Born in San Martín on December 28, 2000, Báez starred in a 2021 season with a large balance in favor: six Challengers titles, his first win at the ATP level, the semifinals of the NextGen Finals -the masters for the best Under 21 in the world – and his entry into the Top 100 after starting the year at No. 308. All of which led to increased media exposure that put him in the forefront of the tennis Argentinian.
Last week he reached the quarterfinals of a major circuit tournament for the first time, in Córdoba. “It was a good week, with bitter feelings due to the defeat”he recognizes Ambit in the corridors of the BALTC, in an impasse of his training for the Buenos Aires championship, where he was invited for the first time.
The current 74th in the world ranking is a genuine product of the management of Daniel Orsanic at the head of the AAT Development area, a position he held from 2014 to 2018, when he was fired by the current leadership and replaced by Franco Squillari. From a very young age he showed above-average qualities, and at the age of 14 he won the traditional Orange Bowl, the most important event for youth, in the Under 16 category. It is not surprising that in 2018 he reached No. 1 in the junior world . Weeks later he reached the final at Roland Garros and Juventus’ Olympic gold in doubles alongside Facundo Díaz Acosta.
But, although the results can confuse, Báez is clear that the secret lies in a non-negotiable triad: “order, intelligence and effort”, enacts. Even in times of global lockdown and virtual chats. “Each step that was taken was something that was planned. Not so much for the triumphs, but to say ‘well, we improved this’ “elaborate.
“If that improvement brings victories, great, but the greatest triumph is evolution, because it gives you the level and success later on. If you do things right, the rest comes by itself”indicates without losing focus.
the pandemic of Covid-19, like the rest of humanity, put it to the test. Without being able to train like he was used to, he had to look for an alternative. But he also brought about the freezing of all rankings. With the return of the activity, those who lost were not going to go down, and those who won could not go up as much as the points demanded.
However, Báez did not remain with the repose of the regret and quickly started the machinery. He adapted a gym in his house and together with his coach Sebastian Gutierrez They talked via Zoom to analyze games, rivals, strategies and techniques.
What for some led to frustration and contained anger, for the Buenos Aires team became the possibility of deepening emotional and mental aspects. “I learned to go out with another head to the competitions that had just opened, because tennis is nothing compared to something global like the pandemic”evoke today.
Covid-19 played tricks on him again during 2021. On July 13, a day after winning his first ATP match at the Hamburg tournament, he announced that he was isolated: “My PCR result today was positive. This news made me very sad because I had great expectations, but thank God I don’t have any symptoms, I feel fine. I know that with the support of my team, my family and my friends I will be able to get out of this difficult moment that I have to go through. I know that the road is long and that next year I will come back much stronger than this one”.
That did not stop him and after almost a month and a half of full recovery, he accumulated trophies on the challenger circuit, especially the one in Buenos Aires. Your award from him? He qualified for the NextGen Finals in Milan, where he had two wins and reached the semifinals, despite having almost no experience on dubious indoor courts. It is worth as data that of the eight players in the tournament, he was the only one who did not receive wild cards to the ATP events of the season.
The Gutiérrez surname is not one more in national tennis. Sebastián, brother of Diego -former executive director of the AAT-, was one of the closest collaborators in the coaching staff of Orsanic and Mariano Hood, Davis Cup captains. And for Báez, his coach fulfills a function that transcends sports.
“Seba watched me drink soda as a boy and challenged me: ‘You don’t have to drink Coca’. For me he is everything, I could not be here without him. Sometimes I don’t want there to be another person next to him”, he commented after winning the Challenger in Buenos Aires. Both forged an endearing relationship that has repercussions not only in sports. For the tennis player, “the profession and the person go hand in hand”.
“It is the fact of teaching me and ordering me in a lot of things, some small, like soda, that will not affect you so much in the game, but it is the fact of learning on a personal level that it was wrong, better to drink water because it is healthier. We shared many years ago, and from the beginning it was different, because we have incredible chemistry.”Explain.
In 2018, Báez told this outlet how much it meant to him to represent the country in team competitions. “I love playing with the Argentine jersey,” he said, after having played in the 2016 Junior Davis Cup and the 2017 Odesur Youth Games. Days later he was one of the figures of the Albiceleste delegation at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. Aires.
After a 2021 in which he demonstrated an excellent level of competition and the results accompanied his constant evolution, this year came the prize that every tennis player dreams of: being part of the Davis Cup. William Corianational captain, included him along with Diego Schwartzman, Federico Delbonis, Maximo Gonzalez Y Horace Zeballos to face the Czech Republic in March for the Qualifiers.
“I was very happy, but it is also a huge responsibility,” he analyzes. “I will be available, whether I play or not,” promises Báez, because team building, despite the intrinsic individualistic nature of tennis, is no stranger to him. “I am lucky that Seba was part of the team that won the championship, so he raised me with that group spirit that was always a very good thing and that is why he won the Davis”, close. Perhaps it is the first of many steps in a career that advances with calculated and unhurried movements.
