Tomas Martin Etcheverry won't let labels define him—or limit his potential

Tomas Martin Etcheverry doesn’t need your labels.

Don’t call Argentina’s No. 3-ranked player a clay-courter: As much as he enjoys the dirt, the 25-year-old has been thriving on hard courts too as he embraces the travel grind that has worn down many South American players before him.

“I think I’ve always been quite different from other players,” Etcheverry tells Tennis.com in Spanish. “I've always enjoyed being on the road.”

Bursting onto the scene last year, Etcheverry is a part of the latest wave of Argentine players taking aim at the top of the rankings. Thanks in part to a series of Challenger events launched by “el Pulga” (“the Flea”) Horacio de la Peña, promising Argentines have more opportunities than ever to make that climb—and the country now seems to have become an incubator for young tennis talent.

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There are six Argentine players in the ATP’s Top 100, with eight more inside the Top 200 also poised to strike. Etcheverry currently sits behind countrymen Sebastian Baez and Francisco Cerundolo at No. 37, a few spots from the career-high No. 27 he achieved this year.

They’re following in the footsteps of La Legión, the collective label for greats Guillermo Coria, David Nalbandian, Gaston Gaudio, Juan Ignacio Chela, Juan Martin del Potro and more who made waves in the early 2000s.

But this new Legión of players is trying to do things differently. According to Etcheverry, this “very nice group of guys” is more likely to share practice courts and PlayStations than the screaming rows that marred the previous ‘golden’ generation from Argentina.

“We all get along great. We don’t have a…. Well. Let me say it like this: We have a very healthy rivalry,” Etcheverry says. “We push each other of course, but we’re not out here killing each other or doing shady things behind each others’ backs.

“Plus, I think we all know in the long term that it’s good if things are going well for any one of us. That helps the rest of us believe that we could get there too.”

Ahead of the Asian Swing, Tennis.com caught up with Etcheverry as he opened up about his rise up the rankings, how he feels "at home anywhere" and why he’s not letting labels define him—or limit his potential.

Q. Last year we watched you rise up the rankings and reach the ATP Top 30. How would you describe this year, the follow-up to the breakthrough?

ETCHEVERRY: It’s going well. I’m coming back, and trying to get back into the Top 30 again because my ranking dropped a little bit when I wasn’t able to play. There were a few tournaments that I had to skip due to my injury, and that cost me a lot of points.

But I think I’m playing better and better every week, and I’m very confident that the path I’m on will bring me those big results that I need to keep rising.

Read More: Etcheverry, Cerundolo lead Argentina to Davis Cup Final 8 after tense win over Finland

Q. A lot of Argentine players get called “clay court specialists” early in their careers. What do you think when you hear this label in 2024?

ETCHEVERRY: I think that I’m proving it’s not the case! (laughs) The truth is that I really enjoy playing on hard courts. With every match I’m feeling better and more comfortable, and I actually enjoy the surface a lot. I’ve been playing well on hard courts all year, so it’s true—I’m proving every day that it’s just a myth that Argentines play well only on clay.

But no, also, you can’t be intimidated by it, because in order to play at the highest level you have to play well on any surface. I did pretty well on grass, and now I’m playing better and better on hard courts.

And well, of course clay is my favorite surface because I feel most comfortable on it and it’s what I’ve played on for most of my life. But even that is changing too!

Q. This part of the season is especially tough mentally for a lot of South American players— not just because of the surface, but due to the long travel stretch. How do you deal with distance, and what do you do to establish ‘home’ on the road?

ETCHEVERRY: I think I’ve always been quite different from other players. I’ve always really enjoyed being on the road, and being here—at the tournaments. I really enjoy the long trips and I really like coming to events and being in ‘competition mode’.

Being abroad for long periods of time has never been as hard for me as for the other players. I’m also very lucky because my partner (girlfriend Belen Raimondi) travels with me too, so it’s easy to feel at home anywhere.

Beyond that, of course any time that I come home I spend as much time as possible with my family soaking up all their affection… Last year I was only able to spend five weeks at home, but hopefully this year I can go a bit longer.

Q. At least you’re not alone on the road, with so many Argentine players in Top 100 spots right now! What do you make of this latest wave of young players leaving their mark on tour?

ETCHEVERRY: I think that we’re just pushing each other all the time. I know that back home they are expecting great things from us, but we’re still quite young—for many it’s only their first or second year on tour. So I think we need to keep pushing and stay patient in order to achieve those great things.

And why not shoot even higher? I can see us reaching the top, and I know that there are even more kids coming up behind us too.

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

Q. What’s your relationship like with the other Argentine players, like Baez and Cerundolo? Do you all spend time together off court, or is everyone off in their bubbles?

ETCHEVERRY: No bubbles at all, luckily this is a very nice group of guys. We’ve all known each other since we were kids and we’ve always supported each other.

The truth is we all get along great. We don’t have a…. Well. Let me say it like this: We have a very healthy rivalry. We push each other of course, but we’re not out here killing each other or doing shady things behind each others’ backs.

Plus, I think we all know in the long term that it’s good if things are going well for any one of us. That helps the rest of us believe that we could get there too.

Q. The old generation used to be called “La Legión” (“The Legion”)... If you could pick the name for your generation, what would you call yourselves?

ETCHEVERRY: Great question… I think it has to be La Legión 2! You already can’t get any better than that! (laughs)