Carlos Alcaraz is justifiedly absent, there is no doubt that this year the Spanish star of the Italian Internationals isRafa Jodarthat he will meet tomorrowMatteo Arnaldiin a match that promises to be ‘sold out’. Nineteen years old, a giant leap in the rankings (he is now in 34th position in theranking Atphe climbed 650 in just over a year), the young Rafa owes everything, at least so far, to another Rafa, indeedRafa senior: His father, a former high school physical education teacher.Dad Rafahe has never personally had anything to do with tennis but he is thecoach and managerfrom which the Madrilenian has no intention of separating (“my father and I are one”), so much so that he was quick to deny the rumors that he was close to hiring a coach likeJuan Carlos Ferrerothe one who, before being dumped as a cumbersome quasi-father, grew up in tennisCarlos Alcarazmaking his fortune.
In the stands of the Foro, Rafa senior applies the superstition that has brought him luck so far: he sits on an empty row, alone, also to be quickly identified by his son. Thesymbiotic relationshipbetween the two Spaniards brings thefather-son relationship in tennisamong the most complicated and debated (but also mother-son, seeAndy Murray e sua madre Judy, emulati Denis Shapovalovtoday followed by Janko Tipsarevic but trained for a long time by his mother Tessa, a former Soviet tennis player).
It’s about sharing victories, defeats, economic issues, hotels, planes, fields, restaurants with those who brought you into the world. There are those who love and agree likeBen Sheltonand his father coach Bryan, former top 50 for whom the son who faces Basilashvili today in Rome, has honeyed words (“I respect the career he had as a player, I respect him as a coach and as a father”) and who he brings to the pitchfamily tensionsnever resolved: first of allStefanos Tsitsipasand his father Apostolos as his coach again after unsuccessfully entrusting him to Goran Ivanisevic. Sunk to no. 75 went out in the first round at the Internationals at the hands of Machac but at least the Roman spectators were spared the ugly scene in Madrid: during the match (won) with the American Patrick Kypson he had addressed his fatherunrepeatable insultscaught on the microphone and quickly went viral.
Coach fathers: between successes and rules
On much more polite levels they also had their disagreementsFlavio Cobolli(today he is facing Terence Atman) and his fatherStefano Cobolliwho was number 236 in the ranking and boasts a career victory over Stanislas Wawrinka. Today they get along very well. Stefano followed his son in his first tennis steps, then there was a separation and then, a happy reunion. Father Stefano’s story of when he packed his bags in Türkiye and left Flavio, then sixteen years old, alone because he was playing listlessly is now mythological. He was aiming for a reaction and he got it, as his son won that tournament. The relationship between the young man is also similar to the relationship between the two CobolliFederico Cinàand his father Francesco, for years in the garage ofRoberta Vinci.
Their stories tell that thefather coachit can be aadded valueespecially when the parent is aformer tennis playerand not an improvised coach like Sergio Giorgi, Camila’s father, had been. It’s a relationship that works betweenChristian Ruudformer Norwegian tennis player who has 54 Davis Cup matches and his sonCasperand all in all the one between the number 3 in the world is also goodAlexander Zverevand his father Sasha, also a former Davis man with the Soviet Union. Just give yourself some rules: “Off the pitch I’m never with my father, we have enough of each other when we’re on the pitch”, said Zverev who tomorrow meets again with the Belgian rising star Alexander Blockx, who he just beat in the semi-final in Madrid.