Jarry's Nomadic Life: A day's worth of packing for lifelong family memories!

ATP Tour

Nicolas Jarry is currently enjoying one of the best spells of his career on the ATP Tour. The 28-year-old is bidding for his maiden semi-final appearance at ATP Masters 1000 level at the Miami Open presented by Itau.

Ahead of his quarter-final clash with Daniil Medvedev, Jarry sat down with ATPTour.com to talk about his nomadic lifestyle. The No. 23 player in the PIF ATP Rankings can be found with a mountain of suitcases, particularly since he has been travelling with his wife Laura and their children, Juan and Santiago.

Which non-tennis related items are always essential when you are travelling?
I think I’d only say my phone. Mainly because of the apps I have, like meditation to work on breathing. But nothing else unrelated to tennis would be essential for me.

Since I’ve been with my family, I’m lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel with them, everything is fine. I try to disconnect from technology and material things to be with them and have fun.

Have you ever forgotten your phone?
Never. In fact, I don’t remember ever forgetting anything important when travelling.

Are you meticulous when packing your bags?
Yes. It started at the beginning of my career when I had to save money and not waste anything. I was very concerned about having the right amount of string for the number of weeks of the trips. Also the number of tennis shoes, and so on. You used to go on tour with just one suitcase and it had to be the right one for the number of days.

Nowadays, I can relax more when packing my suitcase because I know if I forget anything I can ask my sponsor for it or go and buy it, but at the same time, I’m not one of those people who packs too much.

What is it like travelling as a family on Tour?
It has many more positives than negatives. It’s so worth it. I take great strength from them, I can disconnect from tennis to be with them. That gives me more perspective. Having the opportunity to be with my children, to watch them grow and be with them is the most amazing thing. The love they give me is unconditional.

How long does it take you and your family to pack?
Quite a long time! Before each swing, we take at least five or six hours. At the end of the day, it’s a lot of suitcases, there are four of us. The kids need more things, a lot of organisation.

In general we take a whole day to pack. But when it’s a journey between tournaments, two or three hours is enough to pack. Doing it when the tour starts is very different to doing it when you’re already on tour because it requires a lot of logistics and time.

Do you have any crazy travel stories?
No, things happened to me more on my own as a junior. Going from a tournament in Holland to London, I wanted to go by train to save money. I think it was four trains. The first was late and we missed the second. And we didn’t make it to the last one, which was the longest, the one from France to London under the sea. We had to wait so long. A journey that should’ve been six hours became 24 hours and a headache!

What is your favourite city on tour?
The one I most enjoy at the moment is Barcelona because I’m very familiar with it. And I’ve always had time to go out and enjoy London.

You used to live in Miami. Is there a special place for you here?
Yes, I was here when I was 15, I lived and studied here. I was only here for a year, but whenever I come back, the city gives me very good memories. When I compete, there are so many Chileans and Latin Americans supporting me, so I really feel very comfortable.

Editor's note: This interview has been translated from ATPTour.com/es.

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