The irony of the Navone lawn court

Mariano Navone’s introduction to grass 12 months ago was short and eye-opening.

After winning the ATP Challenger Tour title on clay in Poznan on Saturday, the 23-year-old traveled to west London 24 hours later to make his Wimbledon qualifying debut. He won only three games against Ricardas Berankis, the match lasted 60 minutes.

“Last year was the first time I sat on the grass. I came to the club and thought, ‘Wow, this is an extraordinary feeling’,” Navone told ATPtour.com. “It was crazy because I won the Challenger in clay and the next Sunday I was practicing hard indoors. Then when I was playing in the grass on Monday I thought, ‘What is this? What happened?’ Because it felt completely different than a clay court or a hard court. It was the first time and it was a different experience, a challenge!”

Twelve months on and Navone is about to compete at the top for the second time when he plays Jack Draper at the Cinch Championships. It will be his first tour match on a grass court. The six-time ATP Challenger Tour champion hopes he can find his place in the spotlight this week, using last year’s experience as a learning curve.

“I didn’t have time to prepare last year. This year is different because I finished Roland Garros and came back home a little bit and played on fast courts. I’m more prepared, hitting the grass since Thursday. But it’s the first time on the ATP Tour playing on grass because now I’m playing more events as I’m number 29.

“I have some expectations before my first game but I’m nervous. I have to develop, feel the grass and walk on the grass. I hope for a good tournament, but I know it’s my first time, so it’s different if you have experience. I think my backhand works well on grass. It’s better because I hit the ball faster. I can control the ball easily in this position and I like to switch quickly and hit down the lane. My return is very important to the grass. It’s good in the mud, so hopefully I’ll be able to adapt quickly.”

Navone grew up competing on clay in Buenos Aires and played most of her matches on the surface. This year, the 23-year-old has competed 36 times at all levels, with only one of his clashes coming on clay (qualifying for the Australian Open).

This highlights Argentina’s flourishing, with Navone reaching tour-level finals in Rio de Janeiro and Bucharest earlier this year. Up to number 29 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Navone revealed that he now receives more attention from fans when he is at home. The 23-year-old is excited about this new aspect of his life.

“When I came back from behind [Roland Garros] people see me on the streets and in bars people want to take pictures with me,” said Navone. “I went to a restaurant and people didn’t know me. I enjoy giving love back to people and children.

“The most important thing is the children because they are small. Once upon a time I was this little boy. When I was a child I saw Nalbandian. I was like ‘Wow, what a superstar’. When I saw David Ferrer this year in Rio at the event, he hugged me and I spoke to him and that was crazy. He was my idol so it’s really cool.”