The former world No. 54, Francisco Comesana, has built his reputation as a player who saves his best tennis for the biggest stages, upsetting Andrey Rublev at Wimbledon and Alexander Zverev in Rio. In a new interview, the Argentine revealed just how close he came to losing that career altogether, opening up candidly about a period of severe anxiety that left him barely sleeping or eating.

Speaking ahead of a Challenger event in South America, the 25-year-old traced back the darkest stretch of his career. 

“For me, the post-pandemic was difficult,” he said. “I had a wrist injury that I didn’t know how it was going to end. The results didn’t go with it. I started to have anxiety attacks. I wouldn’t say panic, but anxiety. I had very difficult weeks. I didn’t sleep, I didn’t eat. That made me feel bad. (translated from Spanish)”

“But once I got to the bottom, I realized what I wanted. I had to train hard and make some changes,” the Argentine added. “After a few weeks, I started to train with Facundo Arguello. And little by little, I started to get back to tennis. It’s my passion.” 

His partnership with coach Facundo Arguello in Cordoba has been a defining factor in his setup ever since, leading him to rebuild both his game and confidence from the beginning. 

The interview also touched on a more recent low point, this time brought on by public backlash rather than injury. Comesana withdrew from a Davis Cup tie and was met with a wave of criticism for the decision, which he admitted affected him more than he expected. 

He acknowledged that the reaction was influencing his thoughts and went so far as to delete his Twitter account altogether, stating that he wanted to keep in touch with his team and family more than with the noise around him. Looking ahead, Francisco Comesaña revealed he is now taking a further step in managing his mental side of the game, with plans to bring a sports psychologist into his team. 

“On my mental side, I have a meeting with a psychologist. I’m going to start with the psychologist,” he stated. “I don’t have anything concrete yet, but I have a meeting in a few days to try to join the team.” 

Beyond the pressure and criticism, Comesana has found a new channel in his recovery from injuries: cooking, and he has genuinely started to enjoy it. 

The search for his maiden ATP title continues

The 25-year-old Argentine is now in his third season on the ATP tour since making his debut in 2024. After three years, he still remains without a title to his name despite building his reputation by having wins over top 10 players. This year alone, he reached the third round of Roland Garros and even held two match points against Matteo Berrettini but eventually lost in a final-set tie-break. 

His US Open campaign ended in the first round in five sets, falling 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 to fifth seed Flavio Cobolli after leading by two sets, a match that later formed part of Cobolli’s own breakthrough run to the tournament’s second week.

His latest appearance came at the Copa Ciudad de Tigre Challenger in Buenos Aires, where he entered as top seed but his run ended in the round of 16 in a tight three-set battle against Joaquin Aguilar Cardozo.

With a current ranking of No. 126 and a 7-15 season record, he is set to improve his performance on the South American Challenger circuit during the series of clay tournaments in Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay through October.