The clay court tournament in Rome is consistently unfolding surprises for the fans. Novak Djokovic, who entered the scene after keeping himself out for a while, had to go through a tough time against his round-of-32 rival Alejandro Tabilo. But who is this underdog who managed to secure a lead over the six-time Italian Open champion?

Listed as a Chilean-Canadian player on records, Alejandro Tabilo was born to Ricardo and Maria in 1997. The tennis star spent his early days with his family, where he developed a deep love for the sport, being motivated by his brother who started hitting the courts before him. The desire to become a professional made him take the tough decision of moving away from his family to seek better training in Florida.

The ATP star seeks sporting mentorship from Guillermo Gomez, a Spaniard who explored the depth of tennis in his own career. The 26-year-old currently holds the 32nd spot in the world rankings, taking every other step seriously to add more value to his dream of becoming a better player.

Besides having tennis on his mind as a priority, the ATP star regularly spares time to be lost in the world of entertainment media. Listing himself as a true fan of the famous comedy series FRIENDS on Netflix, he mentioned that he closely admires Chandler Bing, played by the late Matthew Perry. “Friends. I’ve seen it several times and I’ve been watching it for a long time. My favourite characters are Chandler and Joey,” he said in an interview.

As the ATP star explores the tennis scene by serving defeats to the likes of Novak Djokovic on his way, it still remains to be seen what other feats he is yet to accomplish. He was certainly stunned after his victory over the World No. 1, “I was just trying to keep my nerves in, trying to keep swinging. Obviously every time you feel like you are closer to the end, your arms start to get a little tighter and you start to swing shorter, so I was just trying to not think about it and take it point by point. It’s crazy, I can’t believe what just happened.”

Besides taking the courts to hit the ball against highly competitive rivals, the 26-year-old also finds solace in holding the controller to simulate gaming characters.

Alejandro Tabilo’s deep love for games like FIFA and Call of Duty

Alejandro Tabilo earned a moment to open up about his likes and dislikes along with earning a golden opportunity to stun the Serb. The tennis star revealed his love for gaming, mentioning that he enjoys his time holding the controller and taking a comfortable seat in front of the TV screen.

“Lately I’ve been travelling with my console for days off. I play FIFA and Call of Duty to distract myself and do something different, competition permitting,” Tabilo said, mentioning that he enjoys delving into the simulative world of gaming.

As the tennis star explores more areas of the sport on his run for the title in Rome, a place that he loves competing in, it still remains to be seen if his high enthusiasm levels help him earn an evident position in the clay court tournanment.