ITF World Spring 2021 15
Zarazua has
made posi ve
strides in the last
12 months
Renata
Zarazua
has
ambitions
to
put
Mexican
tennis
on
the
map
and
discusses
family
mentors,
her
lofty
aims
for
2021
and
the
importance
of
studying
psychology
ahead
of
Billie
Jean
King
Cup
duty
RAISING
the
STANDARD
Flying her nation's flag with
distinction and asserting
Mexico on the tennis
landscape has become
commonplace for Renata
Zarazua in the last year
or so – and she is far from
done.
Should, however, the
23-year-old require any
additional motivation to lead
her country's on-court charge,
then she need look no further
than her great-uncle, Vicente,
who was a professional back
in the 1960s and 1970s.
Vicente, now 76, contested
16 Davis Cup ties for Mexico
and was part of the team
which came up against
and defeated some of the
legendary United States and
Australia outfits of that era.
He also won a gold medal,
alongside Rafael Osuna – his
Davis Cup doubles partner –
at both the demonstration
and exhibition tennis events
at the 1968 Olympic Games
in Mexico City.
Tragically, Osuna was one
of 79 people to die a year
later – he was just 30 years
old – when Mexican Airways
Flight 704 crashed into
mountains near Monterrey.
Only nine days earlier, Mexico
had recorded one of their
stunning Davis Cup victories,
this one over Australia.
But memories of Osuna
and that time remain, with
Vicente proving an invaluable
sounding board for an
aspiring player, with Zarazua
able to tap into his wealth of
knowledge and experience
whenever she feels the need.
"Sometimes people know
me because of him and I'm so
proud of what he achieved,"
Zarazua told ITFWorld. "He
was a great player and,
for me, it's such a great
motivation to have him
in my family.
"He has shared some
experiences and things that
he went through and it's just
nice to listen and learn from
him. Whatever he says to me
BILLIE JEAN KING CUP
