Alejandro Tabilo: Tennis' most underrated versatile player?

WIMBLEDON—Authoring backhand drop shots, 120 MPH aces out wide and baseline winners on the back foot, Alejandro Tabilo flashed his vast repertoire on another soggy, cooler-than-average day at Wimbledon.

Matching the style, as it has for most of this year, was substance.

That being said, the smooth Chilean lefty with ties to Canada overcame a significant hurdle when he dispatched Britian’s Dan Evans, 6-2, 7-5, 6-3, in the completion of their first-round tussle. Tabilo won his first Grand Slam match of the season and first overall since the 2022 US Open.

“It’s been a while,” the 27-year-old told TENNIS.com. “Very, very happy to get the win, especially here, where it’s so beautiful. We get to keep playing. It’s very special, and special also beating a local. They play so well here.”

Evans owns a handful of professional titles on grass in Britain, aided by an often penetrating slice and effective net game that offset his dearth of devastating power. But even if this local wasn’t 100 percent after a slip at Queen’s Club last month damaged his right knee—the often sardonic 34-year-old said he was “really a spectator taking part” on Court 12—Tabilo still had to dig in. He saved all 10 break points faced, before and after a Tuesday postponement at 6-2, 3-3, due to poor light.

Thus continues Tabilo’s breakout—though not breakthrough—season.

Tabilo showed glimpses of his potential in 2022 on the South American Golden Swing, making the final in Cordoba as a qualifier, then the semifinals in the city where he now resides, Santiago. He faded thereafter—an arm injury contributed, as did adjusting to the tour’s rigorous schedule—before a meteoric rise from 85th to his current No. 19.

A final four showing in Rome generated headlines in Chile, especially since Davis Cup teammate Nicolas Jarry accompanied him (Jarry eventually lost to Alexander Zverev in the final). When Tabilo reached the final in Mallorca last weekend, he became the first South American since Guillermo Coria in 2004 to achieve finals on hard, clay and grass in a single season.

Being able to make it also to three finals in the same year, different surfaces, is crazy. Just shows a bit of how good my year has been. Alejandro Tabilo, to TENNIS.com

Overall, only eight other men’s players have done it in the last five years: Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev, Taylor Fritz, Matteo Berrettini, Roberto Bautista Agut and Cam Norrie. Not bad company.

Tabilo lifted trophies in Mallorca and Auckland in January, falling short at home in Santiago.

“It just gives me so much confidence knowing I can play well in all those surfaces,” said Tabilo. “Being able to make it also to three finals in the same year, different surfaces, is crazy. Just shows a bit of how good my year has been.”

But not one without its bumps.

Much was expected from Tabilo at Roland Garros given his performance in the Italian capital, but qualifier Zizou Bergs prevailed in the first round, in four sets. Few could have predicted it when Tabilo was cruising at 6-3, 5-2 (up two breaks) against the flashy Belgian.

He said a “huge headache” that dually affected his entire body rendered him largely powerless. Ibuprofen didn’t make things much better.

Scans in Chile after the event suggested it was “all good” although the issue resurfaced at Queen’s Club with a bang.

“I got even worse pain there,” said Tabilo, who overtook Jarry as the Chilean No. 1 this week. “Since then I haven’t felt anything. We’ve been trying to manage it a little bit better.”

Tabilo also changed coaches, leading to a stressful spell around the time he ended up winning the Aix-en-Provence Challenger ahead of Rome. He cut ties with Guillermo Gomez—who coached Tabilo and another Chilean, Tomas Barrios Vera, in tandem—and hired Horacio Matta.

Matta formerly worked with the likes of the two Chileans leading the way in the Open Era, Fernando Gonzalez and Nicolas Massu.

“It was very tough,” said Tabilo. “I don’t even know how I was able to do everything I did those two weeks. It was a very hard decision. “I feel like at this level, we kind of have to organize everything better, and Horacio has been helping me a lot now, being able to be there, just for me, every week, every day.

“I like how he works, I like how he is as a person, so it’s been good chemistry so far.”

Tabilo won’t have much time to savor Wednesday's meaningful victory. A backlog caused by rain means he plays fast rising Italian Flavio Cobolli, at a career high No. 48, on Thursday.

Cobolli overturned a break deficit in the third set to upend Tabilo in Madrid, and downed the grass-adept Rinky Hijikata in the first round at Wimbledon, as Tabilo noted.

“Hopefully I can get that win now (after) Madrid,” said Tabilo.