“Asturias will have good results in the medium term”

– How do you see the situation of Asturian tennis?

–There is a very good grassroots school, great work with young people, and in the medium term the results will be seen.

–The climate and the lack of covered facilities have always been a drawback.

– Yes, but not only Asturias, but in all the northern communities. That is why young people who stand out have to emigrate. More indoor courts are needed, which give a lot of life to the clubs, for which the help of the institutions is necessary. We can help with suppliers at good prices because, with 1,200 affiliated clubs, it is difficult to find financial resources.

– Despite the difficulties, players like Pablo Carreño come out.

– Pablo’s has been a fantastic evolution. Recently it was number 10 in the world. He is in a great moment and we are going to need him in the Davis Cup, since with the loss of Rafa Nadal he will have to be our number one.

– Goals for your second term?

–Spain has the best pyramid of international tournaments in the world and our intention is to maintain it and even improve it. Grassroots tennis is also a priority for the Federation. That pyramid can give us many joys in terms of training players. At the moment we are the country with the most players among the top 100 in the world. In the female category, young players are coming out and we want to continue growing.

– With Carlos Alcaraz the relief for Rafa Nadal is assured?

–Comparisons with Rafa Nadal are impossible, not only in Spain. Only players like Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic resist them in the world. Right now Alcaraz is one of the greatest exponents of Spanish tennis, but there are others. Alejandro Davidovich, 22, is number 45 in the world. And Daniel Rincón just won the Junior USA Open. There are several very good players from the ’97 generation. And all thanks to the fact that there are very good coaches and the fantastic work that is done in the clubs.

– How has the pandemic affected you?

–It has benefited us in terms of the number of practitioners, who have multiplied. The schools are in historical numbers. We only have 80,000 licenses, but in our case it is not significant because we do not force to remove it to play. According to the latest data we have, we are already close to three million practitioners.

–What financing channels do they have to meet their objectives?

–The main one is the sponsors and we are especially grateful to Mapfre, with whom we have just renewed for three years. We also have the grant from the Higher Sports Council and what corresponds to us for the organization of the Davis Cup final. We are the current champions and we hope to renew the title in November. We earn little from tournaments and licenses.

– Do you like the new Davis model?

–Okay, but we miss a bit that the fans of each country can enjoy their teams. Maybe we could go to a mixed formula, with first rounds at home or away and a final phase with fewer teams.

–In Asturias there are few tournaments. Now we are trying to recover the Luanco Beach Tennis.

–It is a reference due to its special characteristics and from Hispaniola we will help in everything we can so that it returns next year. The new board of directors of the Asturian Federation, with Fernando at the helm, has entered with great desire to promote activities and I believe that it will achieve it, to give continuity to the long stage of the late Manolo Galé, an admirable person. I also see a great future for the quarry in Asturias because very young girls are starting to come out, like Eugenia Menéndez and Paola Piñera, who have just won the “Master Rafa Nadal Tour” under-14. I hope that their evolution allows them to reach the top in the world of tennis.

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