Roland Garros 2023: Thomas Martin Etcheverry’s dream

Monday, June 5, it is almost 11 p.m. In the darkness of Court Suzanne-Lenglen, Tomas Martin Etcheverry drops his racquet after a last forehand too long from his opponent, drops to his knees on the clay and holds his head in his hands. His team is bursting with joy.

By defeating the Japanese Yoshihito Nishioka (33ᵉ) quite easily (7-6[8]6-0, 6-1), the Argentine not only won Roland-Garros, but also. “This is the most beautiful day of my life”exclaims the world number 49 after qualifying for the quarter-finals of the French Open, where he will face Alexander Zverev (27ᵉ), on Wednesday, June 7.

A surprise visitor at this stage of the competition, the 23-year-old right-hander is the only one of the eight players still unseeded. If he has benefited from a favorable part of the table, in which Daniil Medvedev (2ᵉ) and Yannick Sinner (8ᵉ) were eliminated early, his career is far from obscure.

No sets were lost in four games

After taking advantage of the abandonment of Jack Draper (55 ᵉ) in the first round (6-4, 1-0 ab.), he then easily destroyed Alex de Minaur, the 19-year-old world (6-3, 7-6).[2]6-3), Borna Coric, 16th in the world (6-3, 7-6[5], 6-2) and, therefore, Yoshihito Nishioka, without conceding a single set. The only other player to not lose one of their first four games? Novak Djokovic.

The Serb is none other than his idol. “He is the main reason why I started playing tennis. When I arrived [l’équipementier] Chief, I immediately said I wanted his rockets.”– tells the Argentine, who had the opportunity to meet him this year (6-7 defeats).[5]2-6 Rome Masters per 1000), at Roland Garros.

Born on July 18, 1999, Tomás Martin Echeverri grew up on the beach in La Plata, southeast of Buenos Aires. In 2004, his grandfather gave him a pack of speedball — a popular racquet sport in Argentina that involves hitting a ball tied to a mast with a nylon string — for his family’s beach vacation. This gift will change his fate. He says: “I used to play for four hours a day! I was hitting the ball and when I got home I asked my parents for tennis lessons. That’s how it all started. »

A powerful and complete game

After nineteen years, he is in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career. and not any. In 2004, he watched the French Open final between compatriots Gaston Gaudio and Guillermo Coria – the former winning 0-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 8-6. It was the first game he remembers watching on television. Roland Garros then became his favorite tournament, to the point where he named his dog after it.