Francisco Cerundolo: How it all adds up for Argentine star

Francisco Cerundolo is making waves on the ATP Tour once again this week at the Mutua Madrid Open.

The 26-year-old, a three-time tour-level titlist, caught up with ATPTour.com in Madrid to discuss how it is all adding up for him. From his favourite tennis rivalry to his greatest setback and success so far, Cerundolo reveals all.

What’s your favourite tennis rivalry in history and what’s your favourite current rivalry to watch?
In history, I loved watching Federer vs. Rafa, and also Rafa vs. Novak, and even Federer vs. Novak. All of those rivalries gave us amazing matches. As for today, I really enjoy watching Sinner against Alcaraz, and Alcaraz against Djokovic. Those are the kinds of matches I look forward to seeing now.

Is there a player on Tour you look forward to playing the most?
That’s a good question. I’d probably say Medvedev because I’ve never played him before. He’s in the Top 10, and it would be really interesting to see how he plays, how the ball comes off his racket. I enjoy testing myself against new players and getting that feeling for their game.

What’s been the toughest challenge you’ve had to overcome in your career?
Probably when the rankings were frozen during COVID. I was around 100 in the world at that time, and the difference in points between Challenger events and ATP events was huge. I was winning a lot of matches on the Challenger Tour but couldn’t break into the top 100. I stayed stuck there for about a year, maybe a year and a half. In a normal season, I would’ve been ranked around 60 or 70, so that was tough mentally.

What’s your favourite tournament to play and why?
Of course, Buenos Aires. I love playing there. It’s the only ATP tournament we have at home, so it’s always special. Outside of that, I really enjoy playing Roland Garros. Paris is amazing, the tournament is incredible, and it’s on clay, which is important historically for Argentine players. So I always look forward to that one.

What’s been your greatest success so far?
Winning my first ATP title. That was an incredible feeling. Getting that first win and taking the pressure off was huge. Another big moment was reaching the semi-finals in Miami, a Masters 1000, early in my career. I wasn’t used to playing at that level yet. I remember walking out to the court for the semi-final in a huge stadium and feeling super nervous, like really scared! But it was unforgettable.

What has been the most unique moment of your career?
I have a couple, but one really special one was making my Davis Cup debut for Argentina. That was a big moment for me — something I had always dreamed about. Definitely one of the most unique and meaningful experiences of my career.

What’s your biggest goal for this year?
I actually didn’t set specific ranking goals this year, like saying I want to be top 10 or whatever. I did that the past two years and didn’t achieve it, so I didn’t want to repeat that mindset. Instead, I’ve focused on goals in training, improving physically, mentally and in my tennis overall. I know I have the level to compete with the top guys. So my main goal is to be more consistent, and I think I’m already doing better than last year. If I keep going like this, I believe I’ll be back in the Top 20 soon.