From teammate in the Davis Cup to his possible new coach: the links that unite Paul Capdeville and Christian Garin

Christian Garin (82nd ATP) is still looking for a coach for 2024. The northerner, who is in full pre-season with the PF of the Davis Cup team, Duglas Cordero, will make his debut in less than a year months and knows that he must begin a new process as soon as possible. This is why various names have emerged as options for the former world number 17.

The last of them is Paul Capdeville, who according to various media would have an agreement in principle to coach the second best racket in the country during the first months of 2024. Of course, consulted by El Deportivo, he avoided giving confirmations . “I don’t have much to add, these are just rumors. » were his words.

Despite the former tennis player’s statements, the truth is that it is not surprising that the paths unite them. Over the years, the two athletes have formed a great relationship, sharing memorable episodes during both their careers. For example, It all started when both were active, being teammates in four Davis Cup series. . The first time the nominees appeared was in September 2012, when Chile played in the World Group play-offs against Italy. That weekend, Garin made his competitive debut at 16 years and 119 days old. The youngest national to do so.

After this defeat, two series will take place in 2013, first against Ecuador then against the Dominican Republic, a year in which Chile will be relegated to Zone II of America. In 2014, both featured in Nicolás Massú’s first team as national team captain, but a back injury knocked the Vitacura native out of the series against Barbados.

The last time they shared a player list was in April 2014, when, against Paraguay, Paul Capdeville bid farewell to the Chilean Davis Cup team. These were years of poor results for the national team, but where the figures of Garin and Jarry began to gain weight on the local scene. Along with the experience of older players (Aguilar was also in this section), the country’s current top tennis players had their first international experiences.

Already far from the courts, Capdeville would experience another good episode with Garin in 2019. It would be right in the middle of Andrés Schneiter’s first run with the current 82nd in the world. Given the duality of the Argentine coach (who at the time also trained Juan Ignacio Lóndero), they decided to call on the former tennis player to help him in a few weeks.

Capdeville himself told this in an interview with La Tercera at the time. “When Christian and Gringo Schneiter met eight months ago, they called me and asked if I could be a part of it and help them as a technical lead; someone who saw things from a higher perspective, more commercial things, but obviously with a sporting vision. Because I was a player and I think that passing on this experience to Christian is an added value. . And with the possibility of training him during the weeks he was in Santiago,” he says.

So, in April of the same year, he was present when Gago obtained his first ATP title. “Andrés went to Marrakech with his other player, and Christian asked me to accompany him to Houston. It happened and the result is what we know: he had a perfect week and we felt very comfortable. There, I admit that the feeling we had was very good. “Christian is a person who allows you to contribute a lot from the field of tennis, from the strategic field and from the physical field,” he recalled in this same conversation.

In 2020, a new facet would arrive. Chile was competing in the defunct ATP Cup at the start of the season and Christian Garin, as the country’s best tennis player, had to choose the captain who would accompany the team to Australia. Faced with the impossibility of it being Nicolás Massú due to his role as coach of Dominic Thiem, the northerner chose Paul Capdeville.

It was at this time that Nicolas Jarry also highlighted the presence of the former world number 76. “Paul can share his experience with us. He had a successful career. And it seems like he knows how to get his message across , as it allowed Christian to win his first title in Houston. This will be a great plus,” he said.

It was a tournament of mixed emotions for the national team, since despite sharing with the 23 best teams on the planet at the time, the event also coincided with Jarry’s provisional suspension for doping.

After that, there were no more official appearances between the two national athletes, although the relationship and closeness was always present. Without going any further, in an interview that Capdeville had with La Tercera during the program “El Diván del Kily”, the 40-year-old former tennis player gave his full support to Gago after the painful defeat in the Davis Cup against Slovakia.

“He’s going through a moment that as a player he has to assimilate, quickly, ideally, and every tournament is going to be under pressure. That every decision he makes will be under pressure. People follow him, they want him to win. In Chile, we always want to win and the slightest defeat is felt. This pressure is felt and seen . But that’s part of tennis. From the moment you are number 1, from the moment you are already professional. “You have to know how to play and live with that,” he declared on this occasion.

“Today, there is more proximity, but it is more striking. Unfortunately, this is part of what we experience today, and not just in sport. And in Chile, obviously, when things go well for you, you are very good and when things go bad for you, you go backwards. That’s why I’m trying to be a little more balanced in this comment. Because I understand as a player or former player. And I talked about it with Christian when he lost. The only thing I said to him was “compadre, all my strength, because I know this moment is going to be complex”. I think this is the only thing we can do today to support and accompany him. I know the feeling he has was another one of his statements about who his new student might be.

We will now have to wait if 2024 adds a new episode to this relationship. Gago urgently needs a technician, because time is passing and the schedule does not stop. In the first week of January, he is expected to play his first tournament, possibly in Brisbane or Pune. On the 14th of the same month, he will participate in the Australian Open, the first major tournament of the season. Bets say that Capdeville will be there, who will accompany him at least until the South American tour.