Montreal
Life for low-ranked tennis pros has improved in recent years. Once nearly broke and in debt, players inside the top 100 can make a living (those ranked lower still struggle mightily). These players are not rich—the expenses are extreme—but they can enjoy the sport more than they would have a decade ago. As one player reminded us on Tuesday, though, the most fun of all remains from an old-fashioned tradition: luck of the draw.
In every tennis tournament there’s a chance of playing after being told you can’t. That happened in Montreal on Tuesday to American Ernesto Escobedo, #85 in the world. He lost his final qualifying match and had his name put in the “lucky loser” box. Those names are picked at random, and Escobedo was given second, meaning two men had to withdraw from the main tournament for him to sneak in. One player dropped out, and Escobedo assumed there wouldn’t be another. Then on Tuesday he got a call while he was eating lunch. At first he didn’t answer. When the phone rang again, he picked up. Tomas Berdych, a top seed, had pulled out. Escobedo had five minutes to get on court.
“I was shocked that I got it,” Escobedo said. “I didn’t even prepare. I was having lunch and I just went to the locker room, put on some clothes and just grabbed my racket.”
Escobedo, age 21, was born in Los Angeles. He’s 6’1” and slim, weighing 180 pounds. He still lives with his sisters and parents, who are from Mexico, according to the ATP Tour.
In his match on Tuesday, Escobedo beat Nikoloz Basilashvili, a Georgian pro, in straight sets, 7-6(4), 6-4. Escobedo went for his first serves. He got only 44 percent of them in, but won 89 percent of those and hit five aces, to boot.
Escobedo was a lucky loser another time this season, on clay in Rome. That time he lost a close—and heartbreaking—match to Tommy Haas, a former top player who is 39-years-old. Before Tuesday, Escobedo had lost in the first round in his last three tournaments, including Wimbledon.
“It’s been a tough two months for me,” he said. “So just coming here, getting the lucky loser and winning, it means a lot to me.”
Next up for Escobedo: Robin Haase from the Netherlands. Even if he loses, Escobedo will make more money here than he had expected. But he said that the cash doesn’t matter as much as the tennis itself.
“I don’t really care about the money,” he said. “I’m just so happy to be here and just having fun.”
