By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday July 3, 2019
Former NCAA champion reflects on playing his first Wimbledon main draw and what his goals are for the rest of 2019.
Photo: Brad Hewitt /Getty
Former NCAA champion Marcos Giron had his progress as a professional curtailed by two hip surgeries, but in 2019 he has playing with purpose.
At Indian Wells he became the lowest-ranked player to reach the sweet 16 since 2011, and he has parlayed the confidence he earned into a successful run to the Wimbledon main draw.
After his loss to Feliciano Lopez on Day 1 we chatted in a small interview room at Wimbledon with Giron about his stellar campaign, the financial difficulties of life on the circuit and what his goals are for 2019.
More #Wimbledon: Mouratoglou on Baghdatis | Coco Gauff, Class Act | 73 Questions with #RF
TN: Congrats. Qualifying and playing your first main draw at a Slam since 2014. It must feel bittersweet right now because you faced a really tough player in Feliciano Lopez, but what are your thoughts about your progress so far this season.
Marcos Giron: Obviously it’s tough to lose today. I feel like Feliciano played a really good match, from start to finish. I could have done a few things a little better, but overall I am happy still being here, playing in the main draw of Wimbledon and making it through qualifying it’s not easy to to, so I’m still proud of myself for making it out here.
Overall it’s been a good year, starting at 300 and to be here maybe at 140 after this week it’s still progress and so of course I would like to still be competing tomorrow and the rest of the week but I guess you can’t win them all.
TN: You always have a plan a, plan b, plan c, but what’s it like playing against the Queen’s champion who is a three-time Wimbledon quarter-finalist. He’s ranked 53 but it’s a tough draw for you. How did you feel you played and how did you feel about what was going on out there?
Marcos Giron: I haven’t played on grass since juniors. In qualifying I felt like everybody I played was good but they were kind of hardcore clay-courters transitioning to grass whereas against Feliciano I felt like his game is very tailored to grass. His serve is, it was incredible, trying to return the first serve I couldn’t get a read on where he was going and I just felt like I never really had any good looks. I felt that maybe if it’s a slower hardcourt I could get a few more chances but he played well keeping the ball low and a lot of times I had a good pass and he hits a good drop volley and on the grass the ball just dies whereas I think on a hard court maybe I can get it back.
He played well start to finish—didn’t give me any looks on his serve and I think that’s what a top player does, especially Feliciano, he was able to do it point-in, point-out through a whole match.
TN: So, health is good? We know about your hip surgeries. It has been a while so you are ready to push now?
Marcos Giron: I feel like it’s obviously been a long road, I would have liked to be playing a few years earlier, but honestly I am happy with my progress, I’m happy with how my body is handling, reacting, and even though today wasn’t a long match I felt like I could have kept going for a long time. I’ve played a lot of three-setters this year and I’ve been fit through them. I’ve been pretty healthy through this whole year and I’ve been happy with that.
TN: What are your plans for the summer?
Marcos Giron: Maybe rest a couple of days, maybe rest a few days and see the sights in London maybe a few days and then go back home, train for a week or two and get back to the hard court swing, and now it’s the road to the U.S. Open.
TN: Do you feel like a lot of things have opened up for you mentally with the big wins at Indian Wells over Chardy and De Minaur and nearly beating Raonic, what has that done for your confidence?
Marcos Giron: Because I get to practice a lot with guys like Steve Johnson, Sam Querrey, Jared Donaldson and in practice I can compete with them. And so I feel like my game is there but it’s another thing doing it in a match. And so going and beating a few top guys, 30 in the world, and having that opportunity against Raonic really kind of gave me that belief, my game really does translate to a higher level, and so I feel like going into matches I feel like I have a shot and I’m going to battle every single point that I can and whatever happens, happens.
TN: So you are still with Peter Lucassen, and what’s the vibe like between you guys?
Marcos Giron: I think he has been a great influence on my game this last year, since December. More than just the game itself I think it’s just the attitude during the matches, being aggressive and taking it to my opponents—really going to win rather than maybe relying on their mistakes and having to run too much myself. That’s kind of the main focus and there are different small things—maybe stepping into the backhand, coming to net a little bit more, being more aggressive on my own second serve and taking more chances on my opponent’s second serve.
Overall that’s the main theme, it’s been working overall well this year. It’s still something that’s not as natural but it’s still something I’m working towards.
And Peter is an awesome influence. He loves to be out there so it kind of rubs off on you. Even on the days that you are tired, a little sore, he’s so juiced to be out there that you get excited to be out there also.
TN: The rumblings that we hear from blogs like Noah’s Rubin’s behind the racquet and other players like Vasek Pospisil talking about lower-ranked guys not getting their fair share of the money on tour, I just wondered what your experience is like, because you have been down in the lower ranks a bit—money is hard to come by—is that something that effects or do you feel it effects what is possible for you, where you can’t hire the big team, you can’t get the physio and you’re playing against guys that maybe do, is that something that’s on your mind?
Marcos Giron: I don’t have enough information to make any fair, strong statements but I do think it affects a lot of players. When we travel so much and maybe we are always having to look at what the cheapest flight is, where are we going to stay the next week, many times in housing, because hotels are a big expense, and I think it’s kind of the attitude that comes along with it. You are kind of always looking at ‘how can I save money, how can I save money?’ rather than maybe ‘You know let me really invest in myself.’ And it’s tough, if you’re top 250 in the world, you’re making 50k a year, 75k a year, and that’s with all the expenses, it’s very tough.
I think it could be mentally draining and it’s hard. It’s really hard. I mean last year I would go and play a set of tournaments—challengers—I’d be in qualifying, being 270 in the world and being in qualifying, lose last round of qualifying two weeks in a row and you get zero—zero money, zero points, zero anything—and so it can be very tough to get positive feedback.
Psychologically, it’s tough. It’s hard, it’s an investment, but how can you justify spending for a full-time coach, full-time physio, which you really do need because it’s just so physical, travelling week-in, week-out, playing, it’s tough.
TN: For you, two hip surgeries, those are expensive. Forgive me because I don’t know this. Is that your expense or is that a tour-related thing because usually you are employed by someone and you are hurt on the job, and how do you handle that and do you see other players in similar situations that maybe don’t have the means—it seems difficult.
Marcus Giron: No, it’s expensive, and it’s entirely on the player’s expense. Hip surgery that’s my expense, goes on the deductible with the insurance, and you find the best rehab that you can and many of the best physical therapists don’t necessarily take insurance and so that’s another big expense, and so it’s difficult. Financially it’s difficult and it really comes back to you whether or not you really love it, because if you are 250 in the world, 200 in the world, you have to look at the big picture because you really want to be top 100 in the world to make the money, be in the main draws of the Grand Slams, making runs at Masters 1000, otherwise it’s financially difficult.
TN: Gosh, the winners of tournaments like Wimbledon make so much. Maybe sometime down the road there will be more money for lower tiers of tennis.
Marcos Giron: I think in the last ten years the first-round prize money has increased quite a bit compared to what it was ten years ago. It’s already improving but I still think that if there could be some sort of way that every quarter, let’s say the Slams, that if you are making it into qualifying that you get a good paycheck, that you know that you’re set for the year, but I guess it’s for the higher-ups to decide, I don’t know—I’m not really sure what the best solution is.
TN: It sounds like it’s a lot not only to compete at this level but to deal with the financial struggles as well.
Marcos Giron: It’s pressure, that’s added pressure, for better or worse. 50k for me is a lot of money, it definitely is an added pressure to it, when you’re playing and you are serving 4-5 30-all, and it’s, you know, this could be a 20k game, which is a lot of money. It can be added pressure. Of course you compartmentalize, but I think it does affect many players. There are many players maybe 300 in the world that are incredible, and aren’t able to necessarily handle the stress of it, it’s difficult.
TN: So goals at the end of the season, rankings-wise?
Marcos Giron: I’d love to make U.S. Open main draw, I don’t know if it’s possible, but a definite goal would be to be main draw of Aussie Open by my own ranking. I think that’s as far forward as I’ve looked. That would really be awesome and I think it’s doable. I’ve shown to myself that I have the level, if I can continue on average with the results that I’ve had I will be Top 100 by the end of the year, so if I keep playing the level that I have been and that I can play I think it is possible, and hopefully higher.
Who knows, thinks can happen quick. Indian Wells, hold two more times against Raonic and you are into a Masters 1000 quarter-final. Every week is an opportunity to jump. There are a lot of opportunities, a lot of chances.