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Francisco Cerundolo said being able to compete well against Rafael Nadal convinced him that he has what it takes to compete well against any player on the Tour. Cerundolo didn't have much luck with his Wimbledon draw as he drew record 22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal in the first round.
Even though Cerundolo was the heavy underdog, he was able to deliver a good performance as Nadal needed four sets to overcome the Argentine 6-4 6-3 3-6 6-4. In his first tournament post-Wimbledon, Cerundolo made it all the way in Bastad to lift his first ATP title.
"That match helped me in many ways. Having played on the Centre Court of Wimbledon, a full stadium and playing against Rafa, being able to keep emotions and not be totally scared, helped me a lot to know that, if I could play a good match there, I can do it anywhere," Cerundolo told La Nacion, as quoted on Sportskeeda.
Cerundolo beat Sebastian Baez in the Bastad final
On Sunday, Cerundolo defeated fellow Argentine Baez in the Bastad 7-6 (4) 6-2. “It feels amazing," Cerundolo said after winning his first ATP title. "First of all, I want to congratulate Sebastian, not just for this week.
You’ve been playing amazing since last year. [Winning the title] means a lot. Since you are a child you imagine yourself playing in these events and finals. When I lost in Buenos Aires I was sad, because I was at home and I lost badly, but I learned a lot from that.
I used it today, and I think I played a great match, a great week”. En route to winning Bastad, Cerundolo won four matches in straight sets as only one of his five matches went in three sets. Now, Cerundolo is hoping to do well in Hamburg.
In the Hamburg first round, Cerundolo is set to take on Daniel Altmaier. It remains to be seen how far can Cerundolo go in Hamburg this week.