PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic – The Caribbean hard courts are giving Argentina’s Mariano Navone a previously unknown experience: “I had never in my life won three matches in a row on hard courts.”
At the Copa Cap Cana he has already won four matches in succession and this Sunday will play the first hard-court final of his career.
“I’d been looking for a result like this on hard courts for a very, very long time. I’m very happy with how things are unfolding. It’s much nicer to reach the weekend still playing than to go home every Wednesday,” said the world No. 79 after defeating Belgium’s Alexander Blockx 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(7-3) in a very intense match.
“We learned to play on hard courts later in life. Argentines are raised on clay, but here in Cap Cana I find conditions that suit me because the ball bounces higher,” he added after more than three hours on court against the 20-year-old.
His new partnership with a former Masters 1000 champion is already paying off.
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Navone began working in early March with Alberto Mancini, former coach of Guillermo Coria and Fabio Fognini and for many years captain of Argentina’s Davis Cup team.
As a player, Mancini was one of the most successful in Argentine history: in 1989 he reached world No. 8 after winning back-to-back in Monte Carlo (defeating Boris Becker) and Rome (beating Andre Agassi); in 1991 he again reached the final in the Italian capital, and the following year he was runner-up at the Miami Masters.
“‘Luli’ is giving me very precise details about attacking play. He makes things look simple, with the calm and peace that define him,” Navone explained.
“It’s been a very good process: I’m learning a lot. He’s also someone who has gone through many experiences, as a coach, a player and a Davis Cup captain. He has enormous experience: nothing I ask him is new to him. He understands many emotions from different players. I was looking for someone with that experience, who could teach me a lot on the tennis and technical side,” he added.
Navone enjoyed an explosive rise in 2024: he reached the final of the ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro and at Roland Garros became the first player in history to make his Grand Slam debut as a seeded player. Coach Andrés de la Torre accompanied him during that period, which ended during the recent South American swing.
“With Andy we had a beautiful, huge process. I was around No. 260 and got as high as 29. He’s an incredible person, an exceptional coach. But there comes a point when it’s not about someone doing something wrong: sometimes relationships become monotonous and you need a change of air, a new perspective, to hear different things. I’ll always be very grateful to him,” he said in Cap Cana.
Against Italy’s Mattia Bellucci or Australia’s Adam Walton, the Argentine will seek the title at the Dominican Republic’s Challenger 175.
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