Piccooooo! An Interview With Juan Monaco
Sunday, August 21, 2011 at 1:07PM 
Pico, Juan, Piquito, Picaño - whatever you want to call him - is by far the most down-to-earth, fun, giggly, genuinely nice player that I have been able to sit down and interview.
He makes us all laugh on Twitter with his Spanglish chats with Andy Murray and "Johnny" Isner, and with his spur-of-the moment twit-cam Q & A's, so I was very excited to talk with him one-on-one.
He was a little bit concerned that his English wasn't good enough for this interview, but it wasn't a problem at all. It's a little hard to get it to translate on paper, but I honestly laughed so hard during this interview, that I almost cried. I hope you enjoy reading this half as much as I enjoyed talking to him!
Q. We all call you Pico, but how did you get that nickname?
Pico: For my father. The friends of my father, they call me Pico and I was the first man in the family after my father, so friends of my father call me Piquito at the beginning when I was a child, but then I grow up a little bit and they start to call me Pico. I’m like Pico Jr.
Q. Do you have any other nicknames?
Pico: No, no. They just call me Pico or Juan, my name, or, I don’t know - Piquaño, Picacha, it’s like, kind of Pico.
(Asks Austin Nunn, media and marketing manager for the ATP World Tour, for a translation into English)
Pico: It’s very strange.
Austin: You take the name and you can use all the different endings on it.
Pico: Many, many, many things about Pico, like Pico, Picaña, Piquito, Picacha.... (Tons of Laughter)
Pico: Funny.
Q. I know that you and Rafael Nadal are close on the tour, how did you guys become friends?
Pico: Because when I was 14 years old I live in Spain so we start playing the professional tournaments at the same time, so we know each other from there and we have a very good friendship. Not from the professional tour but from the beginning, from the small tournaments, like futures, and satellites, from when we play at the same time in Spain.
Q. I also know that you are friends with John Isner and yesterday he tweeted a picture of you with a Panthers jersey. Do you actually follow American football?
Pico: I follow. Yeah, yeah. I like so much. I like so much. I have to say that last year, I was a Steelers fan, but this year I changed a little bit because of my friendship with Johnny. He talked so much to me about the Panthers, so this year I’m going to follow the Panthers and he bring me the shirt so I’m happy for that and I am ready for the season.
Q. Are you going to wear the jersey when you watch the games?
Pico: It’s too big!! (tons of laughter) I’m going to use it sometimes, of course.
Q. What is your favorite thing to do when you are not playing tennis?
Pico: Twitter. (laughter) Watch some sports, soccer, Argentinian soccer, then NFL, then to watch movies on my computer, and to spend time with my friends. I don’t know, I’m like quiet person, normal person.
Q. If you weren’t playing tennis, what do you think you would be doing?
Pico: You know, my family, I have my mother, my sister and they are architects. They've made some constructions.
(I check my recorder to make sure it is working)
Pico: Is it working?
Me: It is, it is I’m just triple checking. (laughter)
Pico: I think if I wouldn’t be tennis player I'd follow my family ideas. I’d be an architect or something like engineering or construction, something like that.
Q. Are you good at drawing?
Pico: Not so good, (laughter) but when I was child I like it, but now I don’t know anything about it.
Q. Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?
Pico: From now? Next 10 years? (throws his hands behind his head) Relaxed, some nice place after running a lot since 6 years old. I don’t know, I don’t know. Really, maybe something involved in tennis. I don’t know if I want to be coach, I don’t see my future flying, taking planes all the time, being on the tour. But, maybe I teach some tennis to the kids, I don’t know, I have to see. I just live my life day by day and it’s difficult to think from now to 10 years later.
Q. What is something that annoys you?
Pico: To see my soccer team lose. For sure.
Q. And which is your soccer team?
Pico: Estudiantes de La Plata. We have a very big team in Argentina.
Me: Yeah?
Pico: Yeah.
Me: I’ll have to check it out.
Pico: Check it out.
Q. What are you most afraid of?
Pico: I’m not afraid of big things but maybe now after a lot of time, the planes. I’m scared a little bit, because I am getting tired to get to the airport and take the planes. I’m scared a little bit. A little bit, not afraid like I can’t sleep. But I don’t have big fears.
Q. Do you have any lucky charms that you take with you on the court?
Pico: I have some rituals, but yes, I bring rosary beads with a cross. I bring this to every match that I play, on my racket bag, always. To be saved.
Q. What is your favorite movie?
Pico: I have many. But about warriors, like 300, have you seen that?
Me: Yeah it’s really good.
Pico: Gladiator, and many like King Arthur, some of that. Some kind of that movies. I like so much.
Q. What is the last thing that you read?
(A long conversation with Austin begins in Spanish and so I rephrase and say, "what is the last book you read?")
Pico: Ahhh. I thought you said “to rent.” (laughter) I think, uh, girls magazine. Naw, (laughter) I don't like to read that.
Q. You don’t like girls magazines?
Pico: No, they talk about many things about men so I don’t want to read something about that. I don’t like. (laughter)
Q. What is your favorite city?
Pico: I have many. But Madrid, then Tokyo, Miami, and Rome, and my city of course,Tandil.
Q. What is your favorite food?
Pico: Meat.
Q. Just meat?
Pico: Meat. Everyday.
Q. Any type of meat?
Pico: We have many in Argentina. We are famous, famous country about our meats, so we have good ones there. I like so much.
Q. What is your favorite type of music?
Pico: I like some bands: U2, Coldplay, so quiet music. Like for relax. I like so much.
Me: You really like to relax.
Pico: Yeah I like to relax. (smiles)
Q. What is your most embarrassing moment?
Pico: It’s tough. I have some embarrassing moment. When I was child and you try to get some girl maybe. (tons of laughter) And you see that you don’t have any chance. Maybe then. So many moments, when I was child. Now I know where to go.
Q. And where is that?
Pico: Where I have a big chance, otherwise I don’t take it.
Q. Who is your celebrity crush?
Pico: Jessica Alba. Like so much. I am so in love. I follow her on Twitter. (tons of giggling)
Q. Do you have a girlfriend?
Pico: No, not at the moment. Before I had one, but not now.
Q. What do you look for in a girl?
Pico: I think to find simple girl, simple, like not a famous girl, but simple like me, like I was, I don’t know, a family guy you know, like city girl, quiet girl.
Q. If there was a fire and there was only one thing you could save, not a person, what would you save?
Pico: My soccer team shirt. I guess.
Q. You have a lot of shirts though, right? But you mean your Argentinian team?
Pico: Yes. I have many, many, because I know many soccer players. Argentinian players, they play around the world so I know many of them and they bring me some t-shirts because they know I am a big fan of soccer, so I have many, many.
Q. How many do you think you have?
Pico: Seventy, eighty. Many, many. Really many.
Q. If you could have one superhero ability, what would it be?
Pico: Um, I think to be in one place and think another place and to be in the same moment in another place. What is the word? (to Austin) Teletransportation. Can be that?
Me: Yeah
Pico: Ok. That one. So I am here now, and I want to be in my city in one second, I am in my city. One second (laughter) The best one.
Either/Or Questions. The one in bold is the one that he chose
Facebook or Twitter
Coke or Pepsi
Blond or Brunette
Shower or Bath
Boxers or Briefs
Would you rather lose your hair or your teeth?
Dog or Cat
Q. Do you have any pets?
Pico: Two dogs. Pincha and Belcha (Sorry Pico, I’m not sure if I spelled that right)
Q. What kind of dogs do you have?
Pico: German Shepard
Q. Beer or wine?
Pico: Depends. On the day maybe beer. On the night, wine.
Q. Oceans or Mountains?
Pico: Tough. A mix of that would be perfect. But, oceans.
Q. Money or Fame?
Money to be safe.
Q. Now or later?
Now, the moment.
If you don't already, please follow him on Twitter. You won't regret it!
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