Tomás Etcheverry spoke to the press before facing Novak Djokovic in the second round of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. The Argentinian did not hesitate to share what it means to him and his career to meet the Serbian, with whom he shares a strange anecdote.
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In that funny comparison with Djokovic
Logically, it is odd that Tomás himself was pictured when he won his first ATP point, comparing himself to the units that Djokovic had at the time as world number one. «My coach at the time, Luciano Cabeiro, came up with the idea to do it… to motivate me. It was something original, we laughed a lot. And when I made the Top 100, I did it again, it was worth it«. Now they meet for the first time, and Novak himself laughed about the situation on Tennis TV.
July 2016: Tomas Etcheverry wins his first ATP point (12,899 points behind No. 1 Djokovic)
April 2022: Etcheverry enters Top 100 (7,706 points behind Djokovic)
May 2023: 61st-ranked Etcheverry meets Djokovic in Rome (5,939 points behind)@djokernole @tometcheverry #IBI23 pic.twitter.com/CNha0LeHfR
– Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 11, 2023
The illusion of meeting Nole
«Playing with Djokovic is a dream come true.. It was something I always wanted to… I really wanted to play against him sometime. I’ve followed him since I was little, born and raised watching him play and win. Since I grabbed the club for the first time, he was already on top. When I go on the field, I’m in front of one of the best in history… but I will give my best, I try not to disrespect him and encourage myself to go all out and beat him«The Argentinian commented on his feelings about meeting the Serbian for the first time.
The best moment of his career
As for his tennis moment, Etcheverry knows he brings good feelings, so he can enjoy trying to beat Djokovic more. «He got me into a very good tennis moment, the best of my careerSo that makes it even more special and something positive and I’m going to enjoy it a lot and try to focus on myself.»
