When the list of United Cup 2024 captains was released, an unusual yet lovely scenario became clear.
Team Chile captain Jaime Fillol would helm a squad whose No.1 player, Nicolas Jarry, is his grandson.
It is one of several family ties at play when teams come together in Sydney; Team Greece is captained by Stefanos Tsitsipas’ brother Petros, while Team Norway, led by Casper Ruud, is captained by Casper’s father Christian.
SYDNEY: United Cup City Spotlight
But the generational gap between Chile’s top player and captain is unique.
“It is a very valuable personal thing. I don’t remember any precedent like that, that a grandfather has been captain of his grandson. It’s very nice, no doubt about it,” Fillol said in an interview with Clay magazine.
“Nico called me to ask me if I wanted to be the captain of Chile, and what better thing for me to be with the grandson representing Chile in a team cup with a lot of level and a lot of promotion and publicity?
“It is one of the reasons why it is being held, because it is a very strong way to promote tennis.”
Amazingly, there will be four generations of the Chilean family in Sydney, given Jarry’s son Juan travels with the 28-year-old on tour.
“I will be with my great-grandson and I will throw him balls around Sydney,” Fillol said.
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It is a family affair made possible by Jarry’s success in 2023, the best season of his career. He ended it at world No.19, surpassing his previous season-ending high of No.43 in 2018.
Jarry scooped two ATP titles in Santiago and Geneva, before storming into the second week at Roland Garros.
His success continued beyond clay, with a third-round runs at Wimbledon and the US Open then trips to the quarterfinals in Beijing and at the Shanghai Masters in October.
Later that month he cracked the top 20, a position that helped Chile secure the 18th and final place in the United Cup 2024 field.
"I'm very happy to be able to compete in this year's United Cup. I didn't expect to qualify, since it's very difficult, and great players and countries are competing," said Jarry, who will play alongside compatriots Tomas Barrios Vera, Alejandro Tabilo, Daniela Seguel and Fernanda Labrana.
"But we got in, and I'm very happy to be able to represent my country once again. It's always very special for me, and I'll try to do my best.”
Team Chile will play Group B matches against Canada (31 December) and Greece (2 January).
