In the world of tennis, it is always said that the
Davis Cup
is a separate tournament.
That in this competition, in which the players put aside the individualities of the circuit to push as a team for a common goal, many times the favoritism remains in the locker room, the rankings do not matter on the field and the games are won more with the mentality and conviction that with a great level of tennis.
History is full of examples that confirm this.
To that list we must add what happened at the start of the series between
Argentina
and
Kazakhstan
for the
2024 Qualifiers
, at the Jockey Club in Rosario.
The light blue and white team started as the great candidate to win the duel, which will qualify the winner to the group stage of the September Finals.
Because of history, because of their own names and because they play at home, on a surface and in conditions of their own choosing.
But in the preview, without denying the status of favorite,
Guillermo Coria
and his players had warned: the Kazakhs are tough rivals, beyond the losses they suffered before the start, and we should not trust them.
The two singles from the first day proved them right.
Because
Francisco Cerúndolo
, 28th in the world, defeated
Dmitry Popko
, 338th, 7-5 and 6-2, but he needed a lot of work and a lot of brainpower to do it.
And because
Tomás Etcheverry,
28th, searched and searched, but he did not find a way to defeat the “almost Spanish” tennis of
Timofey Skatov
, 278th, who beat him 6-4 and 7-5.
"Davis is a separate competition. There is more pressure and nerves than in any tournament on the circuit, because you want to win no matter what, but also play well. And you know that it is one match, two at most, to show the captain that you are fine. But I like it, I enjoy it, more than anything at home because all your people are there. And victories like this fuel me a lot for what's to come," Cerúndolo analyzed.
And he added: "Maybe what you have been doing this year does not influence you much. Because you know that you are not playing for yourself, you are playing for the team and for the country. You enter with nerves or tension. The important thing is to shake off those things quickly to Let the tennis start to flow. That happened a little against Popko, I started tense, I didn't know how he was playing and I wasted some break points. After winning the first set, I started to play a little better and I broke it, because it was too hot."
"At Davis, you enter with nerves or tension. That happened to me against Popko," Cerúndolo said.
Photo JUAN JOSE GARCIA-CLARIN
"It was difficult for me, from the beginning to the end. I didn't feel comfortable at any time," said Etcheverry, who played only his second match in Davis (the first that could weigh on the final result).
"I tried to reverse it in the second set, looking a little more. I had some opportunities, but I was not precise or aggressive in those moments. I did not expect this result at all. Now, with the fever on top, I remember some moments where I chose the wrong shot or was in a hurry, little things that you don't have to fail at.
"At Davis, it is another experience that you live on the court," continued the player from La Plata.
"Today at one point I went 0-30 with two parallel setbacks and I thought
'Now is the time, it's an important moment, let's see if people get on with me
.' And I met the public at the moment I needed it most "It was one of the best moments of the game, in which I started to unload because I had to get loose in some way, and I thought I could turn it around. But he later resolved the situation well and it didn't happen to me."
The two Argentines suffered the "Davis effect", beyond the fact that the outcome was different for each one.
It seemed to bother both of them, at least at the beginning of their games, that they had to go out and play a series that, for those watching from the outside, was already won.
It is true that the rivals -Popko, who has been in Argentina since the beginning of January and has just made finals and semis in two Challengers on clay, and Skatov, who got his hands on this surface during the five years he lived in Valencia - they played above what their rankings indicate.
And that the stifling heat could have played a role.
But both Fran and Tomy are superior tennis players.
What happened?
What usually happens in Davis: the underdog has nothing to lose and takes advantage of it.
The positive?
The Argentines never gave up and continued fighting, although things did not work out for them.
Coria and a heartfelt hug with Cerúndolo.
"What happened could happen and we have to be strong," said the captain.
Photo JUAN JOSE GARCIA-CLARIN
"The tension with which the boys started is logical. They are tough games and when you face players with a somewhat misleading ranking, they play more loosely, without pressure and that makes it a little more difficult for you. We knew that It wasn't going to be easy at all," Coria reflected.
And he closed: "The boys were prepared. Obviously they are playing their first series, we have to accompany them and support them. What happened could happen and we have to be strong.
Tommy
never let up in his attitude, always trying to find a little more in the moments in which I did not find the sensations that I had been having in the previous days. Always with a lot of determination, with a spectacular behavior, respecting the opponent. Now a tough doubles awaits us as well and what will come after. It is not going to be easy, "But we are here to fight."
The Jockey Club, an oven
Hats, caps and umbrellas, towels that covered the backs and necks, sunscreen, sunglasses... And water, a lot of water.
The colder, the better.
Everything was worth it on Saturday to combat the suffocating heat, an important player in the first day of the series between Argentina and Kazakhstan.
Towels with ice and water, key elements to combat the heat.
Photo JUAN JOSE GARCIA-CLARIN
The players suffered it on the field.
During the breaks, towels filled with ice appeared to cool the bodies that were burning after each rally.
And also the clean jerseys, which didn't last long in those conditions: just a
game
or two and they were already soaked again.
“One of the worst days since we've been here.
I finished the point and felt like I was about to die.
Between point and point, I felt like I wasn't going to be able to start the next one.
It was strange,” commented Francisco Cerúndolo.
“It wasn't easy playing in the heat.
You had to be strong in the head,” admitted Tomás Etcheverry, who at one point seemed to suffer from a drop in blood pressure or dehydration and needed to take a pill that the team doctor gave him.
The sun gave no respite and the public took advantage of everything from umbrellas to towels to protect themselves.
Photo JUAN JOSE GARCIA-CLARIN
The public didn't have a good time either.
At times he was subdued and did not provide that energy that usually exists when Argentina plays at home.
He suffered so much from the sun that when a passing cloud covered him, a chorus of
“Ahhh”
could be heard that reflected the joy for those seconds of relief.
And between the first and second games, while some sought the shelter of a roof or an umbrella, others even queued to get wet with the water that two people threw with hoses, from a municipal truck parked outside the property, on the other side of a wire fence
High temperature and high humidity percentage, a very tough combination for playing tennis, which transformed the Jockey Club into a true oven.