He concluded 2017 stationed at No. 100 in the world, establishing himself as the first Chilean to reside among the year-end top 100 since Fernando Gonzalez in 2010, rising no less than 300 spots from his status at the end of 2016. He made it to the finals of five Challenger tournaments in 2017, winning three titles, gaining demonstrable confidence in the process. He realized that he was just beginning to tap into his potential, to find his bearings as a tennis player, to set himself up for a very productive season in 2018.
But Nicolas Jarry has commenced his campaign this year even more dynamically than he might have imagined. A remarkable three-tournament swing on clay allowed this quietly dignified competitor to persuasively showcase his gifts. At the Ecuador Open in Quito—an ATP 250 level event—he was a quarterfinalist in singles and victorious in the doubles alongside Hans Podlipnik-Castillo. On he went to the Rio Open in Rio de Janeiro for a journey to the penultimate round of that ATP 500 tournament, toppling Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Pablo Cuevas before losing to the unrelenting Diego Schwartzman. And then, at the Brazil Open in São Paulo, Jarry garnered a place in his first ATP tour final, cutting down Ramos-Vinolas again, ousting the southpaw Horacio Zeballos, falling 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 against the enigmatic yet wily Fabio Fognini.
That stirring run carried Jarry all the way up to No. 61 in the world, although he now stands slightly lower at No. 65. I spoke with him on the telephone a few days after São Paulo. He was back in Chile, and looking forward to competing at the Miami Open. Jarry was delighted by what he accomplished during his recent surge.
He explains, “I had a solid base from what I did last year. A few years ago, I played some ATP events and I didn’t do well because I was very nervous and immature. But I knew from what I had done in training and practice sets against a lot of players that I could beat these guys. I just had never done it. It took time. In that win I had over Garcia-Lopez in Rio, I was just trying to do what I have done on the practice court in competition, where the real nerves are. He has been in the Top 25 so it was nice to beat a great guy in a tournament when it counts.”