Pedro Cachin capped off a dream week on Sunday when he won his first ATP Tour title at the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad.
Following his triumph, the Argentine is poised to make his debut in the top 50 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings at No. 49 on Monday. The 28-year-old caught up with ATPTour.com to reflect on being crowned champion at the ATP 250 clay-court event.
Pedro, congratulations. What does it mean to win your first ATP Tour title?
It really means a lot. I fought all my life for this. I left home when I was very young to try to be a tennis player. I never imagined that I would win an ATP event. As you grow, you see that you are good and you can strive to win things, and between leaving home and today, a lot of things have happened – a lot of injuries, a lot of changes in my life. And here I am. I worked hard. I think I really deserve it and I’m very happy.
Could you take a moment to talk about the key people in your life, the people who helped you reach this important milestone?
There are many people who have helped me. Family is the most important thing, the most important thing, dear. So when it comes to tennis, one person helps you at different stages of your life, then another helps you. So I don’t want to take credit from anyone, because it’s very important from when you’re little to when you’re an adult.
I started playing tennis in Belle Ville, at the academy there, then I went to Villa Maria at another academy near Belle Ville. From there I went to Barcelona where I met Alex [Corretja] and he was my guide. But he wasn’t my only coach. There were many coaches in between who helped me so much and I learned from all of them. Sometimes it went well, sometimes it didn’t, but I learned and that, I think, is the most important thing when you go through the phases of your career and you see that you can reach the top of tennis.
You may also like: Cachin Captures Maiden Title In Gstaad
Alex is also the last player to win this tournament three times. They changed the trophy because he got to keep the trophy. What did he tell you about Gstaad before you came here?
I joined him in 2015 and I lost in the last round of qualifying here against [Horacio] Zeballos, I was very young and it was my first ATP experience and the track was so fast for me. I remember the qualifiers were played at another club. But I always felt good at altitude, so I think at the time when I played ATP I was very young. Despite having a ranking that meant I could play it, I wasn’t ready mentally.
So as time went by and I always saw Gstaad on TV, I knew I would come back at some point because I like altitude. I don’t love it, but I really like this height of 1000 meters. So I knew I wanted to come back for a tournament like this and Kitzbühel. This morning he messaged me and told me to keep trying until the end and he would be proud no matter what.
With today’s victory, you will also move into the Top 50 for the first time. Your career high was 54. What does it mean to be in the Top 50 now?
Well, it really means a lot. Last year I felt like I had unfinished business about being 54, but I couldn’t find anything bad about 2022 because everything was good. But you start playing in other tournaments, the tour starts to respect you a lot. When you don’t play tennis anymore, I also think it’s important to be able to say that you’re a former Top 50 player. Right now it means a lot of changes, both in terms of tournaments I can play, financial changes, everything, so I’m very happy.
You are playing some of your best tennis at 28. What are you doing better now compared to before? How does the experience fit into the important moments?
Your head. Totally your head. Consistency. Today was a reflection of that. I think there were difficult moments in the match. Above all, I was nervous at first. I had been playing very well all week and I got to Sunday and I started playing badly. It’s hard to accept it, but I said, ‘Look, it’s the final, you have to accept it and you have to carry on’. I think when I was very young I was unable to slow down and say, ‘Forget about what’s happened, it’s done’. So I think that mistakes and errors…
I have seen [Stan] Wawrinka and he have that phrase as a tattoo and I think it’s absolutely right. It gives you maturity. I got it at the age of 27, 28, I’m glad it happened at this age. If it didn’t happen before, it’s because I didn’t know. All I try to tell kids is dream big, work hard and surround yourself with people who want the same as you or more and to be patient.
You, Francisco Cerundolo and Tomas Martin Etcheverry are all having very strong seasons. How is it to watch Argentine tennis in such a good place at the moment?
Argentina has always been a country with excellent players, always regardless of the situation. Financially we are far away…so I came to live in Europe because I don’t think I would have been able to handle the traveling they do. I think it is very admirable what the Argentinians are doing. We try to fight for everything we can. Of course we also have talent and we are hard workers. So I think Argentina never lost it.
We were spoiled for choice [Juan Martin] Del Potro, [David] Nalbandian and [Guillermo] Coria. I think no country in the world had it. So the truth is that Argentina always gives something to talk about, and today, luckily, it’s up to me. We all do a good job.
What do you consider your biggest passion outside of tennis? What do you like to do with your time off the field?
Being at home with my dogs and my family. We travel a lot, so usually when I have to choose where to go on vacation, I don’t want to fly. So the same thing always happens, we say: ‘This year we are going to…’ another country. But, ‘No, thank you, no, let’s stay here’. And it always happens to me. So my biggest hobby is my dogs. Today I have one [with me] but we have another at home who could not come.
Are your two dogs alike?
No, it’s a poodle [at home]. A little cuddly one. And I enjoy them so much with my boyfriend and my sister. We live together and they are very loyal and I think that is the most important thing.
This is a very special moment in your career. You said your sister came here with your boyfriend by car from Barcelona. How will you celebrate?
In 30 minutes I have to leave [to Hamburg]. But that’s tennis. I think this is an important moment in my career, I have taken a big leap, I think I can take another big step. There will be plenty of time for the festivities. I’m in the middle of a trip. Of course, not being able to celebrate is not ideal, but we are used to that. So I, more than anyone else, need to understand that, but so do the people who are close to me. So we’re definitely going to do a lot of barbecuing and my whole family is coming to New York, so this is definitely going to change my life a lot.