the reasons of the captain of the tennis team

The Argentine tennis team for Paris 2024 officially has its own names. Guillermo Coria and Mercedes Pazthe captains of the men’s and women’s teams, confirmed this Tuesday who will be the players who will compete in the Olympic Gamesa list that had been made public several days ago and in which it is not – as was already known – Horacio Zeballos, number two in the world in doubles. The absence of the man from Mar del Plata continues to cause surprise, although Coria himself assured that it was something that had been analyzed for months within the group and that he responded to it for a purely sporting reason.

“We had eight players for six places and making the decision was not easy, especially in the doubles. But the decision was exclusively sporting. There was nothing external. We thought what was best for the country,” said the Magicianafter listing their summoned players, the singles players Sebastian Baez, Francisco Cerúndolo, Mariano Navone and Tomas Etcheverry and the double players Maximo Gonzalez and Andrés Molteni.

Mercedes PazMeanwhile, he made official Nadia Podoroska already Lourdes Carlé as the representatives for the women’s singles team.

Zeballos seemed like a number one for the team. As a couple with the Spanish Marcel Granollerswith whom he began playing in 2019, has won six Masters 1000 titles and was a finalist in three Grand Slams (the US Open of 2019 and Wimbledon 2022 and 2021) and in the ATP Finals from last year. And at the beginning of May she became the first Argentine tennis player to reach the top of an ATP ranking, a position he held for five weeks. However, Coria and his team prioritized the journey that González and Molteni take together, a top 20 duo (they were among the top ten) that had a huge 2023 (five titles, including Cincinnati) and has a lot of chemistry on the court.

“This issue had been talked about since last year, everyone knew what the conditions and situation were. One always tries to make decisions maintaining a coherent logic. And we took it into account a lot of situations that arose.“, the man from Santa Fe expanded at the press conference to present the team.

“When Facu Díaz Acosta won the Pan American gold in Santiago, we automatically said that Four singles players and two doubles players were going to go.. We spoke a lot with Horacio, he also spoke a lot with machi and Molteni. Communication was always very fluid and we gave specific explanations to each player and their coaches. I called up Horacio in the last series so that he could fulfill the Davis series requirement and so that all three could be eligible. But When making a decision we lean towards what we are convinced is best for the country“he continued.

And he highlighted: “Unfortunately Horacio could not be in two important series of Davis cup. That’s where Andrés came in to play with Machi in Finland. They were very good and They reaffirmed it later on the circuit: last year they had a great season, qualifying for the Masters. This year they also had a good year. So the decision was one hundred percent sporting. It is understandable that Zeballos is hurt not being able to participate in such an event, but he understood and accepted it. I really appreciate what he told various media outlets that he understood that it is not easy to break up a couple that has been doing very well. We all play tennis and we know that in doubles it is necessary to have a lot of chemistry and understand each other very well. That’s why we lean towards Machi and Molto.”

Did Coria at any point consider changing the plan and bringing three singles players and three doubles players and having Zeballos play with one of those who will compete in the individual draw? Did the rise of the man from Mar del Plata to number 1 in the world a little over a month ago make you doubt?

“Everyone, Zeballos included, deserved to be on the team. Horacio is a player that I respect a lot, he is the best doubles player in the history of Argentine tennis, but I have to be here to make decisions and I was inclined to maintain the couple that has been representing us in Davis. Machi and Molteni feel very comfortable and have been playing very well. Then if they can give us a medal, we don’t know. Nor can we assure that Horacio could give us a medal playing with Báez or Cerúndolo or another singles player,” he explained.

“Since Facu won the medal in Chile, we knew that four singles players and two doubles players were going to go. Unfortunately Facu couldn’t play much this last stretch of the calendar due to injury and couldn’t enter. But, Why are we going to take that opportunity from Navone, with everything he did in the last three months and had the record of being the first player to debut in a Grand Slam as a seed, or from Tommy, who has been having two spectacular years, Did you make the quarterfinals last year at Roland Garros and this year you lost in the third round to a player who reached the final stages? Everyone has merits,” he added.

And, as if denying versions that suggested that the choice of the players responded to some personal interests within the Argentine Tennis Associationhe stressed: “It is my responsibility to make the decisions. I always have complete freedom to do so and this was a 100% sporting decision.“.

Asked if he was upset that the best Argentine doubles player has been left out of Paris, Agustín Calleripresident of the AAT, assured: “I fully support the decisions of Guile (Coria) and Mecha (Paz). We trust them both a lot and we don’t get involved in the team building.. “We always support their decisions because that’s what they’re in their jobs for.”

Thus, Báez (currently 18th in the singles ranking), Cerúndolo (27th), Etcheverry (31st) and Navone (32nd) will compete in the men’s singles draw. Only Francisco has Olympic experience: he entered at the last minute Tokyo 2020 after a quota was released due to the loss of Roger Federer and lost in the debut.

González -Olympic in Rio 2016 with Juan Martin del Potro– and Molteni – who made his debut in Tokyo with Zeballos – are the only couple confirmed for the doubles. Although one more made up of Cerúndolo and Etcheverry will surely be added. And we will have to wait until the start of tennis in Paris to confirm if there will be Argentines in the mixed doubles.

“We are going to Paris with a very competitive team, with the best players we can bring. We are convinced. We are always candidates, especially in a tournament like this one that will be played at Roland Garros, a very special place for Argentine tennis and where the boys feel comfortable and have achieved good results. We are going with that mentality,” concluded Coria.

Paris 2024 will be very special for Argentine women’s tennis: for the first time since 2004 there will be more than one player in the singles draw at an Olympic Games. They will be Nadia Podoroska69th in the ranking, and Lourdes Carlé86th and Pan American champion last year in Santiago de Chile.

“It is a huge pride,” he said. Mercedes Pazcaptain of the Billie Jean King Cup. “And since I am an optimist, I do not lose hope that it can be added at the last minute Julia Riera, which was very close (NdR: 104th) and could enter if there is a drop. I hope that what happened in Tokyo happens with Fran and let’s have one more in Paris.”

In the appointment of Athensthere were three Argentines in the box: Paola Suarezwhich reached the quarterfinals; Gisela Dulko and Mariana Diaz Olivawho lost in the debut.

Podoroska made her Olympic debut in Tokyo 2020, in which he reached the round of 16. And he will play in the brick dust of Roland Garroswhere four years ago he experienced the best weeks of his career, surpassing the classification and reaching the semifinals of the main draw, where he lost to Iga Swiatek.

Carlé will be in an Olympic event for the first time, after obtaining a place by becoming Pan American champion in Santiago 2023, which she later confirmed with a good season on the circuit and her ranking.

“Nadia is going to return to a very special place for her. And Lourdes is going to fulfill the dream of an Olympic Games. It is a source of pride because it reflects the good moment that Argentine tennis is experiencing. I hope this growth continues,” Paz analyzed.