The Prince emerged as a young man as the great promise of his country’s generation, but a suspension for a positive doping cut short his rise to the top. After a dark year without playing, he has bounced back, breaking into the Top-20 and this afternoon he will be looking to lift the trophy that Vilas denied to his grandfather Jaime Fillol.
Jaime Fillol, legendary tennis player in Chile, gives his first racket to his little grandson, Nicolás. It may be a simple, ordinary gift for a child, but in reality it requires more than that; There is deep symbolism and even a hint of illusion behind it: to continue a long-standing family tennis legacy. History, talent and hard work finally lead to the end of the story that will surely fly in the head of the former number 14 in the ATP ranking. The thing is that the boy I took to see Wimbledon and the US Open will be the greatest exponent of the trans-Andean country today, the same man who will seek to make history this afternoon at the IEB+ Argentina Open: Jarry.
The sport runs in the vein of the 1.98m giant who rocked the racket world on Saturday night of sweep Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets, leading candidate for the title and clear favorite of the Argentine public at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club. Chants in favor of the Spaniard, who “felt the Argentine for a day” as he nodded to a fan’s shout, whistles that hit him and the pressure had the opposite effect on The prince: It thrives in a climate of hostility.
Although he showed some nerves in the close, with two double faults, it was too much for one Charlie unknown and closed the epic with a solid 7-6 (2) and 6-3. And if you examine the history of the man born in Lo Barnechea, Santiago, it is even logical that he successfully surfed the wave. He has gone through more complicated, darker scenarios, such as a doping positive that kept him away from the courts for nearly a year. and caused an unexpected collapse in a career that was clearly on the rise.
Jarry’s beginnings, doping and the resurrection to the Top-20
Behind the successful past of his grandfather and even his great-uncle Álvaro Fillol, also a professional tennis player, Jarry emerged at the age of 18 as one of Chile’s great promises. He has something unique, different from his messes and the legends of his country that he idolizes like Nicolás Massú: a disturbing game, far from traditional South American DNA, starting from its almost two meters height. His explosive serve and penetrating forehand were – and continue to be – the weapons that made him look like a little gem.
however, He entered a plateau and only five years later, between 2018 and 2019, he began to make noise at the ATP level as expected. He won his first title in Bastad (250) and “liberated himself”, but climbing to the top of the Top-100, when he was at his best, suffered an unexpected setback that changed his life From one day to another At 24 years old: he was punished with an 11-month suspension for ingesting a prohibited substance in category S1 of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) List.
Naa November 2019 Davis Cup series against Argentinawhere the new modality was inaugurated with a single headquarters (the “Magic Box” in Madrid) and a contest format reduced to one week – among other transcendental changes -, under the command of the company Kosmos with Gerard Piqué as seen. face, the nightmare is about to begin. After falling to Guido Pella in straight sets, he went under a urine test that will show positive for ligandrol and stanozolol, two illegal anabolics on the circuit.
Jarry with Nicolás Massú, captain of Chile, in the 2019 Davis Cup where he tested positive for doping.
In April 2020 this was made official with a statement from the International Tennis Federation in which it gave the reasons why Until November 2021, he is disqualified from competing. A real bomb. Besides the lack of ability to play, Ranking points and prizes he got in tournaments after the control date are deducted.
Jarry uses the report and begins an investigation to try to prove that the way the substances entered his body was not due to a deliberate action, but due to a simple mistake. “We were able to show that the banned substances detected appeared as a result of cross contamination that developed in the Brazilian laboratory where the vitamins were made”he explained in a broad statement.
But it is not enough. Although the ITF detailed Jarry “no gross fault or negligence in the violation thereof” in anti-doping regulations, his position was ratified because “Tennis players are responsible for any substance they ingest.”
“Unfortunately it was not enough and I put my health and my professional career at risk. I was left with a very important lesson in my life, that I know it is my professional responsibility to ensure that all my eaten does not contain the slightest thing. Contamination I say goodbye with love, and wish you all good health at this time.”concluded the Chilean in a message on his social networks.
And the ending is not just any wish, it has a specific context. Because to make matters worse, as if things weren’t bad enough, Added to that shock was the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.; more precisely when it was starting to wreak havoc in South America, opening up an unknown, unimaginable and chaotic scenario.
It was almost a year, although it seemed like an eternity to him. The prince. It is logical for someone who is always traveling to play tournament after tournament non-stop. During those 11 months, however, found shelter in the good news of the birth of his son Juan (In 2023 Santiago joined the family he had with his partner Laura).
The return, as expected, was challenging and mostly uphill. With no points or rankings, so much downtime caused this: In November 2021, he debuted with a loss at the Lima Challenger and then accumulated two more falls in minor ITF tournaments.. The next 14 months were spent at that level of the tennis world, which he evidently became unaccustomed to living with.
For 2022the story turned 180º. It was rebuilt. What he knows how to start approaching, finding consistency in his game, gradually growing and rediscovering the trademark power for deposit again in ATP tournaments and in 2023, in the main draws of the Grand Slam. Like the Phoenix, Jarry reappears.
After the Australian Open and the Rio tournament, he returned to the long-awaited Top-100 and good things arose from there: champion in his native Santiago against Tomás Etcheverry – exactly whom he beat in the semis of the Argentina Open after his retirement-, in Geneva (winning his third crown overall, all at the ATP 250) and his first appearance in the Top-20 to become the best tennis player in South America.
Jarry and a special post with his son Juan and his grandfather Jaime Fillol. “Lessons that are passed down from generation to generation…” he wrote on his Instagram.
Now, 21st in the world (in January he reached his peak of 18th) and after surpassing Alcaraz in an exhibition of his stellar version, Jarry is living a dreamy moment in Buenos Aires. In the antagonistic path of the dark hour of suspension and pandemic, wants to place the Chilean flag at the top of the BALTC after 22 years of that assignment to Nicolás Massú. Also, he wanted revenge on his grandfather, who fell just short of the title against Guillermo Vilas in 1977. Against Facundo Díaz Acosta, the big surprise of the tournament, the thin and calm giant will have a good chance with all the added spices.
Source: Tycsports
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.
