LONDON — A new broom sweeps clean. Just look at Argentina’s Francisco Cerúndolo, champion at the Queen’s Club ATP 500, with Nicolás Massú having been at the helm of his team for only seven days.
“Nico, what a week! But don’t get used to it. This is the first 500, what a way to start,” the Argentine told his new coach during the trophy ceremony after beating North American Tommy Paul in a tightly fought final: 6-7 (4-6), 6-4 and 6-3.
Cerúndolo signed the former world No. 9 last week, and the pairing made an unexpected debut in London, delivering the biggest title of the player’s career, which will see him climb to 21st in the rankings on Monday.
The Athens 2004 Olympic champion experienced the final in characteristic fashion. He was the first to shout out his player’s points and stayed constantly engaged with him throughout. His reaction during the final point of the match captures the way he lives tennis from the box: he could not stand still during the rally, and once Cerúndolo sealed the match, he was visibly overcome with emotion, just before clenching his fists and roaring.
After parting ways with Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, Massú found in Cerúndolo a project that suits him well: a player with a solid technical base, whose main weaknesses lie in the mental side of the game. And, crucially, without any language or cultural barrier between them.
A scorching Sunday in London will go down in the history of Argentine tennis. Cerúndolo became the first player from his country to have his name etched on the list of Queen’s Club champions.
Many took to social media to recall David Nalbandian, who came within a set of achieving the feat in 2012 before being disqualified for kicking an advertising board and, in the process, striking the line judge directly in the leg, leaving him with a nasty injury. It cost him all the ranking points and prize money he had earned at the tournament, as well as a £10,000 fine.
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A milestone his parents almost missed seeing live. Alejandro Cerúndolo and María Luz Rodríguez, both former tennis players, landed in London at two in the afternoon. As the final ran long, they managed to beat London traffic and reach the court with just two games left in the match. Cerúndolo’s father, on top of everything, also overcame his fear of flying.
“I saw some movement in my box right at the end of the match, and it was them. It made me really happy. Congratulations to my dad for taking a flight and making it in time. And on top of that — it’s Father’s Day!” said the 27-year-old.
“Yesterday I knew they were travelling in the afternoon and landing after two o’clock. My match was at half past one — if it was short, they were not going to make it; if it went long, there was a chance they would. My mum wanted me to at least see the club, and it looks like they got there, and when I celebrated it was lovely to have them there.”
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