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The Tennis Talks of the Mifel Tennis Open by Telcel Oppo brought together players Stefanos Tsitsipas, Tommy Paul, Cameron Norrie, and Rodrigo Pacheco to discuss their careers and lives.
The first day of Mifel Tennis Open by Telcel Oppo it was marked by unforgettable moments, and one of them was the one experienced during this year’s edition of the Tennis Talks, a series of in-depth conversations with the protagonists of this event’s edition, in which they shared sports lessons with the entire audience.
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Cameron Norrie was the first to share his story of how he made the decision to move countries to pursue his dreams and the importance of going to university. “I used to play rugby at school, but I decided to commit to tennis, give it a chance, all my energy, and it was a big gamble for me, moving from New Zealand to fully dedicate myself to tennis. I wasn’t being very professional in London, I needed to mature, so it definitely shaped me, I think that was probably why I went to university, I wanted to have a normal lifestyle, attend classes,” shared the British player.”
Mexico present at the Tennis Talks
After the champion of the Los Cabos Tennis Open 2021, it was Rodrigo Pacheco’s turn, who decided to share his experience at the Roland Garros Junior with the audience, where he achieved the doubles championship this year. “I forget that I’m up in the junior rankings. Sometimes I think I’m just another player in the tournament, but then I realize that I can go for the title and I fight for it,” he commented.
On his part, Tommy Paul was asked how he feels about the pressure of being the American closest to the world number one in tennis, as he holds the ATP ranking of 14. “There are several of us, I don’t feel the weight too much, of course there’s pressure in North American tennis, but we’re in a good moment and a lot of people are excited. I enjoy playing for my country, the pressure from the fans is enjoyable. The pressure from the media, I think, is something that players create, I don’t feel it. Any athlete in any sport can feel it, but we’ve been doing this from such a young age that we were trained for it,” he responded.
Stefanos Tsitsipas closed the round in the best way
While each one shared their experiences in the sport and the reasons that allowed them to be in this position, the audience, especially children, questioned the athletes about the reasons they chose to pursue their dreams in a sports career like tennis, and Tsitsipas’ response excited everyone present.
“My main goal was to provide for my family. It was the first thing that came to my mind, to give them a better life. Of course, Grand Slams and being No. 1 are clichés that any player wants, but my vision is to make a life from tennis. I’m privileged to have to work hard, there are many people in the world, children suffering without food, without shelter. There’s no better feeling when you go to sleep than knowing you worked hard. I owe my life to tennis, it has made me a man,” shared the world number 5 with those present.
Furthermore, he concluded his participation by talking about his relationship with Spanish tennis player Paula Badosa, mentioning that she is the best thing that has happened to him, and that he even became a fan of Bad Bunny thanks to her.
What would you have liked to ask the players?
Sources: Los Cabos Tennis Open
