Alex Mann is back with a player article. He covers Argentinian up and coming star. Read more in this Francisco Cerundolo player profile.
Francisco Cerundolo, Rising star from Argentina
It’s been a breakthrough season for Francisco Cerundolo. The Argentine has risen from outside the top 100 to a career-high of 30 in the ATP Tour rankings.
He’s capped off his incredible rise this year, winning his first ATP title last week at the Swedish Open.
Cerundolo defeated some high-quality players at the ATP 250 clay-court event, such as Aslan Karatsev, defending champion Casper Ruud and Pablo Carreno Busta, before dispatching fellow countryman Sebastian Baez to lift the trophy in Bastad.
This might have been Cerundolo’s moment in the spotlight, but it was April of this year at the Miami Open where the Argentine showed the tennis world what he had to offer.
Before the Masters 1000 event in Miami, Cerundolo had never won a match on an ATP tour hard court. He then went on a five-match winning run, defeating Tallon Griekspoor, Reilly Opelka, Gael Monfils, and Frances Tiafoe to reach the quarter-final.
A mid-match retirement from Jannik Sinner sent Cerundolo into the last four, becoming the lowest ranked male to reach the semi-final in the tournament’s history.
Although Casper Ruud ended his magical run, it was clear the Argentine was going to be a force to be reckoned with as the season progressed.
Born in Buenos Aires
Francisco Cerundolo was born on 13 August 1998 in the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires. He has a younger brother Juan Manuel Cerundolo, born in 2001, who is also a tennis player.
After turning pro in 2018, Francisco mainly played on the ITF Futures Tour, winning two titles on the clay in Brazil.
In 2019, he built on his success, winning five titles on the Futures Tour and reaching several quarter-finals on the ATP Challenger Tour.
He also made his debut on the ATP Tour at the ATP 250 event in Buenos Aires, losing out to Guido Pella in the first round. He finished the year ranked 248 in the ATP singles rankings.
Cerundolo’s 2020 season was largely disrupted due to Covid-19. At the end of the year, he continued his rise and won three Challenger titles in consecutive months, from October to December. He finished the year ranked just outside the top 100 at 139.
The brother can also play tennis
Francisco wasn’t the only Cerundolo to stamp his mark on the ATP circuit.
In February 2021, Francisco’s brother, Juan Manuel won his first ATP title in his main draw debut at the Cordoba Open in Argentina, defeating Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Juan Manuel rose from 335 to 181 in the ATP singles rankings.
A week later, Francisco nearly matched his brother’s performance, reaching his first ATP Tour final at the Argentina Open in his home city of Buenos Aires. He lost out to the number one seed Diego Schwartzman.
After a consistent but steady 2021, Cerundolo went full steam ahead in 2022. He opened his season, winning a Challenger title in Bolivia and then reached the Argentina Open’s quarter-final.
The 23-year-old cracked the top 100 for the first time, reaching number 76 in the world.
He backed up his quarter-final appearance with an impressive performance at the ATP 500 event in Rio de Janeiro, reaching the semi-final.
The Argentine had the best result of his career so far at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Miami, defeating some top-quality opponents and reaching the semi-final.
What about Cerundolo’s game?
Cerundolo has a massive forehand and a reliable backhand which have been on full display this year and have held up against the very best in the world.
During his Wimbledon debut this year, Cerundolo displayed mouth-watering tennis on the grass, taking Rafael Nadal to four sets in the first round. After hitting some crushing forehands, the Argentine snatched the third set off Nadal and was 4-2 up in the fourth.
Although Cerundolo couldn’t take advantage, as Nadal returned to win 6-4, he showed the tennis world that he could play a high level of tennis on grass, clay, and hard courts.
If you can play on big stages like the Miami Open and Wimbledon and compete with some of the best players in the world, then you can achieve highly in the sport. Cerundolo is no different.
In a rematch of their Miami Open semi-final, Francisco defeated Casper Ruud to capture his first ATP title in Bastad last week. This was also his first top ten win.
Francisco Cerundolo’s racquet
Fransisco Cerundolo’s racquet is a HEAD PT57A pro stock. Similar to what is used by players like Aslan Karatsev and Ilya Ivashka. According to the HEAD expert on TW forums, dr325i, these are his specs: PT57A2, 18×20, 27.5” 350g, 380sw strung with Kirschbaum Max Power (allegedly).
Do you think Cerundolo can keep rising the rankings? Could he be a threat at this year’s US Open?
