Winning the bronze medal in doubles at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. That was the turning point, the moment when the balance tipped in favor of Juan Pablo Varillas. People already knew him, it's true, but after that achievement and with his two Challenger titles (in Campinas and Santo Domingo), they want him even more. Especially because, thanks to him, racquet sports have regained a place in the hearts of Peruvians.
At the end of August, he was ranked 399th in the ATP rankings; two months later he is already 155th. He climbed up and did it quickly, even defeating top 100 players on three occasions (Bolivian Hugo Dellien, Argentine Federico Delbonis, and Brazilian Thiago Monteiro). What changed? What happened? 'JuanPi' tells Depor.
"I feel that the improvement in these last three months has been thanks to mental work," says a convinced Juan Pablo, who became the first Peruvian in eleven years to win a Challenger in Campinas. "I started winning, trusting in my abilities, and learned to take risks. Sometimes I couldn't close tough matches because I didn't trust myself, and those are the moments that make or break each game," he adds.
Together with his team -composed of his coach of three years, Duilio Beretta, and his psychologist, Enrique Canaval, with whom he has been working since April- he faces a new challenge: the Guayaquil Challenger, an ATP tournament that awards 80 points to the champion. As the twelfth seed, he did not play the first round, so he will make his debut today against an old acquaintance: Brazilian Orlando Luz, whom he already beat in a double tiebreak last week in Lima.
"It's going to be a tough match. He plays very well and has a powerful serve," assures our top national racket: "But I'm calm, I've been performing well." After his participation in Guayaquil, where he seeks to become champion, Juan Pablo will travel to Uruguay to compete in the Montevideo Challenger. There, if nothing unexpected happens, he will finish his year.
After that, he will begin his training for the qualifying draw of the Australian Open, his first Grand Slam: "My goal this year was to qualify for the 'Qualy' of a major, and I have been able to fulfill it." A bright future awaits him, but before that, if he beats Luz and Mauricio Echazú wins his match, the two Peruvians would face each other tomorrow in Ecuador for the round of 16. How exciting would that be!
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