but are fundamental. He also learned of a circuit that could fire him (back to the Challengers, for example) if he didn’t have a methodology to deal with it.

His was knocking on the door. And what happened to him at the Swedish spas – with his first win against a top ten on the way – is the consequence of a path that accompanies him Kevin Konfederaka coach who took over from Wally Grinovero, who listens and who is smart to understand a player from the still unknown ceiling.

They have known each other with Báez for many years and both, together with Juan Manuel, Francisco’s younger brother, have built a rivalry that has ended up strengthening them. Here because what was experienced during the Bastad week was almost like a movie. And that’s why you have twice as much fun. Like Cerúndolo today, Báez and their new generation enjoy all Argentine tennis.