He is young, talented, sets no limits for himself, and is eager to win. Ignacio Buse, the 21-year-old Peruvian tennis player, is the project giving Peru hope and already showing he has the level to compete in the best tournaments on the circuit.
“I can say the hard work is paying off. Things are finally falling into place,” Buse tells CLAY in an interview also published in RG Media. Currently ranked 133rd in the world, he recently reached his first ATP semifinals. In Gstaad, Switzerland, Buse won five matches from the qualies. He had never before won a main draw match at a tour event.
He has already claimed his first Challenger title. His remaining hurdle? Winning a match at Melbourne, Paris, London, or New York. “I still haven’t managed to turn matches around at Grand Slams. That hurts.”
Buse’s short-term goal is to break into the top 100 on tour, following in the footsteps of great Peruvian tennis pros such as siblings Pablo and Laura Arraya (ATP No. 29 in 1984; WTA No. 14 in 1990), Jaime Yzaga (No. 18 in 1989), Luis Horna (No. 33 in 2004), and Juan Pablo Varillas (ranked No. 60 in 2023 and a Roland Garros fourth-rounder).
Going further back in time, Peruvian Alejandro Olmedo was ranked No. 2 in the world at the end of the 1950s during the Amateur Era. Although he won the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the Davis Cup representing the United States, he remains an important figure in Peru’s sporting history.
Buse talks about his dreams, frustrations, and how it feels to taste success.
He also opens up about matters beyond the court. He highlights his girlfriend, recently graduated from medical school, as his main motivation. And he admits that being the partner of a tennis player is far from easy: “You have to understand that if you’re not travelling too, you won’t see him enough.”
Interview with Ignacio Buse
— You’re entering a new stage in your career, slowly getting into the tournaments you want to play. How are you experiencing the process?
— Trying to enjoy it as much as I can. Every player goes through different processes. I try to enjoy it, to live each tournament, and for the losses to hurt less each time. Of course, I try to give more importance to the matches I personally value most — the Grand Slams. I still haven’t managed to turn it around or win a match in those qualifying draws. That hurts. I know I have to handle that pain and frustration better. But I’m gaining new experiences and getting new wins, and that’s really positive.
— What do you think is missing for you to take the next step? What’s the toughest aspect to work on to make it in this sport — the mental, physical, or technical part?
— I think I’ve had very tough draws. Players with more experience than me. In Australia I played (Dominik) Koepfer and lost 7-6 in the third. At Roland Garros I faced (Yannick) Hanfmann, who plays really good in clay. Then at Wimbledon it was (Arthur) Cazaux — very tough. I don’t think I did badly, honestly. I had chances in every match. Tennis is so mental, so emotional. I haven’t been able to win at the Slams, but I did win my first Challenger a few weeks ago in Heilbronn, and that made me incredibly happy. I know I can keep going. I hope I can keep building momentum little by little.
— That feeling of winning a first title on such a competitive circuit must be something special.
— It really is. It makes me very happy. Above all, it’s the feeling of self-improvement — that things are finally starting to fall into place. I can say that the work is paying off. That’s the feeling. You get that too after winning important matches, but the feeling of winning a title is on another level.
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— Did you celebrate in any special way?
— Yes, we had a little barbecue in Barcelona with my team, my girlfriend, and my friends. All very chill. Those moments are so important because we travel so much. Finding those nice moments really matters — the year can feel very long.
— Does your girlfriend travel with you?
— No, she doesn’t. She’s studying at university — she just graduated in Medicine. She graduated the same week I won the title in Germany. And my brother got married too. All the good news came at once! I met her in Barcelona, she’s Catalan. She’s one of my biggest motivations.
— Graduating from medical school must be tougher than being a tennis player, right?
— I see everything she does, everything she studies, how she pushes herself — she’s a role model to me. Her career is really demanding. We have a great relationship because we support each other in everything. We’re going after our dreams. And we also know a bit about how to handle pressure. She’s studying now for a really tough exam. I support her however I can. She studies all day, and I travel a lot, but we try to see each other as much as we can. We both know we’ve got each other’s back.
— What’s it like being in a relationship with a tennis player?
— Honestly, it’s tough. We travel a lot. If you’re not on the road too, you’re just not going to see each other enough. We’re away about 30 to 35 weeks a year. So whenever I get a week off, she tries to come with me. It’s complicated, but I handle it well. I’m very close with her family. She couldn’t come to London, but her two brothers were there with me. Her family feels like mine, and she knows my family is the same for her. We’ve been together for over two years now.
— Last year you played against Chile in the Davis Cup. You beat Nicolás Jarry, who was ranked 20 in the world at the time. That was your first big win, and it came with the entire crowd against you in Santiago. Was that a turning point in this early stage of your career?
— It was definitely a shock, because I wasn’t the favourite at all. I believed in myself, but there’s no doubt it gave me a huge confidence boost. It was kind of surreal, right? I was outside the top 400, and people thought that just because I beat him I’d soon be in the top 100. But it doesn’t work like that. Tennis is full of ups and downs. I’m clear about one thing: I’ll keep improving and working hard. My goal this year was to win a first Challenger, and I achieved that mid-season. After that, I decided not to go to the next tournament — I preferred to rest a bit, regroup, and get back to training. And also set some new goals.
— And what are those goals?
— The top 100. That’s the main thing on my mind. And obviously, winning the Lima Challenger. That’s the one I’m most excited about.
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— What did you think of the level Sinner and Alcaraz showed in the Roland Garros final — guys from your own generation?
— The final of the Heilbronn Challenger was being played at the same time, and during rain delays I’d watch bits of the Roland Garros final. It was insane. When I read before the match that Rafa Nadal had won his fifth Grand Slam at exactly the same age Alcaraz was that day (22 years, one month and three days), I told everyone there was no way Alcaraz could lose — even if he was facing match point. It just couldn’t be such a coincidence.
— Do you feel you could one day reach the level those guys are playing at, or does reality say it’s just out of reach?
— No, I don’t like putting limits on myself. I know those guys are playing at a stratospheric level right now, but why not dream of that? I don’t like setting ceilings. Why not keep improving, keep growing as a player and as a person? Why not believe that one day I could compete with them?
— Do you get along with Joao Fonseca?
— Yes! He’s two years younger than me. I only came across him in my last year as a junior. He was incredible — won the US Open, finished as world number one. The Garoto is a great kid. I hope he stays that way — he’s very humble. His team works really well, they’re all humble people. I think people need to leave him alone, develop in peace, because as soon as he gets a good result, they start piling on pressure. The kid plays incredibly well. And I believe he’ll be up there among the best, but like everyone, he’ll have to go through his own process.
— He’s considered the biggest promise in world tennis right now. A player who might finally give South America the kind of success it’s been missing. And after him, the other young player with real projection in the region is you. There might be some parallels. Do you like the idea of sharing the path with Fonseca?
— Yeah, I actually do. I get along really well with him, fortunately. In fact, they invited me to do preseason training with him this year, but my schedule made it complicated. But yes, it’s exciting. There are good projects in South America.
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