Dreams are meant to come true and what if Pedro Cachin is aware of it. The Argentine will face for the first time in his career Rafael Nadalone of his greatest idols, in the Madrid Masters 1000.
Their paths, however, crossed a long time ago… on February 26, 2015. At that time, Cachin was No. 243 in the world and Nadal, No. 3. They trained together prior to the ATP 250 in Buenos Aires. The man from Cordoba could not overcome the classification while the Mallorcan became champion of the competition.
“I have never played against Cachín, a tough player who, after coming from a difficult period of results, is resurfacing, so it will be difficult. I will do my best to be prepared and recovered,” said the former world No. 1 in the previous one.
The meeting between Pedro Cachin and Rafa Nadal in 2015. Instagram: @pecachin
But, many times, dreams are not easy to fulfill. Behind it there is a story of sacrifice that is worth telling and it began in Bell Ville, 24 years ago, when Cachin picked up a racket for the first time.
At the age of 19, looking to take a leap in his career, he went to Barcelona to train under the tutelage of Alex Corretja: “He has always been like a father to me. His impact on my career is immense. He taught me to be a professional tennis player from day one.”
After winning his first Challenger in 2015, he said in an interview with Punto de Break that he suffered from depression: “After winning, 100 messages appeared on my phone. I didn’t know how to handle it. I remember that two days later I was playing again and I lost in the first round. And everyone who had sent messages before… now I didn’t have any.”
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Injuries, too, were a determining factor in his career and a huge test of resilience. In his first match in an ATP main draw (Barcelona 2016) he was diagnosed with a stress fracture in a vertebra, a problem that he suffered from mistreatment for years. In 2019, he tore an ankle ligament, which led to him missing much of the season.
Giving up was not an option for him. It took him several years to get back to his level and in 2021 he won his first Challenger. From then on, nothing would be the same. Four more titles followed in 2022 and the conquest of the ATP 250 in Gstaad in 2023, the most important trophy of his career.
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He entered the Top 100, then did the same among the top 50 and began to suffer an unexpected setback. From the end of last year until this tournament they accumulated a streak of 15 losses in a row, but in Madrid the sun came out. First he defeated Sebastian Ofner, then he defeated Frances Tiafoe and now he comes, none other than Rafael Nadal.
“It is one of the goals of my life. I played with Djokovic last year in the center at Wimbledon. Playing with Rafa is a dream. I’ve seen it since his first Roland Garros. I remember watching it one Sunday in bed and now it’s my turn to play… I will surely face it with a lot of fear, but I will have time to really think about what I want for that game.” Why not continue dreaming a little more?
2024-04-28 21:02:34
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