The sea roars against the stones and dissolves into a white foam that bathes all who walk near it. Tourists wander around with lounge chairs and umbrellas, oblivious to what is happening a few blocks away. The small Horacio Zeballos reject a day of beach and fun and choose another sacrificial afternoon at the Edison Lawn Tennis where he trains with his father (also Horacio) to be a professional player. He still does not know that 30 years later he will still be in force and will be one of the most prominent surnames on the doubles circuit.
On the verge of four decades, “Cebolla” is experiencing a revitalized career. The dreams that were erected in your Mar del Plata native are alive. When he put aside individual competition at the beginning of 2019 and focused on doubles, he became one of the shining figures of the ATP Tour: He became No. 3 in the world, won 20 titles (including six Masters 1000) and played in three Grand Slam finals.
“When I was 20, 21 years old I would not have imagined continuing on the circuit at almost 39”he acknowledges smilingly at the question of Ambit in it Argentina Openwhere they will play the semifinals of the tournament for the ninth time.
From those training days to the present, Zeballos went from winning the final of the Viña del Mar 2013 tournament to Rafael Nadalno less than on clay, to be one of the most outstanding doubles players with the possibility of being number 1 in the world at the end of 2023. A dizzying decade, a “long, beautiful career, which I enjoy a lot.”
“I found in the double the way to continue staying alive, and I am enjoying it very much, trying to do it in the best possible way and as what it is, my job”argues the current 11th on the planet.
At the beginning of 2019, the man from Buenos Aires told this medium how important it was to travel to each tournament with his family, something that undoubtedly influenced his longevity in the sport of rackets. A few weeks later, he won the Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells along with the Croatian Nikola Mektic, which strengthened his decision to continue in the double. At the end of the year came the definitive explosion: with Catalan Marcel Granollers, his current partner, won the M1000 in Canada and reached the final of the US Open. Juged thing.
“I don’t know if I get as used to being up there as I do to day-to-day life and the search to improve, enjoy training and competition”reveals the man born on April 27, 1985. Not everything depends on the results, because “If I couldn’t enjoy getting on the field and playing and competing and wanting to win, I wouldn’t continue doing it at this point in my career.”.
After winning five Masters and playing three Grand Slam finals (US Open 2019 and Wimbledon 2021 and 2023), the Spanish-Argentine duo came to the end of last year with an unprecedented option: They reached the definition of the ATP Finals in Turin and the man from Mar del Plata was on the verge of being number 1 in the world. Only the loss 6-3 and 6-4 against Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury deprived him of such a milestone in the history of Argentine tennis.
He does not reveal it, he guarantees, although “if it happens, it happens, of course, it is my philosophy.” “I always have new goals, I try to go for more. It’s the way I find motivation. Last year we did finish very well, it was a very good year,” he explains as a summary.
In this adventure, little by little, he became the Argentine with the most double titles: with his 20 trophies he surpassed the 16 held by the other prodigal son of the sea, Guillermo Vilas. Last season he also did it Maximo Gonzalezthe 40-year-old kid who has 18 conquests.
The pending account for “Horacito”, as it is known in “La Feliz”, for the moment, is the Grand Slamsalthough he does not lose sleep over the unchecked box. “It’s why I continue working every day. But I know that tomorrow, if I don’t achieve it, at least I will be left with absolute peace of mind that I did everything possible to try to get to that point.”he explains.
In an era in which the great figures of world tennis prolong their careers, whether due to sporting success, technological improvements or physical and medical care, Zeballos focuses on the daily will to sustain the routine. Competitiveness is the next step, and finally “The ranking, which is the product of all the work I do, whether physical, tennis, going to the club every day, wanting to continue traveling. That is what continues to give me results to this day”.
“Give everything”. A phrase that “Onion” repeats frequently while sitting next to Ambit at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club and in which he doubts his possible participation in the Olympic Games Paris 2024. “I don’t know how I stand regarding the Davis Cup, because I haven’t played it since 2022. But I want to be there,” he makes clear.
Zeballos’ passion for chess
A sport that is not Olympic is chess, a “hobby” that he has practiced with passion for years. An activity characterized by strategy and anticipation, the former soloist reveals that he keeps his mind outside of normal functioning. An intense distraction that also has an impact on tennis.
“I always recommend it to anyone”advise. “It is a beautiful sport that keeps you in that moment when you play a game and you don’t think about anything outside of that”justifies.
Zeballos closes, firmly, that chess is his passion, and that “it surely helps me to try to work on concentration in tennis.” The black and white and the sport of rackets are similar in the calculation and anticipation of the opponent’s movements. Both disciplines converge on the same goal: the next step can define the outcome.
Source: Ambito
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
