Navone unleashes his talent on the Caja Mágica

Corinne Dubreuil//ATP Tour

Mariano Navone’s breakthrough is one of the stories of 2024 and the Mutua Madrid Open looks like it may be the perfect stage for its next chapter. The Argentine, who is playing as a member of the world’s Top 50 for the first time this week, put on a show for the fans on the Caja Mágica clay, where he could consolidate his arrival among the best players on the ATP Tour. In the first ATP Masters 1000 event of his career, the excitement was palpable every time the South American struck the ball in anger. It was a dream debut.

The No. 41 in the PIF ATP Rankings continued his recent form on the Madrid clay, with a 7-5, 6-2 win over the Australian Alexei Popyrin that was one of the day’s highlights. Unperturbed by the altitude of the Spanish capital, the Argentine shook off a big-hitting opponent who has significant experience at this kind of tournament.

“It didn’t take me long to adapt,” said Navone, who reached the final in Bucharest last week. “I got here on Monday night, practised yesterday and today I went out to win. Yesterday, I started to feel more comfortable in the first practice session. That gave me peace of mind. I started to feel confident on court, I’ve just won some good matches and that gives you confidence. Today I managed to play good tennis against a great opponent, a guy who plays well and has been on this tour for some time”.

“It’s still my first time at a Masters 1000. I’ve played in qualies at the four Grand Slams but I’d never competed in these events. The tournament is crazy, we’re not used to this kind of tournament. Obviously, I’m happy to make the most of this chance and to have won my first ATP Masters 1000 match, which I think is amazing”.

“We’ve been working really hard, trying to do everything possible to be at the top of my game. It’s still my debut at a Masters 1000, where everything is new. I’d never even played in qualifying before. This year I’ve taken a lot of giant strides and accessed a main draw. I’m making the most of the opportunity in this great tournament, which I’m loving”.

Never has a truer word been spoken. Navone surprised everyone in February, reaching the final of the ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro as a qualifier. It was a monumental achievement, and he proved it was no fluke after crossing the ocean to Marrakech, where he reached semi-finals, before consolidating his run of form by reaching the final in Bucharest. With the exception of the Australian Open qualifiers, the Argentine has played his entire season on clay, a surface where it seems he is determined to leave his mark.

“We’re trying to find my best level possible,” he explained. “Before Roland Garros there are so many tournaments and important matches. I think it’s important to focus on the moment I’m having now, and on the level I arrived here at. I may or may not be a seed at Roland Garros, I still need a lot of wins. The time will come to think about that. On Friday there’s another match and I have to keep enjoying myself”.

“My team is key. I have great trust in what Andy [Dellattorre], my coach, tells me. He’s the one with experience in this, he knows more than I do. I trust what he tells me every day, I’m progressing. If he tells me I have to do something, we’re both pulling for the same thing. My fitness team is preparing me as well as possible so that I can play at this level. I’m still progressing in terms of fitness. Mentally, the final in Rio came very suddenly and enabled me to see I can play at that level. Then, in Marrakech I confirmed that I’m good enough to play with players ranked 40-70 in the world and I can compete in every match. That gave me peace of mind and I’m going into every match with that feeling”.

On his road to the top, Navone will now be rewarded with something special. In round two, the Argentine will face world No. 12 Holger Rune, one of the most exciting players on tour. He has never faced an opponent with such a high PIF ATP Ranking, but he is welcoming the challenge of his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with the Dane with open arms in the Spanish capital.

“It’s the first time I’m going to play a match against one of the biggest players on this tour,” pointed out Mariano. “As I always say, everything I’m doing, all the matches I’m playing, I’m enjoying them. The most important thing is always to enjoy it. It’s going to be a very tough match. We’ll prepare to try and beat him, to go out and compete toe-to-toe. It’ll be an amazing thing to enjoy because I’m sure it’ll be on a big court. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do since I was little”.