A New Coach & Renewed Motivation: Delbonis' Resurgence

Federico Delbonis often describes himself as a ‘family man’. For a long time, the No. 51 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings has been used to having his wife Virginia by his side, along with his children, seven-year-old Celina, and Mateo, who is just two. The Argentine has always considered his family to be an essential presence in his ATP Tour career. After more than a decade on Tour, Delbonis happily combines his role as a tennis player with that of a father. There are frequent video calls, he helps out with all kinds of family activities and loves simply talking with his kids. At this stage of his life, these are moments that bring him immense joy.

But that’s not all that is making the Argentine happy these days. Four months from his 31st birthday, Delbonis is enjoying a resurgence on the court. After suffering from back problems early in the season, the lefty set about finding his game. He focused on recovering his physical strength and, above all, maintaining his capacity for hard work and dedication. His results on the clay swing speak for themselves. The Argentine has notched an impressive haul of victories from the nine ATP Tour events he has played so far on clay in 2021, winning 19 of his 28 tour-level matches on the surface.

The fruit of these results is evident. Delbonis is back in the Top 50 after a four-year absence thanks to the best streak of his career. The Argentine made his quarter-final debut in an ATP Masters 1000 and in Paris he will be playing in the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time.

A change of direction in 2021 included some significant career decisions. In March, Delbonis decided to end his professional relationship with Gustavo Tavernini. The decision meant saying goodbye to his first coach and the man who first put a racquet in his hands at the Club de Remo in Azul, 300 kilometres from Buenos Aires.

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Early in his career, Delbonis lived just five minutes away from his coach. Tavernini was like a second father to him, making this a difficult decision. However, in his own words, Delbonis needed a “new outlook” and since March he has been working with former doubles World No. 20, Mariano Hood, better known as ‘El Niño’.

"He’s given me more drive. You need that when you get older. I’m really happy. My hope is to keep believing in myself and that the daily work will bring results,” Delbonis said.

“When we started working together, we set out goals and dreams that we wanted to achieve. One of them was reaching the second week of a Grand Slam and to go far in an ATP Masters 1000,” Hood told ATPTour.com. “He did that in Rome and at Roland Garros, we’re in the fourth round. We have to keep working hard. He deserves what he’s achieved and he’s really excited.”

What has been the most positive part of working with a player as driven as Delbonis?

“He’s a player with a lot of experience on Tour, but he still wants to learn, and he’s ambitious in training. He always gives 100 per cent. Off court, he’s a very relaxed person. We talk about things other than tennis, we drink mate and our relationship is very good,” Hood said. “Our daily work prioritises his return to fitness. We need him in perfect shape. He has to stay strong, fast and agile. We have to improve things on court. We all love this sport and enjoy it, regardless of the results.”

Particular importance is placed on the fact that he is left-handed. Delbonis is able to take the initiative in big points by punishing opponents with his crosscourt forehand, much like Rafael Nadal.

“I’ve been doing the same thing for a while now... There’s no new Federico. I train the same as I always have, my nutrition is the same, there’s no magic formula,” Delbonis said, cracking a laugh. “I’m more mature, but I’ve always given my all throughout my career. I’ve accepted the results, good and bad, without getting overly excited. Now, what I want is to keep improving.”

How far can Delbonis go? “Federico used to have good weeks, but it was sporadic. Now he’s able to produce that much more frequently,” Delbonis said of himself, speaking in the third person. “I’ll keep playing for as long as I feel competitive. I like tennis and travelling. I miss my loved ones, but I enjoy travelling. I can imagine myself playing until 40, I’d like to have five or six more years of playing well. That depends on my fitness and my desire, though. Right now, I’m highly motivated and that is the biggest driving force.”

His immediate future is clearer. Before returning to the courts on Sunday to take on Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich in the fourth round at Roland Garros, Delbonis plans to take in plenty of tennis.

“I watched Federer yesterday on TV. I love watching tennis. When it’s a cloudy day I normally watch tennis, it doesn’t matter who’s playing,” Delbonis said. “I can’t imagine anything I’d rather do here.”