Leyre Romero will be playing her third BBVA Open Internacional de Valencia in 2023. The Sporting Club de Tenis player has been growing in each of her appearances and in 2022 she already put in trouble players framed within the Top 100.
About her return to the court where she usually trains, about how she feels playing in front of her family, her maturity level and her goals for this new edition, she talks a month before the beginning of the tournament.
How are you coming to the tournament?
I am very excited and looking forward to it, especially to enjoy the opportunity to play in my club and do it in front of all my people. Besides, I am more confident and more experienced than last year and I am sure that will help me to face the tournament with a different mentality.
What memories do you have of the 2022 edition? I have some wonderful images in my head. I was able to get through qualifying, to win a match in the final draw, I played against very tough opponents and I was able to play at a high level. Besides, I can still remember how the crowd cheered me on and supported me from the very first moment, which helped me to complete a very good performance. I’m looking forward to feeling all that again.
What does it mean to you to be able to play in front of your family?
It is absolutely special. We always talk about how lucky we are to be able to have a tournament at home, where everyone can follow me during the days I play. It’s true that the first few times you step on the court in front of your family you get more nervous, but then getting any victory is always much more satisfying.
And how do you visualize the possibility of a hypothetical confrontation with Sara Sorribes?
The fact that she is going to be in the draw this year is very exciting. She is a player I admire a lot, both for her career and for the fact that she is the best in our territory. Both for me and for the young players of our land she is an example to follow and if we were to meet it would be one of the most beautiful clashes of my career.
What is your goal for the BBVA Open Internacional de Valencia 2023?
It’s a very simple objective: to be able to enjoy playing at home, to give the highest level I can on the court and to make all the people who are coming to watch us enjoy it and who want to feel everything that a WTA tournament transmits. In addition, I come with more experience, without the uncertainty of whether I would be at last year’s level. I’ve already played on center court, I’ve beaten people of reference and I’ve climbed the rankings. My motivation is maximum.
Finally, what do you say about this tournament when you meet in other places around the world?
With every person you talk to about the BBVA Open Internacional de Valencia the words are always the same: it’s a very nice trophy, where you feel very comfortable. The club, the organization and the treatment are excellent and for that reason many players want to repeat year after year.
