Nicolas Massu; a forgotten star – Tennis Special
Not long ago in tennis there were unseen players that made the game worth a watch. Players like Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl and Boris Becker have certainly been a shining part of the game but let’s not forget the fact
that they played players that had the equal strength though lacked the luck to make it big.
Born on 10th October 1979, Nicolas Alejandro Massu, nick named “Vampiro”, has been in search for the spotlight for a long time. The Vina Del Mar resident attained great respect in his early years as he won Chile the
Olympic Gold Medal twice. The 31-year-old was awarded the medal when he displayed his skills in the 2004 Olympic Games at Athens winning both the singles title and the doubles in one go. Following his win, Massu described his emotions as;
"I was so happy because this is my best memory in my sport career. If I look back in 10 more years, I look back on this, I'm gonna be so happy. Now I can die happy."
The clay expert has been characterized as a strong baseliner with solid forehands and double backhands. He has also been well known for his fighting spirit especially when playing for his country.
Historically the Chilean was introduced to tennis when his Hungarian grandfather put a racket in his hand at the age of 5. His journey went off as he started his training at the Valle Dorado Tennis Academy, near Villa Alemana.
Trained by Leonardo Zuleta, the, twelve year old then, young Nicolas Massu perfected his forehands and double handed backhands that later proved to be his command.
The Olympic gold medallist went pro in 1997. His performance was captured by thousands as he made the news winning the prestigious Juniors Year-End Orange Bowl tournament the same year. Nicolas wrote another page of his winnings
in the same year as he captured the junior doubles throne the same year winning the juniors Wimbledon and US Open.
Starting off from world No. 617 in 1997, Massu came in the spots as he made impact in his first challenger tour win in Ecuador. The impression was made stronger as he defended the title the following year.
In November 1999, the Chilean sensation cracked the top 100 rankings winning the Santiago Challenger. This made his motivational level burst up the sky. With skills unmatchable, Massu reached his first ATP tournament final in 2000
at the US Men’s clay court championship in Orlando, Florida. However, he finished off as a runner up as he was beaten down by his fellow Chilean Fernando Gonzalez.
Working up his entire career, the hidden genius enhanced his capabilities and rankings, especially 2003 onwards, as he entered the top 20s’ on the ratings board. The year 2004 was the paramount of his career. Winning Gold medals
and securing a world No.9 place in the rankings did shine the lights on the Chilean.
Tags: