2011 Davis Cup – Team Argentina: Juan Ignacio Chela, the Argentinean Backhand
Making his mark on the table as the No 22 in world tennis ranking (singles), Juan Ignacio Chela is a professional tennis player from Argentina and started his career in 1998. The 31 year old Argentinean is full of surprises on
the court having the advantage of his height and strong right hand.
Juan has worked up his ranking through the year 2009. His best ranking was at No.15. The Argentinean had his worst season in 2008-09 when he dropped his position below 200. Having a satisfying earning throughout the years, Juan
has been much successful in singles though his performance in doubles has been relatively poor. Winning 22 out of 36 matches in 2011 season, the 31 year old has his best records up till now.
Chela is a clay court specialist. His wins on clay are noticeably more than that on hard courts. He has won 19 out of 9 matches on clay while he is only 2 to 4 on hard courts.
Juan started the season 2011 in the Medibank International Australia. Failing to make his mark in the tour he entered the Australian Open but got knocked out in the first round by Michael Llodra of France. Picking up through the
way, the right handed Argentinean made his spot in the quarterfinals of Movistar Open in Chile where he lost to Santiago Giraldo in straight sets.
Chela had a convincing ending at the Brazil Open. Knocking out Rogerio Dutra Silva, Lukasz Kubot and Thomaz Bellucci in the first three rounds, the Argentinean made his way to the semi-finals but was thrashed by Nicolas Almagro
of Spain.
As opposed to his comparatively better run at the Brazil Open, Juan faced consecutive losses in his next four tours. He lost in the first round of Sony Ericsson Open 2011, Masters Series Monte Carlo, Open BancSabadell (Spain) and
Mutua Madrilena Masters Madrid.
Having entered Championati Internazionali D’Italia, the Argentinean managed to snap his losing streak as he played better than expected. He managed to move up till the third round, before losing to Florian Mayer.
So far in this season, Juan’s best performance came at the Power Horse World Team World Cup in Germany. The world No.22 won all his matches for his country against Mikhail KuKushkin, Christian Lindell and John Isner of U.S.A.
Playing in the current team for Argentina in the Davis Cup, Juan is a key player. The world No.22 has played thirteen matches in the Davis Cup altogether, succeeding in nine of them. Just as his fellow Argentinean players, Juan
has most of his wins in the Davis cup on Clay courts. He has a record of seven wins out of eight on clay courts here.
Juan has yet to prove himself on hard courts. Though he is considered to be a slow hard court player he has lost both of his previous matches in Davis Cup that were played on hard courts. Playing comfortable in outdoor courts,
the Argentinean is one the best players the team has after their top shot Juan Martin Del Potro.
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