Zapata – rising tennis star

For Barnabas tennis Zapata was a toy. An object of envy. When I was small, with just six years, he saw his brother Paul was used to fund something that is not well understood. There was the ‘tete’ clean raquetazo in the sports Doctor Lluch. “Daddy, I want!”. Catchphrase that so many younger brothers, if any, was the first point. Because now, at 18, he is back in the prologue. Today, however, the court has ceased to be a whim to this Valencian promise. Now before the opportunity to be professional.

Gone are those items with Paul. When Barnabas got phonecalls also tennis, many weekends was measured his brother under the watchful eye of their father. “I remember that rewarded us. When we did something well, we were a toy. Some Action Man I’ve already won with this sport, “says with a smirk Barnabas Zapata.

Valencia now has little time for family. Therefore, moments of respite are for them. “I love going to the apartment of El Perellonet and playing racquetball. Spending time with them and go as you can have dinner with friends … and friends (another mischievous smile). But above all, I love my brother paellas “he says. It shows that make good friends. Paul is now a tennis coach: “There is no more critical than him. When you can, if I get to be professional, I would love to accompany me a few weeks. ”

Barnabas Zapata is on the thin red line. In such a good jump trampoline where you definitely get into the circuit. “I’ve worked with him from the bottom and so far everything has gone out. Europe is junior runner-up, has a pretty good ranking for his age and is struggling through a lot, “says Carlos Navarro, his coach. This season Zapata has played 250 previous rounds of ATP as Stockholm and Valencia. The home tournament, in fact, was a small disappointment for him as he fell in the first round too forcefully.

However, 2015 will for the budding tennis player as a good year. He has won his first two international tournaments, played in Gandia ITF Futures and Tunisia this November. “Next year we want to play more Challenges and leave a little aside Futures” emphasizes Zapata.

The great experience, however, has been disputing the US Junior Open, where he lost in the second round. “Despite playing only two games, that was very positive for me,” says Zapata. “It could warm up with players who are already professionals, which is its main objective, as Feliciano Lopez and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez,” says Carlos Navarro: “We want Barnabas is professional and for this you have to be among the 80 best in the world. You have to reach as soon as possible to face the people that you must earn to achieve your goal. We are ambitious, we do not know when we’ll get. “