Pedro Cachin And The Old Custom Of Reinventing Oneself In Spain

Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour

Editor's note: This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es.

Pedro Cachin is as Argentinian as they come: kind, respectful, friendly, genuine. The values he absorbed in his native Bell Ville have been evident throughout his ATP Tour career. However, it is in Spain, more than 10,000 kilometres from home, that the 28-year-old Argentine has taken the biggest steps in his tennis career.

On Monday at the Mutua Madrid Open, he beat Frances Tiafoe 6-1, 7-6(2) to reach the Round of 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time in his life.

“I’ve always liked Madrid, the conditions here really suit me,” explains the No. 67 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, who is still yet to relinquish a set in the tournament. “I’m really happy. Everything is going better than I expected. This will help me believe I belong here, to feel that I’ve earned the right to be at this kind of tournament.”

CACHIN FIRE ❤️‍🔥🇦🇷

World No.67 @pecachin1 knocks out Tiafoe 6-1 7-6(2) to move into the last 16 in Madrid!#MMOpen pic.twitter.com/jVIcscMj9Z

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 1, 2023

Until very recently, he was not so sure of himself. At the end of March, his 2023 tour-level record was 2-10 and doubt plagued his mind. Perhaps the responsibility that comes with playing your first full year on the ATP Tour was something of a burden. Pedro decided to return to the ATP Challenger Tour to regroup and search for some much-needed confidence. He found it at an event in Spain.

“Luckily I did really well at the Challenger in Madrid. I was convinced that I was going to take a step forward and win matches,” continued Cachín, who arrived at the 2023 Mutua Madrid Open with a 1-2 record at Masters 1000s. Now he is 4-2. “I hope the result is a turning point in my season," he added. "I have faith in the process.”

Cachin’s love affair with Spain began sometime in 2014. Back then, he decided to move to Barcelona and work under the watchful eye of Alex Corretja, the World No. 2 in 1999.

“He changed my life, on and off the court. He’s like a father to me,” the Cordoba native said on Monday. Corretja was Cachin’s head coach for four years. Since then he has continued to advise him from afar.

“I went to live in Barcelona nine years ago,” Cachin explains. “An opportunity came up to work with Alex Corretja. He understands certain moments in tennis like nobody else. As a player he didn’t have great shots, but he did have a great head and an understanding of the game that were far superior. He finds the solution in so many situations.”

The bond between them, so important in Cachin’s career, was a product of his desire to reinvent himself. He could have taken the easy road and stayed close to his family. As a teenager he wanted to explore a new world, even though this would often mean loneliness, nostalgia and a longing to go home.

“I committed myself to leaving and investing in my career. The best option was to come to Europe, and I’m still here,” he remembers.

Cachin may have left his native Argentina many years ago, but his country has never left him. Proof of this lies in his love of Boca Juniors and the Argentine football team, his habit of carrying mate with him wherever he goes, and his frequent enjoyment of Argentinian barbecue or asado. His last such meal was at his home in Sant Cugat del Valles before the ATP 500 in Barcelona. Several of his countrymen from the ATP Tour were there, including Diego Schwartzman and Francisco Cerundolo. There was no shortage of Fernet either.

However, as Argentinian as he may be, the Caja Magica still has plenty of reason to support him this week. Cachin is practically a Spaniard at this point, and he hopes to bond further with the Madrid crowd when he meets Jan-Lennard Struff for a place in the quarter-finals.

“Struff has shown the player he is, but I am feeling really good going forward," he said, looking ahead to Tuesday's match. "I hope to enjoy it to the max.”