Women’s tennis in Argentina is looking for new figures, players who accompany in the main draw of the most important tournaments of the tour to Nadia Podoroska, again in the Top 100. There are several names that have been bidding for that place for some time now: María Lourdes Carlé, Solana Sierra and Julia Riera, mainly. And now the one of Martina Capurro Taborda, originally from Avellaneda who at 26 years old wants to take the leap.
She was runner-up in the MundoTennis Open in Florianópolis, a WTA 125 in which she defeated Podoroska, 75th in the world, in the semis, before losing in the title match with the Australian Ajla Tomljanovic (former 32nd in the ranking). . There, he reached the final of a tournament of this category for the first time, beat a Top 100 for the first time and achieved his best position in the world ranking, 153rd place.
In addition, he had an impressive streak of five W25 titles, organized by the ITF, over six tournaments played between mid-June and early August. Two of them were in Argentina, in Bragado and Junín respectively, beating Solana Sierra, Roland Garros Junior finalist last year and another of the promises of Argentine tennis.
“It didn’t come with good moments, but it was a very good week. The best of all, I would say. Because of the matches I won and the tournament in general, it is the best moment of my career. Without a doubt”dice the tennis player who already represented the country in the Billie Jean King Cup and who this year won the bronze medal in the Pan American Games, in mixed doubles with Facundo Díaz Acosta.
Martina Capurro and a medal that hides a lot of work. (REUTERS/Pilar Olivares)
He arrived at Argentine Tennis Club of Palermo, where the WTA 125 of Buenos Aires, with his chest inflated after his great performance in Florianópolis. And, although he did not manage to overcome her debut against the American Elizabeth Mandlik, whom he had precisely surpassed on Brazilian soil, he closes a year in which he exceeded her expectations.
He started 2023 at number 431 in the ranking and dreamed of getting into the top 200. She made it: today she is 153°. “It happened to me, after my first final at a 125, that it turns out that the girl I lost to (Tomljanovic) was almost Top 30 and won her first WTA title there. So, for me anything can happen. The objective now is to continue adding, to continue growing,” tells to Clarionwhile talking in the press room of the club that is located next to the Palermo Lakes.
The life of a tennis player passes at great speed. The calendar is almost non-stop and leaves no time for great celebrations of victories or long-lasting regrets for defeats. Anyone who gets stuck in what has already happened will probably lose out. But the end of the year, with almost no activity, is usually a good time for balance sheets, to stop and analyze more than the last 52 weeks; also the path traveled.
The particular case of Martina Capurro is that of a life alongside tennis, even before having memories. She first picked up a racket when she was three years old. “My sister, who is ten years older, trained in Racing, they put me on the field and I ended up liking it,” account.
“The teacher I had throughout my formative stage, Gino Yacquin, He didn’t want to give me classes at that time because I was very small, I was very baby, but well, I ended up training with him. To this day I am very grateful to him for everything he gave me, everything he taught me and I am very fond of him,” she adds.
The first image of Martina Capurro with a tennis racket. (Gentleness)
If you were born in Avellaneda and started playing tennis in Racing, the question is obvious: racing family? “Ugh,” he says, as a smile spreads across his face. “There is half and half. My father is from Independiente, my mother from Racing and I from Racing”, clarifies. And she anticipates, laughing: “The classics are seen together, yes. They are seen. But with peace of mind.”
Although she did not know it, those first stains of brick dust on her baby sneakers, with the Avellaneda Cylinder in the background, were the beginning of her career. Soon she was training at the Avellaneda Regatas Club, a few blocks from the Academy stadium, and from a young age she began to compete. “At the age of eight I played interclub. Then, the national tournaments grade three, grade two, grade one and after that the insertion into professionalism,” he recalls.
At the same time, he studied at a public school in the morning and trained in the afternoon, but there came a time when tennis stopped being a hobby to become the central activity of his life and the times did not coincide with those of the classes. at school. For this reason, she spent the last two years in the SEADEAthe Distance Education System of the Argentine Army.
“They give you all the material to study online and you go and take each subject on that day. That way I could continue playing because otherwise it would be complicated when traveling and, also, because at school they already wanted to take the exams,” he explains.
Martina Capurro won 12 titles on the ITF circuit: seven in singles and five in doubles. (Argentina Open Press)
He does not identify an exact moment in which he understood that he wanted to become a professional and make tennis his life, but that decision to study remotely was a first step. “You subconsciously want it. In my case it happened. Instead of going out to parties I went to train, but it was never a sacrifice. She did it naturally. I wanted that,” he explains.
After finishing school, he took a second important step, crucial to explain his present: moved to the United States. Given the difficulty that many Argentine athletes face due to the lack of resources or support to develop their career, Capurro found the best solution in the American university structure.
He studied International Trade and Management Information Systems at the University of Oklahoma, where he continued his academic training while playing tennis without either of the two activities relegating the other. “They have everything set up: studying, training, playing, traveling. At that time I had a ranking of 500 and had only played twelve tournaments. When I left I was able to start playing more, which is essential to improve.”he says, reaffirming the positive aspects of that decision.
Martina Capurro graduated on time from the University of Oklahoma. (Instagram: @marti_capurro)
Based on good decisions, he achieved what he set out to do at every moment of his career: grow, grow and continue growing. Now he’s going for more.
What objectives are proposed for 2024? “The goal, as I always say, is to keep adding, but I would like to be able to get into the Top 100. Also play the main draw of some Grand Slam, important tournaments, and why not play on the center court“, she is excited. And Argentine tennis is excited about her.
2023-12-04 08:53:45
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