Fernandez primed to continue journey of self-discovery at Paris 2024
By his own admission it has been a challenging period, but – pardoning the pun – making the podium at the Paralympic Games would prove something of a silver lining for Argentina's Gustavo Fernandez.
Fernandez has accomplished much during his distinguished career, including eight Grand Slam wins, making Latin American history by reaching world No. 1 in 2017 and winning seven Parapan American Games golds.
Despite these successes, a Paralympic medal is a notable omission from his career CV after failing to make a significant mark at either London 2012, Rio 2016 or Tokyo 2020.
The 30-year-old has not gone beyond the quarter-finals in either singles or doubles at any of the Paralympics he has contested. Paris 2024 and the clay courts of Roland Garros, where the Paris 2024 Paralympic Wheelchair Tennis Event is taking place, give him another shot.
Fernandez would of course welcome Paralympic glory but, looking through the prism of the last 12 months or so, it would be more from a self-development angle than anything results based.
“A Paralympic year is never that different because, for me, the Grand Slams are so special,” Fernandez told itftennis.com. “I have always dreamed of being a tennis player, so the Grand Slams are almost the same as the Paralympics.
“The thing with the Paralympics is that they happen once every four years so that exclusiveness puts more pressure to arrive well, perform as best you can and see if you can fight for medals.
“There have been so many things going on in my life in the last couple of years that I feel the Paralympics less at the moment, but they are around the corner and I am looking forward to them.
“That said, if I was to medal, that would probably be above everything else. But that would not be due to the result, more the process that got me there.
“If I put myself into the position of winning or medalling at the Paralympics it will be special because I will have come so far – it would be sweet. There are a lot of people around me helping with the process and they would enjoy it also.”
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Rio Tercero-born Fernandez, who is currently ranked No. 4 in the world, opted to miss the Australian swing earlier this year in order to prioritise his mental and physical wellbeing. Upon his return to the court, he made reference to ‘the darkest moments of anxiety’.
Indeed, the five-time Grand Slam singles champion – two came at Roland Garros while 10 of his last 11 title-wins have also come on clay – has also suggested that this year has been one of the most pivotal of his career, if not life.
Fernandez consistently returns to this depiction of a self-discovery journey he has been on. It is this which has seemingly enabled him to move on from the dark place to which he refers to a much sounder footing from where he can plot his future.
“For the moment, I am happy with the way I am playing, and I am happy with the way I am mentally and physically,” said Fernandez. “It is not an easy road I have been on, with what I had to deal with at the end of last year and the beginning of this.
“It is not an easy road every day, especially mentally. This thing comes and goes but I struggle every day and I try to be the best I can be every day and take one step forward every day.
“I am happy that I have perspective. It is good to win but it is only tennis and life goes on. This year has been challenging but also very positive in terms of self-development. I am really happy with the way I went through all the situations. It has made me stronger.
"The bigger the challenge, the bigger the opportunity to grow. This is the year I have grown the most, mentally and physically. I have also grown as a person, a grown up, a husband and a friend.
“In a lot of ways, even though I have had bad times, this has been a great year.”
Reading between the lines, a Paralympic medal would likely be symbolic for Fernandez this year, perhaps more than any other year.