Pack two right shoes, fly 40 hours for a ‘qualy’ and more travel stories by Díaz Acosta | ATP Tour

Nomadic life

Facundo Díaz Acosta’s nomadic life

The Argentine will compete in Buenos Aires next week

February 08, 2025

Facundo Díaz Acosta had a change of life a year ago by winning the ATP 250 of Buenos Aires. Since then he has only gone through new experiences in his career: from debuting in April at the Top 50 of the PIF ATP Rankings or adding a first major victory of a Grand Slam in the US.

But the new heights do not intimidate the 24 -year -old Argentine. He is always willing to fly higher, with all that can imply, and it was clear in this interview about his nomadic lifestyle.

Before starting the defense of its title IEB+ Argentina Open, the current No. 70 of the world recalled the occasion in which it traveled more than 40 hours from Egypt in order to play a previous phase of a Challenger in Chile. Or when he packed two right shoes for a tournament …

What things not related to tennis always carry in your suitcases?
Headphones for flights. They are essential! I also carry it everywhere. For me it is another company. Nor do I leave the tablet to watch series and movies. I like to distract me a little.

Have you ever forgotten something essential in your suitcase?
Once I went to play a qualy of an ATP 250 in Argentina, in Córdoba. It was a couple of years ago. I remember that I came from another tournament in Chile, and I spent a short time through my house in Buenos Aires. I slept like three hours, and at that time I put on the suitcase and put together it again. And I put two right shoes. And I just realized when I arrived at the tournament!

And what did you do?
My coach, luckily, fell as to me, and gave me a left shoe. He wanted to kill me! I scared myself a lot, imagine about going to play and when I’m going to put on the shoes, I only have two for the right foot. Luckily, I was five hours from home and it was easy to send me the right shoes for the next game.

What is your favorite Tour city?
Buenos Aires. And Madrid because, for me, it is very similar to Buenos Aires for people, food, customs … make me feel at home. And that seems good to me when you travel a lot.

What is your favorite holiday destination?
I have one, but I have not gone. I would like to go to southern Argentina, to Bariloche, to San Martín de los Andes, Villa La Angostura. From what they tell me and for the photos, it is divine. I would very much to meet there.

How do you get used to Jet-Lag after long trips?
It costs me a lot, really. It takes me a couple of days to get used to it. I try not to sleep nap throughout the day, to endure what I can and sleep earlier. Because if I make a nap, I don’t fall asleep.

What was the occasion when it cost you more to get used to?
At the return of Australia it costs me a lot. They are like 14 hours apart in relation to Buenos Aires. For four or five days at home, I spend sleeping like two or three hours at night. And in the day I am a zombie.

How do you protect your body during long flights?
I do nothing especially. I just sleep. And quite, luckily. And when I’m awake, I just try to distract myself seeing something on the tablet.

What has been your craziest travel story?
It was shortly after Pandemia. I was playing futures in Egypt. At that time it was the only place to which it entered by ranking. But I remember that I entered a qualy at some moment in some challengers in South America. And I went from Egypt to Concepción, passing first through Türkiye and Santiago. They were 40 hours of flight. And we arrived the two days I had to play. With the jet-lag and the flight, I was shattered, I lost in the second round of the ‘qualy’. It was one of the craziest stories I had. But it usually happens, you saw how this is. You enter a better tournament and want to go anyway. And so it passes all the time.