Luciana Aranguiz
11/17/2020 6:00 AM
Clarín.com
sports
Updated 11/17/2020 6:00 AM
Diego Schwartzman will have the pleasure of closing the best season of his career at the London Masters, one of the most prestigious tournaments on the calendar and one that all players dream of playing at least once.
The
Peque
- who will face Novak Djokovic in the debut next Monday, for the Tokyo 1970 group - will thus become the eighth Argentine to play the end of season contest, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
In its half century of life, the "Masters Tournament" had national representatives in 17 editions from 1974, when Guillermo Vilas played it for the first time, until 2013, the year in which Juan Martín Del Potro was present in the British capital for the last time.
The light blue and white history in the tournament has two champions, a finalist and some other outstanding results.
While waiting for the first game of
Peque
, it is worth remembering how the seven players from our country who played in the past the event that brings together the best of each season did.
Guillermo Vilas
Vilas was crowned at the Masters in 1974, in his first participation.
Vilas is the Argentine who participated the most times in the contest (8) and one of the two who could shout champion.
He did so in the 1974 edition, the first he qualified for, when the event was known as the
Grand Prix Masters
.
That year, the 22-year-old from Mar del Plata did not arrive as a favorite in Melbourne, the venue for the tournament.
But he swept the courts of the Australian city.
In the round robin he beat the Swede
Björn Borg
and the locals
John Newcombe
and
Onny Parun
.
In the semifinals he beat Mexican
Raúl Ramírez
in four sets
.
And in the final he surprised the Romanian
Illie Nastase
, who was looking for his fourth consecutive consecration, and won him 7-6, 6-2, 3-6, 3-6 and 6-4.
He returned to play the contest seven other times: he reached the semifinals in 1975, 1976, 1977 (then lost the match for third place) and 1982. Meanwhile, in 1978, 1980 and 1981 he did not pass the round robin.
Jose Luis Clerc
Clerc played it four times and was a semifinalist in the 1982 edition. Photo Twitter
Clerc, who came to occupy the fourth place in the ranking, played it four times.
In his first two appearances, in 1980 and 1981, he said goodbye in the first stage.
In the following edition - which brought together the best of 1982, but was played in January 1983 in New York - he signed his best performance, the quarterfinals.
On that occasion, the tournament was played with a draw similar to that of an ATP, direct elimination.
The porteño, then number six in the world, debuted in the round of 16 with a win against the Swede Mats Wilander (7th) and lost in the next round with the American John McEnroe, number one.
The same format had the 1983 edition, in which he fell in his first game against the Spanish
José Higueras
.
Guillermo Coria
Coria was never able to get past the round robin and has a 1-8 record.
Photo Clive Brunskill / Getty Images / AFP
Coria was one of the greatest talents of
La Legión
, he reached the third step in the ranking and won nine titles.
But he couldn't shine in the season-ending tournament.
He played it three times and was never able to get past the round robin.
What's more, his record on that date is one win and eight losses.
In the 2003 edition, in Houston, they beat Spanish
Carlos Moyá
on the second date of the group stage
and lost their other two games with German
Rainer Schuettler
and American Andy Roddick.
In 2004, at the same venue, he fell to the Russian
Marat Safin
, the British
Tim Henman
and Roddick.
And in 2005, in Shanghai, he could not with the Croatian
Ivan Ljubicic
, David Nalbandian and the Swiss Roger Federer.
David nalbandian
Nalbandian entered the 2005 Masters at the last minute and was crowned champion.
Photo Reuters / Nir Elias
Nalbandian was the second and last Argentine - at least until now - to win the title of "Maestro".
The Cordovan was crowned in 2005 in Shanghai, in an edition of the then
Tennis Masters Cup
to which he entered due to an injury to Roddick.
In the first stage, he beat Coria and Ljubicic and lost to Federer.
He qualified for the semifinals, where he defeated
Nikolay Davydenko
.
And he lifted the trophy after beating the Swiss in a final of great tension and great tennis that was defined in five sets: 6-7 (4-7), 6-7 (11-13), 6-2, 6-1 and 7-6 (7-3).
The Unquillense had made his debut in the tournament in 2003, the year in which he did not pass the first phase, with a victory against Spanish
Juan Carlos Ferrero
and losses against Federer and American Andre Agassi.
He was also present in 2006, when he overcame the round robin - he lost to Federer and Ljubicic and beat Roddick - and said goodbye in the semis against American
James Blake
.
Gaston Gaudio
Gaudio competed in two editions and his best result was the semifinal of 2005. Photo Reuters / Nir Elias
Gaudio participated twice in the Masters.
He made his debut in 2004, the year in which he was crowned champion at Roland Garros by beating Coria in a historic final for Argentine tennis.
At the end of the season, he lost all three matches in the first round to Federer, Moyá and Australian Lleyton Hewitt.
In 2005 he managed to reach the semifinals.
Like Nalbandian, the Buenos Aires native entered the tournament through the window instead of Hewitt, who preferred to get off and stay in Australia because his wife was about to give birth.
In the round robin he won victories against Mariano Puerta and the Chilean
Fernando González
and suffered a loss against Davydenko.
And in the semis he lost in a resounding way to Federer.
Mariano Puerta
Puerta qualified only in 2005 and did not pass the initial phase.
Photo Reuters / Aly Song
Puerta was the fourth Argentine in the 2005 Masters, the only one he played in his career.
The Cordovan also entered at the last minute because Spanish Rafael Nadal decided not to play due to an injury to his left foot.
And he was fired in the first phase.
The one who had been a finalist at Roland Garros in June made his debut in Shanghai with a defeat against Gaudio, then fell to
Feña
González, the only one who could steal a set, and in his third presentation he could not with Davydenko.
Juan Martin del Potro
Del Potro reached the final in 2009 but had to settle for the runner-up trophy after losing to Davudenko.
AP Photo / Alastair Grant
Del Potro is, along with Clerc, the second Argentine who was present the most times at the event that brings together the best eight of the season.
He played it four times and his best performance came in 2009 when, months after his unforgettable celebration at the US Open, he reached the final at the
O2 Arena
in London, which he lost to Davydenko.
On that occasion, the Tandilense lost in his debut to Scotsman Andy Murray and beat Spanish Fernando Verdasco and Federer in the other two games of the initial phase.
In the semis, he beat Swedish
Robin Soderling
in three sets
and in the title match, Davydenko beat him 6-3, 6-4.
His other participations were in 2008, in the last edition played in Shanghai, when he did not pass the round robin;
in 2012, the year he reached the semifinals (he lost to Novak Djokovic);
and in 2013, when he again said goodbye in the first round.
He had also qualified in 2018, but the fractured kneecap he suffered that year at the Masters 1000 in Shanghai - and which still has him away from the courts - forced him to get off.
FK
Look also
When the Masters was dyed blue and white: that steamroller named Guillermo Vilas and the surprise of David Nalbandian
Long London Masters 2020: a unique tournament with a double challenge for Schwartzman and Zeballos