Evoking Nalbandian and del Potro, Francisco Comesana is the latest Argentine to embrace Wimbledon's lawns

WIMBLEDON—When he’s not playing tennis, Francisco Comesana catches plenty of matches. That includes last year’s classic Wimbledon final featuring Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.

“I woke up very early that day to watch them play,” Comesana tells TENNIS.com.

Comesana, 23, also enjoyed watching fellow Argentines Juan Martin del Potro and David Nalbandian while growing up on the coast in Mar del Plata. And he is now aligned with Nalbandian in one way—becoming the first Argentine man to reach the third round at Wimbledon on his debut since Nalbandian in 2002.

“It’s crazy this week,” Sebastian Gutierrez, the coach who oversees Comesana, says. “It’s so tough to play on grass for us, and he plays very, very good.”

Nalbandian would go all the way to the final 22 years ago, yet was already an established player — ranked 32nd and a title winner. Comesana entered Wimbledon at 122nd, so reaching the final would trump even the Cordoba native’s unexpected achievement.

But this is already Comesana’s big breakthrough, even if Queen’s Club finalist Lorenzo Musetti ends his career-altering stint at SW19 on Saturday.

Milestones he ticked off in upsetting Andrey Rublev in the first round included a maiden Grand Slam win, tour-level win, win on grass and win over a Top 20 foe. He then bested former University of Tennessee standout Adam Walton in his first five-setter in the second round.

“My team worked really hard with me, to not think I’m done with the tournament,” said Comesana. “I’m not just here to beat Andrey.”

Comesana is set to return to the Top 100, too; he’s currently at No. 100 exactly in the live rankings. Topping Musetti would see his ranking jump to around 82nd, all but ensuring a spot in the US Open main draw for the first time.

And it all comes after the disappointment of missing out on Roland Garros qualifying, having sustained a calf injury while competing at a Challenger in Austria against veteran Lucas Pouille (who is also into the third round at Wimbledon). He had lost all three of his matches upon his return, including his grass-court bow in Eastbourne qualifying ahead of Wimbledon.

“I am enjoying this time here,” said Comesana. “I always felt the dream of playing here. I’m enjoying grass, the crowd. Everything here is perfect. I want to try to win another match.”

The bandana-toting del Potro wasn’t averse to a dive or two on the lawns. Comesana has followed suit when required this week, and avoided the fate of Aslan Karatsev and Hubert Hurkacz, who suffered knee injuries after their airborne acrobatics against Karen Khachanov and Arthur Fils, respectively.

Watching Comesana, one would never think he only just started to play on grass. He is not shy to finish at the net—venturing forward more than 80 times so far—seems stable in his movement on the surface, and can chip returns. The way he hits his backhand slice suggests Comesana was born with the shot.

“Yes, I’ve been doing it since I was very, very, very young,” smiled Comesana, who additionally has struck 40 aces.

Comesana’s compatriot, Facundo Diaz Acosta, indeed said the ingredients are there for his friend and fellow 23-year-old to thrive on grass.

“He has really good skills maybe on grass, with the slice, drop shots. He serves with slice and can put the ball in the exact place,” Diaz Acosta, working his way back from a shoulder injury, told TENNIS.com. “He is really good at that.”

Diaz Acosta’s own grass-court preparations saw the lefty practice at the Hurlingham Club in Buenos Aires, which features Argentina’s lone grass courts.

He and the rest of the young men’s generation from Argentina figure to get their share of grass victories in the coming years—Francisco Cerundolo already owns a grass-court title.

Like his countrymen, Comesana, whose parents are in the clothing industry, struggled to finance his early days. He is now sure to pocket $180,000 by making the third round for the biggest payday of his career.

Comesana, though, came close to exiting against Walton on a blustery Thursday. Relinquishing a 4-2 lead to the Australian in the fifth set, a moment of reflection ahead of the fifth-set tiebreak perhaps helped see him through.

“Before the match tiebreak, I just said to myself, ‘Enjoy the last, maybe, moment here in Wimbledon,’” said Comesana. “I’m so proud I took the win.”