On the Jockey Club Brazilian, headquarters of the Rio de Janeiro Open, No one had been able to defend the title successfully; Not even Rafael Nadal y Carlos Alcarazto name only two heavyweight … Since the beginning of 2022 nobody won as much as he in brick dust and with that victory in the final of the tournament arrived at 73 triumphs nothing less to leave behind on that list Top Ten players such as Casper Ruud, Alcaraz y Alexander Zverev… of the last six finals played by the protagonist of another intense Sunday for Argentine sport, He won the six… and since 16 years ago the ATP 500 began to be played, just two tennis players from our country had obtained more than one title in that type of tournaments: Juan Martín del Potro (seven) and Leonardo Mayer (two), now He joined that champion who smiles with the trophy in his hand that has just received just from the Tandilense just a few seconds before; Together they stopped for the photos and only the difference of 28 centimeters separated them because the pride of Del Potro was directly proportional to the happiness reflected in Sebastián Báez.
They are all data that serve for statistics and to put in a more just dimension the triumph of Báez in Cariocas lands. That 6-2 and 6-3 that made the Frenchman Alexandre Muller in an hour and 26 minutes of play and that signed for the story before the camera with the memory of the Diego González (A physical trainer of his coach’s team Sebastián Gutiérrez In gymnastics and fencing), it was accompanied by more important numbers that serve to reflect the superiority of the Argentine that achieved the Seventh title of his career: To win, Báez got 15 points more than his adversary from the bottom of the courthe failed only once the ten who went to the network to define and connected no less than 17 of his winners with the drive.
It is true that they are just more data that help to understand the victory but the most important thing about the new (consecutive) consecration of Báez in Rio de Janeiro was that if it came with a crisis of faith in itself, that was not noticed. Because Báez erased a dangerous opponent who had eliminated from the court JOAO FONSECAthe Brazilian sensation that came from achieving the title in Buenos Aires, but that from the first ball was off, pressed, unable to overcome a much more aggressive approach from the rival and uncomfortable to hold a backwards duel upside down in which Surely I could make some difference.
Because, in addition, Báez is a tennis player who can take a position on the court that allows him to drown the player to face. And since time had enough, that was what happened until Muller’s ball went wide in the second match point that decreed the triumph of the Argentine. In short, Báez’s great version was much more than the crumbled image given by the loser caused, perhaps, by the first factor.
Photo: Reuters/Jorge SilvaBáez had raised his last title almost a year ago in Santiagothe fifth on slow court and the third in South America. From that March – and beyond that in June he achieved his best ranking when he climbed to 18th place – the results did not accompany him and only reached the Hamburg semifinals in his best week. Before arriving in Rio de Janeiro, Of the last 42 games he had barely won 16 and even went down to Rosario’s Challenger after losing in the first round of Australia to recover good feelings. But the surprise defeat against Bolivian Hugo Dellien In the semifinals those desire frustrated.
The South American Tour of Slow Court Thiago Seyboth. Until the trip to the Brazilian city arrived in which a year ago he had achieved the maximum title of his career by overcoming in the final Mariano Navone. Little by silence, far from the lights offered by the German Zverev or even Francisco Cerú, Báez advanced with a firm step and although he left two sets against Navone in the round of 16 and Ugo Carabelli in the Semifinals, in the definition it showed a supreme level that invites you to think positive for a part of the season that adapts like no other to its game.
Because after this week’s participation in Santiago where he will also defend the title – his third favorite condition will allow him to leave and will just debut on Wednesday or Thursday against the winner of the Brazilian Fernando Méligeni and Francisco Comesaña – the first two will come Masters 1000 in Indian Wells y Miami on cement and immediately the European tour of brick dust that will have its culminating point in Roland Garros. And there you can develop Báez that best tennis.
Báez worked hard to get where he arrived. Since he knew he should live with The limitations of a physique that is far from the big players of the circuit. It measures 1.70 meters and that meant having the obligation to quickly find their own virtues; While most have them in other aspects of the game, such as the serve or the power of their blows, he applies it in intelligence.
Photo: AP / Bruna PradoBeyond that key factor in tennis, Báez improved in the service itself. That is why he does not stop insisting on throwing more with the first exceeds 70 percent.
On the other side, that of the return, theirs remains a guarantee to win matches. Here again the numbers collaborate in the analysis: before the final it had been the best of the 32 players in the painting in the percentage of Games won with the serve of the adversary. That 47 percent (20 of 43 games) was very high. Against Muller he broke five times of the 12 opportunities he had. Again a much more than interesting percentage of 42 percent.
In tennis it is necessary to have many virtues to achieve achievements. In addition to the game itself, the blows and physical capacity, what is built in the mind is key and vital when the rest of the body responds in the best way. That is called trust. And trust returned to the Báez game. At the foot of the imposing Christ Redeemer, near the white beaches of Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon, and on the side of the tranquility emanating the Laguna da Freitas in the middle of the frantic pulse of Rio de Janeiro, Báez charged the tank with that positive factor that opens the door to the illusions again.