Hernán Casanova, the Argentine tennis player who never gave up and who at 28 made his debut in a tournament on the major ATP circuit

The Kitzbühel ATP 250, which is played on clay in Austria and distributes € 597,900 in prize money, has a very special connection with Argentine tennis. Just look at the history of this traditional men’s circuit tournament to understand what it is all about.

Its biggest winner is Guillermo Vilas (champion in 1977, 1980, 1982 and 1983) and appear in the list of winners five titles in six years thanks to the consecrations of Guillermo Coria (2003), Gastón Gaudio (2005), Agustín Calleri (2006), Juan Mónaco (2007) and Juan Martín Del Potro (2008). Furthermore, Horacio De La Peña won the trophy in 1990 and there are also lost finals by Vilas, Jaite, Mancini, Gaudio and Chela.

In this 2022 edition the great protagonist is Hernan Casanova321th in the world, which at 28 made his main draw debut in a top flight tour event. He did it after beating the Brazilian Rogerio Dutra Silva (215th) in the last round of Qualy. He had been fighting for this opportunity for more than a decade.

However, the goal of the porteño player came to an end quickly after being defeated by the local promise Rodionov jury 6-4 and 6-2 in an hour and 21 minutes of action. Despite this, he has achieved a dream that had been denied him for a long time and aspires to be able to say present in these cases more frequently.

Champion of thirteen Futures tournaments, five M15s and one M25, he entered the rankings as an alternate. “He was playing in the interclub in Germany two hours from Kitzbuhel, he saw that he was in and out for Austria”reporter Marcos Zugasti detailed through his Twitter account.

In addition, he posted some pictures of the “room” where Casanova slept in Germany, in the locker room of a club, in contrast to the hotel where he would stay days later to play the first ATP tournament of his career at the age of 28. . A great example of perseverance.

Interclub, a lifestyle

This image portrays what many players face before entering the main scene. If they don’t get an invitation, the only way to make the leap is to travel the world playing Challengers and Futures. And until Interclubcompetitions perhaps little known by the Argentine public, but for many players like Casanova they are the best way to support their professional career in tennis, a sport that few privileged people can experience.

These tournaments are, as the name implies, club competitions in Europe that award good cash prizes. Germany and Switzerland have the strongest circuits, with the best “rewards” for tennis playersbut they are also disputed in Spain, Italy, France and Austria, among others.

Some players, without the good fortune to make a career at the highest levels, dedicate themselves exclusively to this type of event (clubs take advantage of the income deriving from membership fees, from the rent of the fields, from some sponsors, etc.). But others, like Casanova, take advantage of it to generate economic resources which they then use to pay for travel, accommodation and other expenses to play official competitions.

Although it is not uncommon to see “top” players, who usually compete regularly in ATP, WTA or ITF (former Futures, now ITF World Tour) tournaments, playing at some Interclub tables. Sometimes to earn some extra cash. Another to fill a gap in your calendar and stay competitive.

The Austrian Dominic Thiem, for example. defended in 2018, when he was already in the top 10, the shirt of TK Mannheim, champion in Germany. And also to recover pace after a long absence, as Nadia Podoroska did in July, after ten months of absence from the fields due to various inconveniences.

Casanova was able to take advantage of the opportunity to play those races to continue fighting for this. And he got the reward for so much effort. “Late ?? Never”posted with all the joy of the moment.

a tennis player

they nickname it “Spiderman” for its speed and flexibility of sliding on brick dust, which favors its great defense, one of its main virtues. In any case, he claims to have improved his serve and his attacking game, with which he hopes to continue to grow and enter the Top 100.

In May 2018 it reached the 255th position in the ranking, its best historical position after his participation in the Heilbronn Challenger, in Germany. He continued to grow and in 2020 he beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the Argentina Open ranking89 in the world at that time, in what was the most sensational victory of his career.

It was on the rise, but the pandemic stopped it. “I have had a shoulder injury for four years, but I decided not to have surgery. By stretching and working with the physio I have it under control, but During the pandemic I did not have the elements at home to cure this problem and it started to hurt a lot “Casanova said in an interview broadcast on the Settenis website.

He then went to Italy and returned to normal training, but the discomfort did not go away: “The pain was so great that he couldn’t take more than three sets. He played tournaments where sometimes there are two games a day and he was well in the morning, but then I had to get out of the bottom or I retired directly, “he confessed.

However, he managed to put those problems behind him and get his career back on track. He hasn’t managed to make the final leap yet, but this past week he has achieved the most important victory of all, which fills him with motivation to keep fighting, as he has done until now.

In the meantime, he knows he will be able to do two more training sessions in Austria, given that in the ATP 250 the players on the main draw have five guaranteed hotel nights, starting from the weekend.