They broke an unwritten law of tennis before Tuesday’s crossing at Queen’s

Argentine and Spanish tennis players always had an affinity. It happened with past generations and it also happens with present ones. Francisco CerúndoloFor example, he has a nice friendship with Carlos Alcaraz. They get along so well that the Murcian has an invitation pending to eat a barbecue at the Cerúndolo house in Buenos Aires, which due to lack of time could not yet be finalized. And although chance determined that they crossed paths in the first round of the ATP 500 Queen’sthe first tournament they will both play on the grass tour and in which they will debut on Tuesday, they decided not to cancel the training that, prior to the draw, they had agreed to share to prepare for the contest.

Thus, this Sunday they were seen playing on the courts of the London club, breaking one of the superstitions and unwritten laws of tennis, which says that you should never train with your next opponent.

The Argentine, 27th in the ranking, and the Spaniard, number two in the world and champion a week ago in Roland Garros, they never collided in a match at the ATP level. Although they did see each other once five seasons ago, when both were little more than promises. It was in the semifinals of a Future (tournament below the ATP and Challengers) in PalmanovaMallorca, in January 2019. Cerúndolo, four years older than Alcaraz, dominated a Carlitos barely 15 years old and won 6-2 and 6-4.

That victory allowed the Buenos Aires player to reach the final, in which he won his fourth title in the lowest category of professional tennis. And also discover the young Spanish talent, who had already begun to attract the attention of world tennis.

“I don’t remember much about the game. But I remember that I was 19 years old and he was 15. I beat him in the semifinals and left the game saying ‘This boy plays too well for his age’“Cerúndolo said in an interview with EFE at Queen’s.

“I was surprised that, playing well, I had to be so on top of such a young opponent. I thought he was going to be very good, but not so fast, of course,” Francisco admitted.

Cerúndolo – who reached 19th place in the ranking in mid-2023 – is a tennis player all terrain Able to play well on all surfaces. He won matches at every Grand Slam and reached the round of 16 at Roland Garros twice, including this season when he lost to Novak Djokovic in five sets, after the Serbian injured the meniscus in his right knee. He had given his first big blow on the cement of Miami in 2022, when he surprised by reaching the semifinals in his debut in the main draw of a Masters 1000. And last year, he made history on grass.

It was in the ATP 250 de Eastbournein which he shouted champion by beating the American Tommy Paul in the end. It was his second crown at the ATP level and the first for an Argentine player on that surface in 28 years, since the consecration of Javier Frana a Nottingham a 1995.

Alcaraz, on grass, is an important challenge for the Argentine and for any opponent. The Murcian wants to defend the title at Queen’s and is also the current champion of Wimbledonwhere he beat Djokovic in the final of the last edition.

What can we expect from the duel they will play this Tuesday? From what could be seen in the training they shared, a tough battle. This Sunday, they rallied for almost an hour on one of the secondary courts before moving to the central stadium, where they played a set in front of a large group of fans. The Spaniard broke twice, gave up serve once and won by a tight 7-5.

“It will be a very tough match. He has just won Roland Garros, he is number two in the world, he is the defending champion here, at Wimbledon… It is a nice challenge. It has never happened to me at the ATP level. We know each other and we are looking forward to it” Cerúndolo anticipated.

Francisco will go for the big hit, although logic (which is not always true in tennis) dictates that it will be Carlitos who will advance to the second round. And if that happens, the Murcian could meet other Argentines in the following rounds.

The thing is that in the second they would face the winner of the clash between Mariano Navone, 29th, and the British Jack Draper, 40th and who won the first title of his career by beating the Italian Matteo Berrettini in the Stuttgart final. And in quarters, you could see each other’s faces Sebastian Baez19th, who will start against Tommy Paul, 13th, and, if he wins, he would play in the round of 16 with Alejando Tabilo or Alejandro Davidovich.

He had a little more luck in the draw Tomas Etcheverry. The man from La Plata, 31st in the ranking, will debut against local Billy Harris, 183rd and guest of the organization. He would go second wheel against the winner of the clash between Ben Shelton, 14th, and the Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, coming from qualifying. And then he could collide with the Australian Alex De Minaur, champion this Sunday in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.