NEW YORK — Alejandro Tabilo has given a preview of the atmosphere Spain’s team will encounter when they visit Santiago de Chile for the second round of Davis Cup Qualifiers in September.
“The tie will have an incredibly tough atmosphere — it will be very difficult for them. The stadium will be full, the crowd will be very loud,” Tabilo warned in an interview with CLAY, broadcast on CNN Chile.
Tabilo was named by captain Nicolás Massú and will be the home team’s No. 1. For Spain’s visit, David Ferrer called up Rafael Jódar, the tour’s new sensation who has yet to play Davis Cup. He is 19 years old and already ranked 13th in the world. A year ago he was not even in the top 500.
“Jódar is making his debut, so hopefully the crowd can do something in our favour,” Tabilo told CLAY.
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“Jódar and I have played quite a bit this year, with mixed results. We have never played on clay, so that will be something different. I am very eager and motivated. I think it is going to be a great tie with a lot of energy,” added the left-hander.
Nicolás Massú, Chile’s captain, decided to play the tie on clay, betting that the Spaniards will advance deep into the US Open on hard courts and thus have little time to adapt to the change of surface and the different conditions Santiago de Chile offers: altitude and a drier climate.
To secure a spot in the Bologna final, Spain will bring a young team in strong form. Despite the absence of Carlos Alcaraz and Alejandro Davidovich, the Spaniards will be favourites on ranking and current level. Alongside Jódar, Ferrer will bring Daniel Mérida, Martín Landaluce, Jaume Munar and Pedro Martínez.
Chile’s team, meanwhile, has some problems: Cristián Garín returned to Chile injured after losing in US Open qualifying. The good news is that Tomás Barrios, ranked No. 2, came through the qualifying rounds in New York and will play the season’s fourth Grand Slam for the first time.
“In Davis Cup the ranking does not matter much — you have to play that tie however it takes. I am confident we have a great team and we can always put in a strong performance,” Tabilo said.
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Tabilo and the US Open: “I don’t want to fill my head with too many goals”
The 25th seed will make his debut on Monday 31 August against German Yannick Hanfmann, against whom he holds a record of two wins from three matches — though both of Tabilo’s wins came on clay; the German won on hard courts.
If he advances, Australian Alexei Popyrin could be his second-round opponent. In the third round, first seed Alexander Zverev looms.
“It would be incredible to reach that stage and play Zverev again here — I had that chance last year. But I want to take it calmly: to get there I need to win two matches, something I have never done in New York,” he said.
“I would love to reach the second week, but to do that I will have to win some very tough matches. I do not want to think too much — I do not want to fill my head with too many goals. I just want to play well, with confidence and composure,” the Chilean admitted.
The US Open has been the Grand Slam where Tabilo has struggled most. He has managed just one win in his career there (2022).
“One of the hardest things here is that every court is a little different — some are faster than others. You have to pay attention to where you are playing and be ready for any conditions. This is the first time I have arrived with so much time to prepare and I feel very comfortable. At Roland Garros we also arrived early and I feel it helped me a lot to adapt.”
The Chilean says he is feeling good: “I am very happy. I feel confident and motivated. I think we have had a good year, so hopefully we can finish in the best possible way at the last Grand Slam.”
