That tennis is a sport of traveling to sometimes unexpected places is not new. Constant flights from here to there. Dawn in cities, countries and continents thousands of kilometers away from the previous morning’s destination is an everyday occurrence. The professional circuit has times in the year that help players focus on particular regions of the globe. Although these days the Masters 1.000 de Shanghaihe ATP Challenger Series these days its activity is focused on South America. and the dutch Jesper de Jong chose to develop the final stretch of 2024 here and add the necessary points to reach the top 100 of the ranking, since it currently occupies location 118.
At this time, the player born in the picturesque city of Haarlem32 kilometers from Amsterdamprepares to play the semifinal of the AAT Challenger Santander from Villa Maríawhich grants 100 points for the ATP ranking and which for him would be key to getting on the train of the first 100. His rival on Saturday will be the Argentine Romanian Burruchaga that this Saturday eliminated the first seed of the tournament, Federico Coria.
After the match against the Bolivian Hugo DellienDe Jong spoke with Infobae and he told what his feelings are regarding his game these days, why he chose these lands and what are the things that caught his attention the most about his expedition that has now been going on for three weeks. Since his participation in the Antofagasta Challenger, he has not dropped out of the top 8 of the three tournaments in which he competed.
Regarding this Friday’s match in which he won 5-7, 6-3 and 6-4, he explained that it was like “a roller coaster”. “At first I played incredible tennis and was 5-2, but then I lost seven games in a row. It was very hard to play against Hugo, but I am very happy to have achieved the victory“, he said honestly, even as he wiped away his perspiration and with his post-match palpitations on the surface.
These lands are not unknown to him. Buenos Aires was the headquarters of the Youth Olympic Games in 2018 and De Jong was part of his country’s delegation. “I come very often. I like the environment, the conditions here. In Europe, Outdoor tournaments are slower and indoor tournaments are not the courts in which I feel most comfortable. Here the ball goes faster”he explained. The time of year in this part of the world, when the temperature rises, makes the ball go faster and that detail makes the difference in your comfort when playing.
Furthermore, to reaffirm that our country is a place that suits it well, in 2023 it reached the final of the Challenger disputed in the Hacoaj de Tigre Nautical Club. It was just a few days after the Argentine National Team soccer player was crowned world champion in Qatar and that Lionel Messi will immortalize the “What are you looking at, stupid?” That mythical phrase traveled the planet and was the product of the spicy match in which the Albiceleste was imposed on penalties before Netherlands in the quarterfinals. The recipient of that message was the forward Wout Weghorst that put the combined team in check Lionel Scaloni after with a double he forced the definition from the 12 steps. Despite having made a fool of one of his compatriots, Jesper was encouraged in those days to replicate the same words as La Pulga. This is how he left this little gem to remember in January of last year:
Last week, in Buenos Aires Challenger in which they fell in the quarterfinals against the same rival whom they beat at this time in Córdoba A group of Buenos Aires fans drew attention for supporting him and wearing the Ajax shirt, his favorite team. “They asked me for some tickets and I told them that I would do it only if they supported me. It was very nice. They brought the Ajax shirts“, he explained while smiling in the press area of the tournament. Villa Mariathe most important of the year organized by the Argentine Tennis Association.
At the closing of the dialogue, he assured that this will not be his last time in the country. There is something that pulls him: “I like the food, the meat here is delicious”. Jesper ends his time this week South America. In Antofagasta he reached the semi-finals, where the young promise of Paraguayan tennis eliminated him. Daniel Vallejo; in Buenos Aires he reached the quarterfinals; and in Villa María he dreams of the final. Whether he will succeed or not is uncertainty. What is certain is that it will return.