Marc López is back at the Mutua Madrid Open, but this time his circumstances have changed. For the first time in four years, the Spaniard is not in the Spanish capital as Rafa Nadal’s coach. After the Mallorcan’s retirement, he was quick to undertake a new project and now busies himself shaping the career of the young Jasmine Paolini. The Italian is currently ranked number six in the world having reached two Grand Slam finals last year. Madrid marks the second tournament for the new partnership.
Yesterday, the Catalonian sat down at the microphones of Feli’s Room, the podcast of Feliciano López, director of the tournament. They have known each other for a long time. There is only one year between them, and their relationship dates back three decades, to when they played one another in Alicante. It was Marc who won the match. Since then, they have played side-by-side, travelled together and become friends. It is a friendship that has endured many years. On the podcast, he had his say on what was a very successful career, but one that is perhaps lesser-known. The Spaniard enjoyed success in singles and, in particular, in doubles. Let’s start at the beginning.
In their early days in professional tennis, Feli and Marc spent a significant amount of time together. We often don’t hear about the beginnings of a player’s career and perhaps don’t place much importance on it, but Feli and Marc were both keen to touch on the fact that it’s an essential part of a tennis player’s development and how they approach their career. Marc recognises that it was too much for him sometimes: “It’s really tough, it’s difficult. You have to try to get through it as quickly as possible, but I found it really hard. I was there for several years. When you’re very young you play more experienced people that have a very high level. Although I had the odd good result at ATP tournaments, the reality is that it was very tough for me to overcome. Sometimes it was more mental than technical. I think I had the game, but the Top 100 barrier was a big one for me. It’s still a monkey on my back”.
However, the gold medallist at Rio 2016 harbours no disappointment as he reminisces: “It’s unfair to look back and judge the mistakes from today’s perspective. Also, mistakes are what you learn from and you make decisions later. Now, during my time as a coach, having made mistakes at certain times in my career means I can help improve others”.
In fact, he now sees it as a positive: “The reality is that, without that ‘failure’ in singles, it’s likely that I wouldn’t have experienced a fraction of what I have now. I’ve won things in doubles that I would never have imagined, and I was lucky enough to do that alongside some of my best friends: Rafa, Marcel, you [Feli] …”.
Marc also spoke about how he started his journey in doubles: “In 2009 I was thinking of retiring, it was a difficult time for me. Back then Rafa was playing doubles with Tomeu Salvá, but a few months earlier Tomeu had retired and Nadal was looking for a teammate to play with. We’re very good friends and he asked me if I wanted to. I told him of course, and we won the first tournament we played together in Doha, defeating the world number one in the final. For me it was a light at a time of darkness. In my junior years, I knew I was good at doubles, in fact, I won Roland Garros and the Orange Bowl with Tommy Robredo, but at the time I could see a certain way that my career would progress. In 2010, I stopped playing singles completely and focused on doubles. Clearly, it was a great decision”.
After four years with Granollers, Marc formed a partnership with Feli. Team López-López bore fruit. They were successful on court, but apart from their achievements, they both recognise that they helped each other off court. What was the secret to their synergy? “It could have been awful”, admitted Feli with a laugh, before adding: “Apart from playing together, travelling the world with you for three years was key for me. In the end, having a friend with whom I can spend many hours makes travelling, meals, training, etc. so much easier. The people around you are key, and being with you helped me so much on a personal level too”, Feli acknowledged.
Marc López is yet further proof that there is no logic to a tennis career. Who would have thought to tell a Grand Slam winner, an Olympic gold medallist and ATP Finals champion that his ‘biggest mistake’ would also open the door to his greatest professional achievements.
