Juan Manuel Cerundolo is an Argentine professional tennis player who was born on November 15, 2001, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Born into a tennis-heavy family with Dad Alejandro playing professionally on his hay day, Juan Manuel started the sport at the age of just 3, and he also has a brother who plays professionally, Francisco Cerundolo.
Juan Manuel was in the perfect place for a youngster to develop, with him utilizing his parents’ tennis academy to hone his skills whilst competing on the junior circuits. He really made the most of the ITF tour during his first few years battling it out to become a pro, with the young Argentine gradually making inroads at that level.
This hard work paid off, with him soon being granted his main draw ATP debut. It came at the 2021 Cordoba Open, where he had to battle his way through qualifying to earn a spot against Thiago Seyboth Wild in the first round. His stellar performance did not stop there, with him winning round after round.
Coming up against Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the final, the Argentine came out on top, beating the Spaniard in three sets. By winning this tournament, Cerundolo became the lowest-ranked player to win an ATP tour title since 1990 (335), as well as the first player to win the title at his debut ATP event since 2004.
This win certainly opened more doors for the Argentine, but he still did make use of the Challenger tour to gain more experience and get more silverware on board. In 2022, he made his Grand Slam debut at the season-opening Australian Open, but he would have to wait until the 2023 US Open before he got his first win at said level.
Cerundolo is still looking for that major breakthrough that will thrust him up the rankings for good. There is no doubt, however, that he is capable of great things in the sport after proving his worth on that magical run in Cordoba.
