Reaching the
top 100 in the world ranking
is one of the first goals that every tennis player pursues when they make the leap to professionalism.
Breaking into that group can give a huge boost to a player's career, because it opens the doors to tournaments that would otherwise be unattainable.
But breaking that barrier is not an easy task, especially for Argentines.
Therefore, the fact that this week there are eight albiceleste representatives in that elite was cause for celebration.
And rightly so, because it reflects the good moment that Albiceleste tennis is experiencing and gives hope for the future.
Since the
ATP
classification was published for the first time , in August 1973, 68 Argentines managed to place themselves among the best one hundred at some point in their careers.
Eleven achieved it for the first time in the last five years.
And this Monday the last two names were added to that list:
Mariano Navone
, who after being a finalist in
Rio de Janeiro
jumped from 113th to 60th place, and
Thiago Tirante
, who rose from 105th to 100th.
The other six located this week in that group are
Francisco Cerúndolo
(20th),
Sebastián Báez
(21st, champion on Sunday of the Rio tournament),
Tomás Etcheverry
(27th),
Facundo Díaz Acosta
(52nd, who broke into that elite after winning the
Argentina Open
),
Pedro Cachin
(78th) and
Federico Coria
(88th).
It is the first time that light blue and white tennis has so many players together in the top 100 since February 2022, with
Diego Schwartzman
,
Federico Delbonis
, Fede Coria,
Facundo Bagnis
, Fran Cerúndolo, Báez,
Juan Manuel Cerúndolo
and
Guido Pella
.
The record occurred in June 2007, when there were 14
Albiceleste
rackets on that list:
Guillermo Cañas
,
Juan Ignacio Chela
,
David Nalbandian
,
Agustín Calleri
,
Juan Mónaco
,
José Acasuso
,
Juan Martín Del Potro
,
Sergio Roitman
,
Mariano Zabaleta
and
Diego Hartfield
.
Argentina is today the third country with the most players in the first hundred of the classification, tied with
Australia
.
The United States
, with 12, and
France
, with 10, lead that statistic this week.
Spain
, a historical titan, has just five - Carlos Alcaraz, Alejandro Davidovich, Roberto Carballes Baena, Jaume Munar and Roberto Bautista Agut -, its lowest number since August 1989.
Since the creation of the ATP ranking, 68 Argentines managed to get into the top 100. 11 of them reached it for the first time in the last 5 years.
Argentine tennis is more alive than ever 🔥🎾🇦🇷
— Argentine Tennis Association (@AATenis) February 26, 2024
That national tennis rubs shoulders with these powers further enhances the value of those eight names in the top 100, because the three countries with which it shares the podium live a different reality.
All three host Grand Slams, the
US Open
,
Roland Garros
and the
Australian Open
.
The United States also organizes each year three Masters 1000 (
Indian Wells
,
Miami
and
Cincinnati
), one ATP 500 and six 250. France, two Masters (
Monte Carlo
and
Paris
) plus four 250. And Australia, two tournaments of the lowest category .
Argentina, meanwhile, only has two 250s,
Buenos Aires
and
Córdoba
, which have not yet confirmed their continuity for 2025.
Why does the number of "own" tournaments matter when talking about the ranking?
Because the competitions held in each country represent unique opportunities for local players, who take advantage of the qualifications and special invitations to earn points and climb the ranking.
Díaz Acosta, for example, entered the Buenos Aires ATP table thanks to a wild card and ended up winning
his first title in the
BALTC and making the jump to the top 100.
"Without the infrastructure of the powers, without the economic resources, without Grand Slams, without Masters 1000, without ATP 500, but with a lot of heart and balls. Let's go for more," wrote Fede Coria on Twitter,
contextualizing
what was achieved this week at the level. ranking.
Without the infrastructure of the powers, without the economic resources, without grand slams, without master 1000, without ATP 500, but with a lot of ❤️ and 🥚🥚let's go for more 🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦 🇷 https://t.co/2GRSQExtg1
— fede coria (@fedeecoria) February 26, 2024
The
Argentine Tennis Association
has been working for several years to "compensate" for this lack of presence on the ATP calendar with events at lower levels.
In 2023, six Challengers
were held in the country
- Juan Manuel Cerúndolo won two and Navone three - and ten
ITF World Tour
events (ex Futures), which gave Argentines the chance to compete without having to travel to Europe or North America. .
"The great present of Argentine tennis is not a coincidence. Behind each tennis player who arrives there is an enormous work of clubs, teachers and coaches. And also a family effort. From the Association we proposed to organize more competitions to promote development. All of them have passed through our tournaments in recent years. We are very proud," analyzed Calleri, president of the AAT.
This increase in the number of tournaments in recent years, added to the fighting spirit of Argentine tennis players, who continue to fight despite adversity, means that the distance between national tennis and those nations with great weight in this sport is not so great in some aspects.
If we talk about ATP titles, the eight Argentines in the top 100 accumulate nine trophies, distributed among four players.
One in the 500 category, the one that Báez won in Rio on Sunday, and eight in the 250 (two from Cerúndolo, four from Sebas, one from Díaz Acosta and another from Cachín).
Except for the Cordoban - who is 28 years old and is one of the two in that group over 25 (the other is Coria) -, the other three are members of the new Argentine generation, who has their entire career ahead of them.
Díaz Acosta won his first title in Buenos Aires and entered the top 100. Photo Emmanuel Fernández-CLARIN _EMA3771_1.JPG Z EFernandz Efernandez
Australians have only two crowns more than Argentines.
They add up to a 500 and ten 250, with the exception that the majority (the highest ranking and six of the lowest) are from
Alex De Miñaur
, world number nine and 25 years old.
While France has
Gael Monfils
(54th at 37 years old) as the top winner, with three ATP 500 and nine of the 22 250 category that he has among his 10 top 100.
Meanwhile, the United States is the only one on the podium with a Masters 1000 title, the one won at Indian Wells 2022 by
Taylor Fritz
, tenth in the ranking and 26 years old.
And he also has two 500s and thirteen 250s.
The "invasion" of Argentines in the top 100 - and with the majority of players aged 25 or younger - is a symptom of the good moment that national tennis is experiencing.
Although thinking in the long term, it is advisable to celebrate with caution.
Tennis is a sport that does not give rest, the ranking can be ephemeral and in a matter of weeks the panorama can change a lot.
The ATP live rankings already show Tirante in 101st place today.
For now, anyway, the celebration is worth it.
Because with few economic resources, little presence on the calendar and the geographical disadvantage of being far from the most important centers of competition, Albiceleste players continue to find a way to sneak into the elite and continue writing the rich Argentine history on the ATP circuit. .