One is the number 1 in Argentine tennis; the other is the most successful Argentine coach in history and one of the best on the circuit. They came together with a purpose: the idea is that Franco Davin, the only coach in our country who has achieved two Grand Slams, joins the work team of Francisco Cerúndolo, who at 25 years old is 21st in the world ranking and seeks to give the leap in quality that allows you to fight head to head against the best in the most important tournaments.
Exactly two weeks ago a person very close to Cerúndolo hinted at the news to Clarín but asked: “Don’t say anything because we have to close a couple of issues; “The idea is that Fran goes for a Grand Slam in 2024.”
Those “issues” were closed, Davin traveled to Buenos Aires from Miami, where he has resided for several years, and For now they train on a private cement court in San Isidro although the idea is to move to a club in the coming days to finalize the details of returning to the circuit on the tour that will end with Australia, the first Grand Slam of the season.
The arrangement is for 15 weeks a year with the presence of Davin in Miami and in the four Grand Slams and with mini preseasons in that city in American Florida. And Kevin Konfederak? He will continue in his role as head coach of Cerúndolo and will be the one who will be with him in all tournaments.
Gastón Gaudio at Roland Garros 2004 and Juan Martín Del Potro at Flushing Meadows 2009 achieved glory at the hands of Davin. The two of them joined Guillermo Vilas and Gabriela Sabatini, the other two Argentines who won Grand Slam tournaments in history. But the “most skilled left-hander” did it with the Romanian Ion Tiriac and the best Argentine tennis player of all time, with the Brazilian Carlos Kirmayr.
What can Davin bring to Cerúndolo? A lot. Beyond experience, Cerúndolo is a tennis player very ready to learn and grow, relaxed, very loose with his body, with flexibility and without rigid movements. Just as he is very visceral, on a tennis court Cerúndolo flows. He has a lot to improve because, as a good clay court player that he is, he still relies a lot on his patience to keep the ball in play from the back of the court and is not so encouraged to aggressively attack the second serve, for example . Cerúndolo is supported by his versatility, his confidence, his strength that comes from his legs and his big hands that allow him to have great impacts, the risk he takes in his game and that allows him to be a permanent protagonist to play in three or four hits each point. Last year he added a setback to his drive, which is pure power, that hurts almost in the same way. and his return of serve is unusual for an Argentine tennis player because he cushions the ball that comes very fast and places it where he wants thanks to his continental grip.
All that is Cerúndolo. And all of that will try to improve Davin. Time will tell the result of the bet.