Five Things To Know About Pedro Cachin, Who Faces Novak Djokovic
Pedro Cachin will have biggest opportunity of his career on Monday when he steps on Centre Court at Wimbledon to face seven-time champion Novak Djokovic.
Will the Argentine shock the 22-time major titlist? Before their encounter, ATPTour.com looks at five things to know about the 28-year-old.
Cachin Comes From A Hard-Working Family
Cachin comes from a hard-working family. His father, Pedro Pablo, works in the commercial phone industry. His mother, Graciela, is a pediatrician who works three jobs — two in public hospitals and another consulting job. “She does it for the passion and love of helping people,” Cachin said.
The Argentine has a sister, Catalina, who is one year older. Catalina works in general medicine in Barcelona.
He Was Mentored By A Legend
Cachin began playing aged five in his hometown of Bell Ville, Argentina. He moved to nearby Villa Maria for six years to train at a tennis academy. But his biggest move came at the age of 19.
The Argentine moved to Barcelona by himself. There, he trained under the guidance of former World No. 2 Alex Corretja, whom he said “has always been like a father to me”.
“It was a different world. But, Alex helped me a lot and I trained with him and another coach for four years. He knows me in my lowest moments and with my greatest achievements,” Cachin said. “His impact on my career is immense. He taught me how to be a professional tennis player, from day one.”
Pedro Has Overcome Injuries
The Argentine enjoyed success at an early age, reaching his first two ATP Challenger Tour semi-finals in 2014 aged 19 before lifting a trophy at that level for the first time the following year aged 20.
In 2016, Cachin qualified for his first ATP Tour main draw in Barcelona. But during his match against Ivan Dodig, Cachin felt pain in his upper back, near his neck. The Argentine was later diagnosed with a stress fracture to a vertebrae, which set him back for months.
Upon his return, Cachin was still in pain and for the next few years he struggled to find a breakthrough. In 2019, he tore a ligament in his ankle, leading him to lose 10 consecutive matches to end his season.
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He Has Surged In The Past Year
In the first three days of April last year, Cachin was No. 228 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Ever since, he has been on the rise.
In July 2022 he cracked the Top 100 for the first time and reached a career-high World No. 54 in November. A big part of that surge came from his success on the ATP Challenger Tour, winning four titles and three finals at that level. Earlier this year, Cachin broke through at an ATP Masters 1000 event when he advanced to the fourth round in Madrid behind victories over stars including Francisco Cerundolo and Frances Tiafoe.
Catch Him At The Grill
If you don’t see Cachin on a tennis court, you can probably find him at a grill barbecuing. He has even had his Argentine friends from the ATP Tour over for a meal.
“I love food and gastronomy. I'm always making something. It began with my father. He loves having people over, at our home in Argentina, and preparing food for them and entertaining,” Cachin said. “I saw this when I was a child and I wanted to do the same. I cook and eat everything from exotic foods to Spanish food. It is exciting to me.”