05/29/2020 - 9:31
- Clarín.com
- sports
Guillermo Pérez Roldán's revelation shook the foundations of Argentine sports. The confession about the physical and psychological abuse to which he was subjected by his father Raúl, an old tennis player, only started a chain of reactions that for these hours it is not known how far he will go.
Guillermo's words to the journalist Sebastián Torok, from the newspaper La Nación, got the immediate support of Mariano Zabaleta, another Tandilense who went through Pérez Roldán's school and current vice president of the Argentine Tennis Association. And in the last hours, another strong complaint was added.
This is from Mendoza Luis Moreschi, who recounted the ordeal he suffered while working under the orders of Pérez Roldán. He suffered so much in those days that today, at 34, he continues to suffer nightmares.
Moreschi, who came to play Futures tournaments and had an ATP ranking, wrote on his Facebook wall a shocking letter where he recounts his torturous experience with Raúl Pérez Roldán that led him to hate tennis.
"There was so much pressure from him, having to win, that many times I lost playing very well and defenestrated you saying horrible things, that I did not move and other things. After three years of those tennis deals you hated him, you went to put for before the result before the consequence when first is the consequence and depends on that comes the result, "Moreschi described in a shocking story.
Luis Moreschi, another former student of Raúl Pérez Roldán who suffered ill-treatment.
Moreschi's Complete Letter
"Today I saw two notes that were made to two great tennis players from Tandil and from the country in which I could see myself reflected regarding the experience lived by those people, about former coach Raúl Pérez Roldán and I thought it would be good to reaffirm it since a lot has happened time and perhaps it is good to take out those lived experiences that marked me, to such an extent that today with 34 years I dream them and it is like continuing to live those moments.
I believe that Guillermo [Pérez Roldán] and Mariano [Zabaleta] do not exaggerate anything they say, it is very true that Raúl as a coach was an outstanding player and I attest, because he trained me 3 years practically with Machi González. He was also one of my sponsors along with two other people (ten out of ten), I did not finish the training of the day if it did not go well.
I remember that I saw many videos of Guillermo Pérez Roldán whom I had as an idol but that idol did not come from there, it came because he had been working in Mendoza two years earlier and helped David Pia (my coach at that time) in my formative stage, Which gave me a lot of satisfaction over time. Then Guillermo left Mendoza and it is there that Raúl became interested in me.
Many times they ask me: 'What happened that you did not arrive?' And if there is something that stands out, it is that Raúl partly made him hate to compete because in training there were no problems; the problem came when you competed in tournaments. There was so much pressure from him, having to win, that many times I lost playing very well and defenestrated you saying horrible things, that I did not move and other things. After three years of those tennis deals you hate it, you go on to put the result before the consequence when the consequence is first and the result depends on that.
At age 17 in the fifth of thirteen ATP tournaments I've ever played in my life, I scored my first and only point. The next day I lost against a Frenchman in two very hard sets and I will never forget that he trashed me because he said he had thrown the game, when I remember that he was running all of them. He said: 'Go get paid and bring me the money.'
I had a seven-year contract (with Pérez Roldán) in which I had to pay 100,000 dollars per year that was left to unlink me. In other words, four more years (impossible) or someone buying the contract, as happened to my friend Machi González with a Frenchman or in this case to Mariano Zabaleta, who, having been the best junior, had a contract with very good sponsors, such as He tells it and they put the money to break the contract. In my case I did not run with that luck and after two days that were hell in Italy I decided to speak and tell him that I did not want to see him anymore, that I did not want to continue with him. I remember him saying to me: 'Well, you know how this is: you have to pay me or you don't play anymore'.
He grabbed a sheet and said, 'I wrote that I'm going to dictate to you: I don't want to play tennis anymore because I don't like it. I miss my family. Nothing motivates me to keep training. ' So! Much more. To hold on and show that to the lawyers, sponsor and have a proof, like saying this kid I don't know what happened to him, but he said blah blah blah (the one who knows me knows well the efforts and what I liked to play and compete, but it was so ugly with him).
I remember that I was never as physically fit as when I trained with Marcos Pizzorno in Tandil. It was not to be believed, but I was cramped when Raúl was on the court. Of course it was (fear).
It turns out that later in Mendoza, the following years that I played local tournaments with many less trained, I never crashed so imagine how far a person's influence can go.
I wrote all that to leave, I didn't want to see him anymore, that's why I see Mariano and Guillermo's note and nothing they say strange me, because that happened.
This that I tell is very brief. I have for a while but at least it is a small teaching of life for those who want to be players or coaches of boys with possibilities of growing in this so beautiful sport (I think it is more valuable to train good men and to remember their trainers with a big smile).
Today I have a family with 6 children that I love and a divine and special woman, my healthy parents who always supported me. To my united brothers, I work with tennis and I do many more things that I like, but above all I am a happy man and I do not regret that decision I made in Italy 14 years ago.
I learned, I keep learning and I can pass it on.
Thanks to life!"
