Monday, 17 July 2023

Jungleland: Diaz Acosta Survives, Thrives On Challenger Tour

Argentine Facundo Diaz Acosta has an interesting take on the ATP Challenger Tour.

“It's like a jungle!” Diaz Acosta told ATPTour.com. “The Challenger Tour is so, so tough. Everyone can beat everyone. Maybe one week you do good, the next week you lose first round. Maybe [a player ranked] 200 can beat a Top 100 player. That makes you stronger, you have to have a very good mindset or else you will stay there and not pass it.”

Though it may be a ‘jungle’, the 22-year-old has excelled at the Challenger level this year. Diaz Acosta is one of four players to earn three Challenger titles this season, joining Andy Murray, Matteo Arnaldi, and Max Purcell. Diaz Acosta’s triumph at this month’s Milan Challenger helped him crack the Top 100 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time Monday, when he climbed to World No. 97.

“It's something that every tennis player wants to achieve, so I'm very happy for that,” Diaz Acosta said of his Top 100 debut. “It's tough to keep this level all through the years, obviously I have to keep improving. I cannot just be happy and stay sitting down like, 'I'm Top 100!' because then everyone will pass me.

“I think it came faster than I thought. I started the year like 200 and three months ago I was 150. I don't know if I expected it too soon, I was practising good and playing good. In practises, I was playing with Top 100 guys and I was beating them, so I knew I had the level and I just had to compete better.”

Sure, the Buenos Aires native’s hard work has reaped a career-high ranking. But it has not been without difficulty. Diaz Acosta has had to sacrifice precious time at home, often being thousands of miles away from his loved ones while travelling on the ATP Challenger Tour.

“You have to be in Europe for a long time, away from your family and friends, away from sleeping in your bed! It's kind of tough. In my case, I've been here for around three months so I'm starting to get a little tired,” Diaz Acosta said. “Every South American player goes to Europe a lot and if you have good weeks, you cannot go home because it's like 12 hours and too expensive to go home for one week.

“It's tough, but I think it makes us stronger mentally because when you're here in Europe, you don't want to lose a match and then do nothing. Maybe if you play back home, you play a tournament then you say, 'Okay, I lost and I'm a little tired, I'll go back home!' It's tough, I've been in Europe for three months and I miss my family, friends, all of my life in Buenos Aires.”

If there’s any plus from being away from home, perhaps it is that Diaz Acosta does not have to fight the temptation of the endless chocolate that sits around his house.

“My mother [Cecilia] is in the marketing part of a chocolate company, so we have plenty of chocolate at home,” Diaz Acosta said. “I wake up and I have chocolate right there so I'm like, 'Okay, I have to be strong!' There's always chocolate. It's tough. Mentally I'm so strong with chocolate.”

Fans can catch the Argentine in action this week at the Van Mossel KIA Dutch Open in Amersfoort, Netherlands, where he is the top seed and will open against Frenchman Ugo Blanchet. All ATP Challenger Tour matches are available to watch live and on demand on Challenger TV at no cost.

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