MORE LIONHEARTED THAN EVER

A few years back and we are in Montréal in 2005 when I met this nice fellow, Lloyd. If I recall correctly, was during the first day of the Black Knight tournament that was held at the unconventional CEPSUM facilities.

I was waiting for my match when Lloyd introduced himself and asked me if I wanted to warm up with him. I’ve spotted his quality right from the start: Great mobility, a wide array of shots, mixing angles and pace. Honestly speaking, a true marvel.

Years went by and our friendship grew and after a couple of rocky years for my good friend’s health, we partnered in a doubles team for the Fall Doubles League that Tennis Montréal puts together every year at Parc Jarry. Four groups of five teams are set after a qualifying phase into the actual competition. At the very end the four best teams of each group battle each other in the semifinals and eventually the winners go for the trophy.

After missing the tournament for seven straight years, I decided it was time to give it a try. My buddy Oussama Azizi was delayed on his trip in Turkey, when Lloyd told me he was available and willing for the quest.

Trouble showed up very fast, as I got an awful cold thanks to pushing too hard in my singles match in another tourney the weekend prior to the doubles league. Lloyd replaced me with Shiho Sumitomo, a gifted player with great mobility and beautiful strokes. The debut could not be more difficult, as the draw made them play with the top team in the third group. Despite a great effort, the match went to the other pair.

I was back for the following match, but despite having the situation under control for most of it, we lost in 3 sets, with two tie-breaks sealing our chances for the night. Same situation came in the following matches, until bad luck stroke again. While sprinting one morning, I pulled a muscle on my leg and that was it for me. I was able to go to the last match, but thank God we got a forfeited victory as our opponents never showed up. That single victory gave us the air we needed to keep our place in the group, but my participation was seriously in doubt.

Lloyd and I are very pragmatic and we moved on quickly, Oussama was back in town and took my place for the first match until I got the chance to get examined by my physio. Another lost match and the worst news: I had to take time off courts for a couple of months.

Jimmy Panoutsopoulos helped Lloyd to get the first victory and against a very good team, actually those guys ended the season in the first place with only one defeat in 3 tight sets. These warriors gave 110% to get the needed win. A most welcomed outcome.

By now Lloyd could start dreaming to qualify to the semis, but following a defeat in their next match put the feat back in the danger zone. By then, 4 weeks since my injury, I was feeling much better and decided together with Lloyd the chance to go back and try it once more. The match was a true war of attrition and the win was sealed by a missed forehand volley that died at the net. The monstrosity of the tie-break once again, but this time around… it worked in our favor.

Last match was all or nothing for us, as our contenders for the fourth place lost in straight sets and we were able to cling the second set in our favor to secure the golden spot for just… one miraculous point!! We had to wait a couple of days to get the confirmation that we were in the semifinals. What a relief.

The best was yet to come…

I believe the semifinal is the most difficult match of them all. Still a good result, the looser does not get much of a personal recognition, as there are no trophy to backup what could have been a brilliant performance to get there. Our semifinal match, against the number one team was absolutely perfect, despite a slow start, we got back on track in the right moment and forced a tie-break that we won with authority and sealed the pass to the final with a strong 6-1. Our finest moment in the game.

The final was extremely well played by the four of us. Great exchanges, volleys, passing shots, services and returns were flying all over the place. Lloyd was absolutely on fire. We missed a couple of chances to get ahead and we ended up paying the price of losing the first set by 6-3. We were hit but not finished as we fought back to push a tie-break… another one… 3-5 shy of two points of the second spot for our rivals and all the magic started to unravel… Lloyd was flying all over the court, hitting overheads and deep volleys, myself… I was punishing from the back with heavy top spin and deep lobs that got us some good points. We won 4 points in a row and forced the definitive tie-break of the third set to prevail 8-6!!  At one point Lloyd “Lionheart” Mangahas went to the floor to save a point and turn tables close to the end. What a performance… Lloyd not only showed guts but also a steal cold mentality to put pressure on the other team at the right time. Kudos to him! His first win and I was able to share and savor the moment with my two good friends… as Oussama, who was instrumental in a number of training sessions in the prior weeks, was our main supporter throughout the entire match. Big thanks to such great friend.

 

Balance of the Year 2012… I’m back baby!!!

What a year this was. Got back to tennis, got the chance to hit regularly with a great bunch at Carleton University, in Ottawa. There, under Javier Ruano directives, I was able to rebuild part of my game and got enough confidence to try some senior tournaments on the second half of the year.

Lost a 3 sets match in my opening game at Côte Saint-Luc +40s with my good friend Shariff Cabarcas 7-5 in the third. Got good vibes thru the match and took notes on stuff to keep improving. Shariff was a top ten player; and going down in 3 sets after 150 plus minutes, under a scorching heat was not bad at all.

The experience in the Nationals was also positive, lost to Stéphane Chartrand (4^th in QC) 6-4 7-6 on the hard courts at Parc Jarry by just a couple of mistakes here and there. Showed some progress on the serve and also better mobility which was encouraging.

My first win came in the last tournament at CDL, was about to forfeit due to a persistent cold, but was able to pull some magic after losing the first set. Being able to show that fire and produce such comeback was an amazing feeling. Too bad I wasn’t fit enough to try to take Felipe Heck in the quarters, maybe next time!

In doubles, I started playing in the vets with my good friend Mauricio Castro, a top ranked player from Chili that is an even better human being. We got fun so far… no wins, but I’m sure they will come in the future. I wish him a full recovery from his injuries and that he comes back stronger than ever before.

The win with Lloyd at the Fall League was truly special, as I’ve pointed out. Could not ask for more for 2012… or could I?

Well, true is I got the best tennis day of my life back in April when I got the chance to sit for a couple of hours with Guillermo Vilas to talk about tennis and life. Thanks to my friend Guillermo “Sir William” Stamponi who made the connection possible once more. Talking to Vilas is always special for me and still inspires me with his work ethics, his simplicity and his intelligence. That meeting fired me up in a way I cannot describe in words. So big thanks Guillermo once more, the true Gaucho de Hierro.

What is ahead…?

Started working with Maher Diab on the courts here at CDL. Our long friendship makes working with him a lot of fun, but thanks to his professionalism, and deep understanding of tennis, I’m confident we are going to achieve great things together. We have the same work ethics, we are from the same generation and we understand each other amazingly. I have a great deal of admiration towards him. Maher is the ultimate gladiator.

Éric Laily is the physio in Montréal that is helping me with the training on the improvement of stamina, and overall physical performance. A nice bloke that is extremely accurate and super professional. A great discovery in 2012. 

During the holidays season I’m training in Argentina, where? At the Vilas Club in Buenos Aires. A fantastic venue that I recommend to anyone that wants to visit the far corner of the continent.

Federico Melo is playing the part as main coach which is great as he has a lot of competition experience and despite his youth, a great pro, easy to understand and with a keen eye on the things to improve. I also have great tips and advice from Alejandro “Fuchi” Fusilier who by the way, has organized the whole Vilas Club experience for me. Also, Marcelo Costa, my long time coach since the tender age of 15, has been an invaluable help these past few days. And of course the inspiring presence of Guillermo Vilas himself. Watching him training under the heat of the sun with temperatures that can fry an egg on the asphalt is something that is worth watching, and believe me when I say this; it gets under your skin.

 

I'm not exagerating when I say that all this people I've just mentioned are the real Dream Team. So 2013 looks promising, a great season of tennis with great old friends and I’m sure great new friends to meet and share the passion for this sport and way of life.

See you in the hunt.

 

Yours,

Iron Gaucho