Welcome to the Functional Tennis Podcast. I'm your host, Fabio Molle and I bring you insights and lessons from players, coaches, parents and experts who are ingrained in the world of high level tennis. Today's high level player is Argentine 24 year old and current ATP number 61, Francisco K. Francisco has had a steady rise up the rankings since his first futures at 15 and recently he's had some big wins. Beaten Zerev, Hubert, Rublev and more. He discusses what change assisted him in breaking into the top hundred. Also making the third round of Wimbledon at his first ever slam and only his second time playing on grass. He discussed his coach playing tennis in Argentina as a young junior. And I had to begin the chat talking about the cigarette changeover controversy from a few weeks back. Before we start a shout out to our podcast partners asics. Recently they teamed up with lifestyle brand APC for an exclusive collection for the clay court season. I'm lucky to have a few of the pieces. Absolutely love it. We also gave away a pair of ASICs x APC resolution x recently. Everybody wanted them. Check out the collection@asics.com okay, here's Francisco. Francisco, welcome to the Functional Tennis Podcast. How are you?

I'm very good, thank you. Oh, very happy to be here.

Oh, great. You say you're in Portugal challenger this week?

Yes, I'm going to play 125 challenger this week. Oiras, Portugal. Yes.

Nice, nice. And I want to start this conversation off, but you probably know what I'm going to say, but the famous cigarette video. Tell me what went through your mind. You're obviously a smoker. Tell me all about it.

No, no, of course I didn't smoke. I don't know why people are saying that, that I smoke, that I asked for a chair and fire for a light. Nothing happened. I was just taking a salt pill. People was, was saying that I was smoking during the match, but I didn't.

You know, tennis needs some bad boys. I thought you were the man. I thought you were bringing back like those 70 vibes.

No, no, I'm very healthy. Of course I'm very healthy.

You know, those 70s South American, you know, badass vibes. I thought, this guy has landed. But no, that's interesting. You've had, you know, you're 25 now. Your progression has been quite steady, which is sometimes we get carried away when we see the sinners and the alcaraz where they break through at 18, 19. But that only happens very rare.

Now he's going Fonsega.

Now Fonseca. Yeah. But you might get one every two years, one every three years. It's so rare. You know, you've had good progression. You're now in the top hundred. You get into better tournaments. What changed in your game, do you feel, to allow you to break into the top hundred?

Yeah, two years ago, I changed. My coach now is Sebastian Gues. I'm sharing the coach with Baez. Do you know that?

I know now.

Ah, okay, okay. We are, we are, we are sharing the, the coach, he helps me a lot with my confidence. I improve a lot. My game in my, my forehand, my backhand serve. The most important thing was that I started to believe in myself, that I can won big, big matches, play big tournaments. That's my dream.

Like, obviously you've beaten Rublev, Humber, Jared Zerev. They're all serious names. Like, and you were probably, you know, you were close to 100. Just outside or just inside beaten those. But how has a coach given you belief? What does he say to you to make. Allow you to believe?

I think it's because I have all the hard work that I have done in the past two years. I know. I feel like I'm ready to, to play big matches. And of course, when you are close to the match, you start to feel nerves. That's why Guti said to me that I had to believe in myself because I work very hard to be, to be here.

So the belief comes from the hard work you put in?

Yes, many, many, many hours.

Yeah, I'm sure thousands and thousands, tens of thousands. If you go back to the early days, and let's go back to the early days in Argentina, we rarely know what it's like for, you know, we hear all these European juniors, American juniors, maybe Australian, but I've never really heard much about South America and Argentinian junior growing up. What's it like being a young tennis player in Argentina?

It was difficult to me. I didn't receive much help with money. I was trying to in the beginning. When I, When I started playing Futures, I was traveling all alone because I couldn't pay for a, For a coach. But you are talking younger, Even younger.

Yeah, we'll get to the future. Even younger. Like what. What's the tennis system like in Argentina for juniors?

Very difficult for us because we are very far away from, from Europe. The European guys I know they started competing internationally when they are 11. They have very big tournaments, very big sponsors. We don't have much sponsors there in Argentina, so it's more difficult for us. That's why we don't have like, people like senior. Alcaraz Fonseca is one of the best South American young guys. But when you, you see a South American break into the top 100, it's after the 20 years, 21, 22, 23 is more difficult to, to us, I think it's because we are very far away and we don't have a much money.

That is a good point you make. You guys do break through. You're great players, but you break through a few years later. That's, that's actually interesting. Hadn't thought you'd have Del Potro.

Yeah, we had, we had.

Now your fun stage. It's not so bad. There's something working down there. Who did you look up to as a young player? Who was your hero?

I remember watching Guichermo Goria, Davin Nalbandian. They were amazing. They play very, very easy. Dennis.

Yeah. Now Bandian as well. Like, I think the list is pretty big for Argentinian tennis.

Yeah.

So you have a lot of inspiration from those guys, which helps as well.

Yes. Under Potro, of course, Sharma in the, in the last years.

And you had Gabrielle Sabatini. She was Argentinian. Was she?

She was Argentinian, yeah. And then.

Yeah, there's plenty there. So it was more difficult for you when you start playing, obviously. When did you start playing futures?

Actually, I got my first ADP point when I was 17 in Argentina and I started playing the futures when I was 15.

And education wise, were you in school at this stage or did you stop going to school?

Oh, I, I didn't finish school. I started to study online when I was 13 and I was trying to practice twice a day. I was, I was very, very young. I know. And then it was difficult to me because I moved. I'm from Mara Plata, I was living there and then I moved to Buenos Aires when I was 16 and it was very difficult to me because I, I didn't have a teacher or something like that. It was very difficult for me to study because I was, I was alone and I was very young, so I didn't finish school. It's something that I have to finish once in my, in my life.

Do you think you finish it?

No, I don't know. I don't know. Now probably when I retire from tennis.

Let's see how the tennis goes. Let's see. You don't have to make that decision yet. But like what. How many years futures did you play before you were regular in the Challenger Tour?

The last future that I played was.

2023, five, six years of futures.

Yes.

Two years of challengers before you get a master row.

Yeah, I played five years Futures, but I was mixing a challenger and Future. The on 2021, 2022 and 2023. Yeah. Five years futures. And in 2021 I started to play some challengers.

Okay. And slowly the beliefs start coming up. What's for you is the difference between a Futures player and a challenger player?

I was talking about, about that with my coach, with Sebastian Dela. Three days ago we were in Monte Carlo practicing. The course were perfect. We had, we had new balls. Everything looks very, very good. I was thinking, oh my God, when we were playing futures, the courts are not the best. You don't have new balls. It is very difficult to, to pass the future. It's very difficult.

But okay, they're excuses. When you're a Futures player, the courts aren't good enough. It's too windy. They don't give me balls. They're excuses. But what allows you as a player or what allows a player to break through the Futures level? Why did you break through and why is there some guy stuck at 9, 8, 700 and just can't get through? Is the amount of work they've put in. Is it working with the right people? If there's one thing that stands out to you that you've seen, okay, all these guys have broken true futures. What's the common denominator?

Sometimes it's because you are very talented and you, you pass the level. Very easy for me was difficult because I was 700 in the world and I was. I don't know if I will, if I'm ready to, to pass the level. I think I did, I did a mental change and I started to work very, very hard. But I think it was more the mental change.

Okay, so you started working harder though. So you obviously weren't working hard enough. You saw what the top guys were working. You're like, I need to work harder here.

Harder.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Look, it's really interesting because I'm sure there's players out there who work really hard and still can't break through.

Yeah, I see a lot of players that they are in the top 800, 700. I see them and I said, oh my God, they played very good, but I don't know what happened to them. Why, why they, they cannot pass that level.

Do you have more fire than them? Is it just the engine? The fire burns more for you? It could be things like that. Did you ever think of quitting during those Years playing Futures?

No, but I remember when it was 15, once I thought to quit the sport. But I. I can leave this sport. I love it. Since I started playing tennis, for me, always, I wanted to play Grand Slams, to play in front of a lot of people. Now I'm here because I think I. I passed that level when I was 15.

Were your parents involved in your tennis? What sort of involvement? Have they taken part in your progression?

Oh, they always give me everything. It was difficult for them because it's very expensive. It's a very expensive sport. I didn't have the support with money. So, yeah, they want me to be happy. They don't want me to suffer into the court, but they know that I love this sport, and I wanted to do everything that I could.

What was it like stepping out into your first Slam at Wimbledon?

Yeah, that was difficult. I remember when I was. I was stretching, preparing for a practice. You could see in the. On the TVs, they were. They were doing the draw, the main draw. So I started to watch when I saw Rublev. Then it comes when I say, oh, I'm going to play ruble. So I'm going to play in a big court in grass. It was my second tournament in grass. The first one was the week before. That was my first time that I play on grass. I never play on grass until that moment. It was very challenging. I talked with Guti, and he said that I have to be focused on day by day, not to think in the future, just day by day. Of course, when they called the match, I felt very calm. I didn't feel nervous in that moment. I was enjoying every time, every practice, even the. The walk into the court. It was very. It was an amazing match. I remember that.

Yeah, you must be. You. You beat Rube Lev, so you must have been. You handled the situation quite well. You must be like, I am made for this. I am made. What court were you on?

Two. Number two.

Okay, good court. That's a nice court. And so you. You take down Rublev. This is like, oh, my God. Then you've Adam Walton in the next round. Adam's top hundred player. I'm not sure if he's ranking now, but he would have played a lot on grass, I'm sure. Come from Australia.

Yeah. But it was a good opportunity for both of us.

Yeah, probably. Yeah, definitely.

We were the lower ranking in that draw, both of us.

It's like when you get another qualifier in the draw, you're like, you know, it's an opportunity for somebody. So you you take down Walton, you must be feeling great at this stage. You're like, I. Where was grass been all my life?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And now I'm waiting for grass.

Yeah. And so Musetti, how was that then?

Yeah, I remember I, I had one set point to be choose sets to one up, but I missed the, the return. And then he started to play better. But I remember we suspended the match two or three times because of the rain. It was difficult. I started to feel very tired after the second time we stopped playing. I thought that Musetti was a very funny match because he used to slice a lot, and me too. It was a funny match.

It's a good m. Okay, well, look, it was a great start to grass. Since then, you've beaten. I said uber, Jerry. Like, what was it like? Be in Zerev and Rio this year.

Wow. I was, I was nervous in the beginning of that match, but then I started to feel that I, I can play, that I can serve and try to, to drop the, to do some drop shots, to go to the net because he, he plays like very in the back of the court. I was lucky, I have to say, because he was for 41 up in the third. When you are 41 down with Swearer, you, you, you don't have many chances to win that match. But I remember he served four three new balls. And I played an amazing game. And then I was like, okay, I can win this.

And you did.

I did.

And what a run to the semi finals. Then. What was the crowd like? Like South America, obviously. The crowds are really intense and fiery and it's. I've never been, Sorry, I've been there, but I've never been at a tournament there. It must be like, you know, a South American plane.

Well, yeah, of course I wanted to do that result in Argentina because it's. We all want to play good in Argentina. It was in Brazil. It was close to Argentina. Of course, the South American crowd is, Is one of the best. So I enjoyed a lot the, the crowd in that tournament. But I, I remember that I played in first round with Hayde. He's from Brazil, and nobody was cheering for me, so it was kind of difficult. That much.

Yeah, I'm sure it is. When, when they're fighting again, when they're cheering again, I can only imagine. But from, from playing all, from beating all these great players, what's the one lesson you've learned?

That I'm ready. That I'm ready to, to play big matches, to be into the top 30. I don't know, I would like to be into the top 30 to top 20. So that helps me with the. With my confidence.

What's the goal for 20, 25 once the season ends? What would make you happy this year? If you. What's your target? That you could say, okay, I've had year. So if I check in with you in December and you. You can say, okay, well, this, what Francisco said. He did it. Good job, Francisco. What's. What would make you happy A realistic target for you?

Okay, first I want to. To improve as a person. Then, then tennis. First, I, I want to prove as a. As a person. Then, of course, I'm, I'm enjoying every, Every tournament this year. I'm working very hard. Let's see what's. What's happened. But of course, if I have to put some goals, it will be maybe second week of some Grand Slams. Let's see if I can finish the year into the top 40.

Second week of a slam and a few good tournaments. You're not far off there. Yeah, okay, I. I will. I'll check in later in the year. Maybe in a few weeks. I'll be checking in French Open. But just a few more questions. Who's the boss? You are. Guto.

No, he's the boss. He's the boss. Of course he's the boss.

Okay, I have to check. I have to check that. Would you rather win a slam or be world number one?

Wow. Tough question. Sometimes I say be number one. Sometimes I say win a Grand Slam, but I have to pick now. I would say to be number one.

Okay, so Marcelo Rios.

Yeah. Yeah, it will be Marcelo.

Yeah, that's good. And if you could change one thing in tennis, what would it be?

Nothing. I would. I would say nothing.

You're happy with tennis?

Yeah, I'm very happy. I. I can say we can play with one serve, but the serve gives me a lot of points, so. Not the serve, probably the net. If her serve hit the. Hit the. Yeah, the lead.

That's it. It's good in junior tennis. I. I quite like it in junior tennis. I think it's good. And it speeds up the game as well. If. If you weren't a tennis player, what would you be doing?

Yeah, probably football player. I used to play football before Jenny.

Yeah. Argentina has some good tennis players. Or some football players.

Football players.

Yeah, some great ones. If you could steal one shot from any player to add to your game, what would it be? Whose shot would you steal?

I really like Alcaraz drop shot. And then I. I remember the Nalbanian's backhand.

You can only have one there. Don't get greedy.

Okay, okay, okay. Albanian's backhand and the Bodro's forehand.

No, Come on, come on. That's impossible. Impossible. No. You know what, Francisco? I don't think we've ever posted one of your videos on functional tennis. Do you know that? No, I. I don't think. I don't think so, no. Which is quite straight. You know, normally we get. We try and get everybody. I can't see any, so that has to change. So I'm gonna check.

I'm gonna. Okay, okay. I'm gonna. I'm gonna see if I have some videos in my. In my phone, and I will. Yeah, I will send them.

Yeah, some pr. I'll send you a link. So, yeah, we get some up there. But thanks a lot. Enjoyed chatting to you and best of luck in Portugal and the clay court swing coming up. I will see you in Roland Garos.

Okay, See you in Roland Garos and then Wimbledon.

Yes. Yeah, of course. Of course. You've points to defend now. Come on. Yeah.