Who Is Nicolas Jarry’s Legendary Grandfather? Everything to Know about His Contributions to Chilean Tennis

Against all odds, Nicolas Jarry surged into the Rome final after a nail-biting win over Tommy Paul, proving that the ball was firmly in his court. But did you know he was always meant to play tennis? He continues the legacy of his grandfather, Jaime Fillol, one of the greatest tennis pioneers in Chile, who rose to prominence as the top player in his nation in the 1970s.

Subsequently, it was Jaime Fillol who introduced his grandson to the game of tennis. They would travel to the major events together and picture themselves competing in the Grand Slam while they practiced. However, he is one win away from becoming Chile’s first ATP Masters 1000 champion in 25 years. When Jarry defeated Tommy Paul in the semi-final clash, his grandfather was present to cheer him up. Further, in an on-court interview after the match, he also talked about his grandfather’s active role in his tennis career.

He said, “Yeah, of course. One of the reasons I play tennis is because of him. I know he’s enjoying. It’s been a surprise for him to be here. Of course, a surprise to be doing as good as I’m doing in this tournament. So just I think he’s in a part of his life that he enjoys everything, so this is very special for him.” 

As of right now, he holds the 24th rank in the ATP rankings, but a victory at the Italian Open might propel him up the rankings and toward his grandfather’s pinnacle. The Chilean tennis player currently hopes to achieve Jaime Fillol’s position of World No. 14, which he attained back in March 1974. In addition, his grandfather has won 24 titles in his career, 8 in singles and 16 in doubles. He won the doubles championships at Las Vegas in 1978 and the Indianapolis Masters in 1977.

In the men’s and mixed doubles categories, he advanced to the finals of the Roland Garros Tournament in 1972 and 1975, respectively. In the men’s doubles category, he also made it to the 1974 U.S. Open finals. In 1976, he advanced to the Davis Cup final while playing for Chile. From 1969 to 1980, as well as in 1982 and 1983, he competed for Chile in the Davis Cup, representing the country with a 42% performance rate and winning 31 of 73 matches.

Conversely,  the 28-year-old tennis player comes from a family of players. His great-uncle Alvaro Fillol was a professional player who co-managed an ATP 250 event in Viña del Mar alongside Jaime. Martin Rodriguez, his uncle, used to be ranked in the top 75 singles and top 15 doubles players. His aunt, Catalina Fillol, was the Santiago ATP 250 tournament director.

While the 24th-ranked tennis player, has always looked up to his grandfather, the biggest question is who is a better player than both of them. In an interview with ATP, Jarry was asked about having a household discussion with his grandfather over the same topic.

Who is a better player: Nicolas Jarry or his grandfather? 

When asked about whether they have ever discussed which of the two will be the better player. He stated, “No, we’ve never spoken about it and I’ve never joked about it with him. It’s not something we’ve ever talked about. Not about the ranking and not about results.” Not only that, he also emphasized the fact that he has a lot of respect for his grandfather; that’s why he would never dream of even joking about something like this.

Further, he also highlighted how he still has a lot to catch up on while following in his grandfather’s footsteps. He stated, “No, no, there’s a tennis side to it and a personal side to it. To me, he provides much more of a personal example than a tennis one, and in any case, in tennis, I’m yet to catch him.” 

Returning now to the Rome final, if Jarry wins a title there, he will climb to a career-high ranking of 15, which means he will have to defeat Alexander Zverev in the championship match. What do you think about the Italian Open final? Do let us know in the comment section below.