“I hope he is watching” - After losing his father to COVID-19, Genaro Alberto Olivieri takes strength from tragedy during French Open run

The French Open, like the other Grand Slams, sees 'unknown' names make a mark with surprising runs. In Paris this year, it is Genaro Alberto Olivieri who is catching the attention of fans and pundits alike.

Olivieri entered Paris without having ever played in a tour-level main draw. He fought through the qualifying rounds to seal his spot in the Paris main draw. He has now won two matches and finds himself in the third round of Roland Garros, just two steps away from the quarterfinals.

While happy with his achievements, Olivieri wishes his father could witness his breakthrough run. When the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill, the Argentine was one of many people to lose a loved one to the deadly virus.

In February 2021, when he was in Turkey, Olivieri found out that everyone in his house was sick, with his parents being taken to a hospital. While his mother made a full recovery, his father’s condition worsened; he was later transferred to Buenos Aires, where he breathed his last on April 7.

“My father, who died during the pandemic, he was my sidekick, the person who helped me in every way — psychologically, emotionally. Then he started to learn a little more about tennis and he would even help me with that. I always remember him,” Olivieri told ATP.

The 24-year-old hopes that he has made his father proud with his performances in the French capital this week.

“I hope he is now watching everything that is happening to me this week and that he has an even bigger smile than I do,” he added.

Having lost all motivation for tennis after the tragedy, Olivieri dropped the racquet and joined an accounting firm. But he eventually started missing tennis, and stepped back into the court with added motivation.

“After that, I stopped playing tennis. I didn’t pick a racquet up for three months. I helped at home, and at an accounting firm. I wasn’t motivated to play. After the third month, I started to miss it. I wanted to try again for a while. When I stepped onto court I had a fire that gave me strength in tough matches,” he recalled.

Now, Olivieri hopes to live up to his parents' unwavering faith in his abilities and make an impact in the sport.

“They believed in me. They have been my sponsors my whole life. And when my father passed away, my mother said she would support me, that I should keep going and continue to play tennis,” he said.

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How Genaro Alberto Olivieri's 2023 French Open has unfolded so far

Genaro Alberto Olivieri has progressed to the 2023 French Open third round.

Genaro Alberto Olivieri began his 2023 French Open campaign against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. He dug deep to beat the French wildcard 7-6(3), 4-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.

With that, Olivieri earned his first tour-level win and also his first victory at a Grand Slam.

In the second round, he was up against fellow qualifier Andrea Vavassori. In yet another five-set contest, the Argentine won 7-6 (7), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3) to reach the third round.

Olivieri, who is ranked World No, 231, will next face sixth seed Holger Rune for a spot in the quarterfinals on Saturday, June 3.