How coach Yari Bernardo fuelled Marcelo Arevalo's rise to No. 1

ATP Coach Spotlight

How coach Yari Bernardo fuelled Marcelo Arevalo's rise to No. 1

Italian has guided Arevalo to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Doubles Rankings

Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour Yari Bernardo has coached Marcelo Arevalo since 2019. By Jerome Coombe

While coach Yari Bernardo was born and raised in Italy, it’s his newly established ties to El Salvador that have defined an impactful chapter of his career, guiding Marcelo Arevalo, the current No. 1 in the PIF ATP Doubles Rankings.

As well as serving as the current Salvadoran Davis Cup captain, Bernardo has led Arevalo to 14 tour-level titles, including two memorable Grand Slam victories at Roland Garros, in 2022 alongside Jean-Julien Rojer, and in 2024 with Mate Pavic.

“In the last six years, I have learned more than I did in the last 30 years," Berardo told ATPTour.com, reflecting on his evolution through dual roles of national captain and elite coach. "The captain role with the Federation has boosted me up on my coaching career, that's for sure."

Marcelo Arevalo and Yari Bernardo celebrate their 2024 Roland Garros triumph. Photo: Yari Bernardo.

During his own playing career in the 1990s, Bernardo competed in numerous professional tournaments across Central America. This regional familiarity laid the groundwork for a relationship with the Salvadoran Tennis Federation, and ultimately, his naturalisation as a Salvadoran citizen.

“The Federation needed somebody they were close with, to boost up the Davis Cup team,” said Bernardo. “We had to do some paperwork, but I accepted [becoming naturalised]. It was a good opportunity for me as they helped me with all my expenses and everything. It was a good achievement for me: maybe I couldn't play for Italy, where I'm from.

“This is where my relationship with El Salvador started, and back in those days, Marcelo was just a little kid.”

After reaching a career high of World No. 809, Bernardo retired at age 26 to hone in on a professional coaching career. Although he returned to Italy to work with some top juniors, his ties with El Salvador, and particularly the Arevalo family, remained intact.

“I’ve known Marcelo since he was like six or seven. When I was playing Davis Cup, I remember his brother Rafael going around the federation as a small kid, practising, but I never saw Macelo back in those days. But when he was growing up, Marcelo was one of the Top 10 ITF juniors.

“I started to follow him [Marcelo] when he started playing professionally. Here and there, I was messaging him: ‘Hey, good luck today, you played a good tournament’.”

Marcelo’s older brother Rafael, himself a former player who famously faced Roger Federer at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, is now the president of the Salvadoran Tennis Federation. In 2019, he was instrumental in bringing Bernardo in as Davis Cup captain, a move that reinvigorated his coaching trajectory.

That evolution has also shaped his coaching philosophy. While natural talent is valuable, Bernardo is a firm believer that relentless work on the practice court is what separates good players from great ones.

“To be a good coach, you cannot work with players in the same way,” Bernardo adds. “For me, one of the keys is to put a lot of hours in on court. To improve your serve, we can talk [about] whatever you want… But in the end, if you don't throw 2000 serves during the week, you're not going to do it. This is my philosophy.”

Yari Bernardo and Marcelo Arevalo at the 2025 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour

Bernardo learned this firsthand while travelling as a coach with former World No. 9 Nicolas Massu from 2006 to 2013. The two worked together during the final stretch of Massu’s career, and the contrast between player types has since informed Bernardo’s flexible approach.

“Every player is different,” adds Bernardo. “Nico was a guy of feeling. I remember so many times warming up for matches, and after 15 minutes he would stop and say ‘I'm okay. ’ I respect that, of course. I think coaches need to adjust to what players need at that moment, and I respect that every time, but with Marcelo, it's something really different. It’s never happened that after 15 minutes he says to me ‘No, I'm okay’.”

That relentless mindset has paid off. In addition to two Grand Slam titles, Bernardo helped Arevalo, alongside Pavic, earn the Year-End ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by PIF honours last year for the first time. More recently, Arevalo and Pavic became just the sixth team in history to complete the coveted ‘Sunshine Double’ of winning back-to-back ATP Masters 1000 titles in Indian Wells and Miami.

Marcelo Arevalo and Yari Bernardo celebrate at the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals. Photo: Yari Bernardo.

Yet despite the career-defining wins that amounted to that feat, Bernardo’s most cherished memories with Arevalo were born not under the bright lights of Grand Slam glory, but in the high-pressure crucible of Davis Cup ties.

“With Marcelo, some of the top, emotional moments [were] in key matches in the Davis Cup,” said Bernardo. “One was against Zimbabwe in Group II, and the other one was against Jordan. They were key matches: Marcelo was playing singles, fighting like a lion and winning like a brave soldier.

“Of course, winning the French Open in 2022 and 2024 was a highlight. But for me, personally, these moments in the Davis Cup were highlights of our playing relationship, that's for sure.”

That emotional fire is something Arevalo brings to every match, regardless of the occasion. He is known as one of the most animated doubles players on the ATP Tour, but finding the right on-court dynamic alongside the more stoic Pavic has been a balancing act.

“They are two completely different players,” Bernardo says of Arevalo and Pavic. “With Marcelo, if he doesn't pump himself, me or the people outside up, he cannot compete. He needs to feel the energy from outside, we need this energy always, but we need to also have a balance because we don't want to bother Mate. He has his own way to get in that precise moment of the match. So we need to balance the two players there.”

Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic in action at the 2025 Australian Open. Photo: Peter Staples.

It’s a balance that seems to be working, however. Supported by their wider team, Arevalo and Pavic have proven their compatibility at the very highest level.

“You don't think about the final, you don't think about winning, you think about the next match,” Bernardo explains. “This is what we do. Me, Marcelo, Mate’s coach, Oliver Marach, our other coach Carlos Teixeira. This is what we all do. We go match by match. But after winning two Masters 1000s, of course you look back and say ‘Hey listen, we did good’. It's not easy.”

Yet Bernardo and Arevalo’s mission together goes beyond trophies. They are passionate about using their success to elevate tennis in El Salvador, a country where the sport still takes a backseat to more traditional pastimes. One of the key pillars of that effort is Arevalo’s Tennis Academy, Forty Love.

“We are trying to move this sport much more in El Salvador,” says Bernardo. “It's not easy. El Salvador is a country of food, football, of soccer. With a figure like Marcelo, I think it's his job, my job and also his brother's job. The Salvadoran Tennis Federation is growing. We are trying to help the best kids growing up. We are trying to bring professional tennis out.”

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