Timofey Skatov
was the great Argentine nightmare of the weekend at the Rosario Jockey Club.
He was the one who embittered
Tomás Etcheverry
at the end of a suffocating Saturday, to leave the series against
Kazakhstan
for the
2024 Davis Cup
Qualifiers 1-1 .
And he was the one who defeated
Francisco Cerúndolo
in two sets yesterday in the first singles of a cloudy and more pleasant day, to equalize the duel and force the fifth point.
Located at 278th place in the ranking, he surprised the local public with the comfort with which he moved and played on clay.
And also for the shouts of encouragement in Spanish that he threw into the air in the matches he won against the La Plata player, 28th in the world, and the Buenos Aires player, 22nd, which became the most important victories of his career.
Skatov was born in Petropavl, a city located in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, and spent a good part of his life in Russia, a country to which his family moved when he was one year old due to the career of his father Dmitrii, a soccer player, and in which he started playing tennis.
But when he was 17, he settled in Valencia, to join the academy of
José Altur
, former coach of
Igor Andreev
and
David Ferrer
, among others.
He lived in that city for five years.
And there he got used to playing on that orange surface so common in Argentine clubs, but not very popular in Kazakh lands.
So much playing on clay ended up adopting a style of play typical of tennis players from that country, as Guillermo Coria emphasized again and again during the weekend.
And he also learned to speak Spanish, a language that he usually uses to encourage himself or reproach himself for mistakes during games, as he did in Rosario.
“I'm alternating languages,” he said with a laugh during his time at Jockey.
And he added: “Coria may be right when she says I'm a 'Spanish player.'
“I lived in Valencia for a long time and took many customs from that city, both on and off the field.”
Skatov and Messi, in the photo that the Kazakh robbed the Rosario in Barcelona.
Photo Courtesy Timofey Skatov
During those years in Spain, in addition, a special connection with Argentina was born.
Timofey became a fan of
Lionel Messi
, whom he once met by chance, when he ran into him in a shopping mall in Barcelona and stole a photo of him, which he still carries around in his wallet.
After one of his triumphs over the weekend, he was asked if he had a favorite soccer club in Argentina.
And he didn't hesitate.
“I don't have much idea.
Where is Messi from?
“I am with the club of whichever Leo is,” he stated.
Right-handed and with a two-handed backhand, quite short for modern tennis - in which the rule seems to be “the higher the better” - and with
Roger Federer
as a mirror, Skatov had a good career as a junior.
Although he did not win any Grand Slam (he was a semi-finalist in New York in 2017), in early 2018 he became number 1.
He shared a litter, for example, with the Italian
Lorenzo Musetti
and the American
Sebastian Korda
.
During those years, some positioned him ahead of those rivals, today located among the best in the ranking.
But the pressure of the expectations that had generated his talent and his growth during his time in Valencia, added to some injuries, did not let him finish exploding.
Skatov reached his best ranking, 123rd place, last year.
Photo JUAN JOSE GARCIA-CLARIN
He reached his best ranking (123rd) in September of last year and until this weekend, he had never defeated a player ranked among the best 70 in the world.
In Jockey, he beat two top 30 players, triumphs that, he hopes, will help him continue improving.
“When you play Davis, the responsibility and pressure are greater than on the circuit.
Beating two guys from the top 30 means I'm on the right track.
“Now I know I can do it,” he stated.
Cerúndolo himself acknowledged that Skatov made the duel, which in the preview seemed quite accessible for the Argentines, become very uphill.
THERE WILL BE A FIFTH GAME IN ROSARIO!
🤯
🇰🇿 Skatov shone once again and beat 🇦🇷 Cerúndolo 7-6 and 6-4.
In this way, the Kazakhs equal the Qualifiers 2⃣-2⃣
Who will advance to the Finals? #Davis Cup I @ktf_kz pic.twitter.com/NiGwQieIHZ
— Davis Cup (@CopaDavis) February 4, 2024
"He was the player who played the best during the two days. He beat Tommy and me. You have to give him credit, because if he hadn't played very well, I think both Tommy and I could have defeated him. He held up very well in all the games. "We thought that the series had become a little easier when players began to drop out (
NdR: First
Alexander Bublik
and then
Denis Yevseyev
). But Skatov appeared, who played impressive tennis, very much on clay, and that complicated us." , assured the Buenos Aires man.
Timofey took away from this series that newfound confidence in his tennis.
And also another precious gift.
“On Saturday a man asked me if we could change the shirt.
I told him I needed it to play, so we could trade it today.
We did it.
My father asked me to bring him something from this trip.
So I bring him the Argentine shirt,” said smiling Skatov, the most Spanish Kazakh, who was the nightmare of the national team in Rosario.