In search of history: Nicolas Jarry wants to break 25 years of curse in Rome

Two weeks ago, Nicolás Jarry (24th) was eliminated in the first round of the Masters 1000 in Madrid and thus recorded his fourth consecutive defeat. It seemed that the joyful days of last year were further away than ever. That his goal of re-entering the top 20 and continuing to climb the ATP rankings could not be achieved. The clay court tour cost him dearly. But in Rome, everything changed. After leaving a bad streak behind him by beating the local Matteo Arnaldi (37th), the last days have been a dream for the Prince.

He eliminated Stefano Napolitano (125th), Alexandre Muller (109th), Stefano Tsitsipas (8th) and Tommy Paul (16th). The national tennis player is on the rise, showing his best level and achieving historic figures. To begin with, he will appear this Monday in 17th place in the ATP rankings, the best of his career. “We are in the final, that means a lot to me. This tournament has a lot of history, we now need to recover as much of it as possible. We have a day off which I will enjoy a lot and I am sure I will be very good for Sunday. he underlined after his victory over the North American this Friday.

This Sunday, at 11 a.m. in Chile, Jarry will face Alexander Zverev (5th) on the center court of the Foro Italico. Before the match, the German spoke about what the Santiago native showed. “He is one of the most aggressive players on the tour, with an excellent serve and an excellent forehand. “Try to hit really hard on both ends of the court,” he said.

“(Against Tsitsipas) He was impressive, he was down for most of the match, but he always came back,” added the Hamburg native.

By passing the semi-finals, Jarry already signed his best performance in a Masters 1000. During his career, he has five Challenger titles and two ATP 250 titles. So far, he has failed to win a 500. However, this Sunday he is aiming for a heavier title. In doing so, he also seeks to extend Chile’s history in this category and break a 25-year curse. National tennis has five celebrations in M1000, all carried out by Marcelo Ríos. El Chino was champion in Monte Carlo, Indian Wells, Miami, Rome and Hamburg. After Ríos there were finals, but the trophy never returned to the country again. Four Chilean tennis players managed to access the definition of an M1000 tournament. El Zurdo de Vitacura, along with the five winners, reached further finals in Rome and Monte Carlo. For his part, Fernando González was vice-champion in Rome and Madrid. While Nicolás Massú was second in Madrid.

What Jarry did this year (and also for Tabilo, who succumbed in the semi-final) This is the best national tennis of the last decade. In fact, in the golden era of racquet sport at the turn of the century, there had been no parallel performance as remarkable as this week’s.

Jarry plans the final and refers to Zverev after qualifying for the final: “It’s going to be a difficult battle, I’m going to have to be with a positive mentality and above all focused to be able to win this match.” In the confrontations between the two, the balance leans in favor of the German. The difference is 4-2 for the Europeans. Of the six duels, three took place last year. The German’s victories have come at Geneva 2019, Hamburg 2019, Halle 2023 and Beijing 2023. Of course, for the Chilean there is an exciting element: his victories, at Barcelona 2019 and Geneva 2023, took place on clay.

The Spaniard César Fábregas gives the keys to his student’s rise before the final. “I see Nico very well all week. He went less and more every game. He had trained at a very good level in the previous days. “I was ready to have a very good tournament,” he noted.

“The first two matches were very tough. With the stands against. Nico was able to hold on and continue. He had the attitude and mentality to get them out. Since the match against Muller, he has been looser, with aggressive and dominant tennis,” he added.

In this sense, Fábregas is referring to what the duel against Zverev will be like. “He’s a great player, who plays at a high level. But Nico is ready to face it and move the game forward. It is essential that you continue to impose your game and maintain the plan that you are going to propose. It’s a day to leave your skin on the track and squeeze out every last drop” the Spanish closed.