Argentina’s first misstep in Davis: a timely strike or a knockout that won’t give reaction skills?

Argentina I knew that, on paper, I was the favorite in the duel against Swedenwhich opened the action of Group A of the 2022 Davis Cup Finals in Bologna. And he had added confidence in the training he had done in Italy before his debut. But I also knew that many times in this competition the ranking does not matter. They said over and over again William Coria and its players that the Ymer brothers, the best players of the European team, tend to “grow” when they defend the colors of their nation. And that their opponents are naturally more comfortable on indoor hard courts. What happened this Tuesday in Unipol Arena showed that this previous reading was not wrong.

Because Sebastian Baez Y Diego Schwartzmann fell in both singles al Ymer -The player from Buenos Aires (37th) 6-4, 3-6 and 7-6 (7-4) against Elijah (119 °) and the small (17th), for a double 6-2 against Michael (98th) – and Sweden secured the 2-0 victory in the series, which then it ended 2-1 thanks to the victory of Horacio Zeballos and Máximo González in the doubles.

It was a hard blow for the biancoazzurra team, against which they now have to look for good results Italy Y Croatiatwo very tough teams, to continue dreaming of qualifying for the playoffs, which will be played in November in Malaga.

“For me the defeat was a small knockout blow, for how I imagined the first game and for how I felt. The last few weeks had been good, not only training but also competing. Today maybe I took half a step back in that evolution. he was doing, “Schwartzman admitted bluntly.

“Nothing worked on my side and everything went well for Ymer. He was always on the front row, he played better in the important moments, where I made mistakes. I tried to find solutions, sometimes with a great attitude, but I never found them “I had no chance in the game. I was outclassed in many ways. In training I felt incredibly good. I have to find a way to put him in the next games, because if not, I won’t be able to contribute what I have to. “Contribute”, he continued. small.

Baez also found no excuses. “He played better. I tried to take the lead in the game, which is important on these fields. Sometimes I didn’t make it, I made a lot of mistakes. I think these games get away from the details. It’s one of mine. first Davis Cups and so many things they play, the pressures, the nerves, the anxiety … Today I lacked things to do better, but the week has just begun, it’s long “, said the Buenos Aires player.

And he added: “I take it as an apprenticeship. I’m still a boy and everything is experience to add, if I see the things I have to do better and I can capitalize on them.”

Schwartzman did not hesitate to acknowledge the superiority of the two Swedish singles, who played at a high level.

“The two games were similar in the sense that the Ymer have been through a lot. They felt comfortable in many ways. And neither Seba nor I could do much, we couldn’t hurt them,” he said. “Even if in the score they were very different. Sometimes Seba was able to find solutions and was close to winning. Surely he had different feelings for this. I tried, but today there was not a good level. We thought we had done it. good occasions, but in the end they killed us on the pitch “.

The Argentines will now have a few days to criticize themselves, see what went wrong and find a way to bring the good sensations from training to matches, to face the two toughest rivals in the group.

Friday, from 10, they will clash with Italy, which comes with Sinner Jannik (11 °), Matteo Berretti (15 °) and a double consolidated with Fabio Fogni Y Simone Bolelli. And on Saturday, with Croatia, second last year, which he has in his ranks Borna Coric26th and recent champion in Cincinnati, and the couple Matte Pavic-Nikola MekticGrand Slam champion and former leader of the ranking.

What chance do the captains of Coria have of surprising those teams? . “If we can turn the situation around in terms of level, we can win many games and many rivals,” assured Schwartzman, who, despite the pain of defeat, was not saddened.

And he closed: “The ways we lost – different but similar (because we both trained well, played well and were fine) – were painful. It will depend on us how we face defeat and what we do it. , even if it’s not time to win, at least the level is there and the sensations are different “.