Nano Fernandez: Carrying Peru's Hopes on His Forehand

It's 10-9. Three sets to two. Championship point for Nano.

He wipes his hand along the side of the table, the ritual every table tennis player knows, drying sweat, steadying nerves, buying one precious breath of composure. He steps back. Inhales deeply. Returns to position.

The serve cuts sharp toward his opponent's forehand. The return comes as a desperate chop, slicing back toward Nano's backhand corner.

But Nano has already moved.

He steps around the backhand side, loads up, and unleashes a devastating forehand topspin that screams across the table into his opponent's backhand.

The ball hits. The opponent lunges. Too late.

The crowd erupts.

He isn't just playing for himself. On his shoulders rest the quiet hopes of a federation, a country, and a sport still learning how to dream.

Growing Up in Lima's National Center

Nano Hernández grew up in Lima's national training center, where he spent most of his childhood as the youngest player on Peru's senior national team. From age nine onward, he trained alongside his idols, playing matches with players he looked up to, learning from veterans who treated him like a son.

The national center had good facilities, nothing extravagant, but solid training conditions. But Peru's tournament environment was different. Bad lighting. Old tables. Worn-out balls. Poor conditions forced Nano to adapt.

"It actually helped me a lot," he says. "I learned to be adaptable."

And sometimes, the senior players made sure he stayed humble. One time, they stuffed him in a trash can. Nano laughs about it now. "It was a joke. That kind of stuff gave me a good attitude growing up."

Nano in action, representing Peru with pride and determination

From Taekwondo to Table Tennis

But table tennis wasn't Nano's first sport. When he was six or seven, he trained in taekwondo three days a week, sharing the hall space with table tennis players. Ping. Pong. Ping. Pong. He fell in love with the sound of the ball. So he signed up.

If Nano could go back and speak to his younger self, he'd tell him what an amazing journey was about to begin, to enjoy every moment as much as he could. On the other hand, he'd tell his 9-to-11-year-old self to practice harder.

Table tennis, according to Nano, didn't just shape him, it made him. Born with cognitive and muscular challenges, he was extremely shy and asocial as a child. But sport, combined with his extraordinary family upbringing, changed everything. He became someone he never imagined he could be.

Fighting Uphill

But for all the community warmth and good training, there was a barrier Nano couldn't overcome alone: the federation itself.

Without his family's investment, Nano is certain he wouldn't be where he is today. The emotional support from the community was always there, though. Peruvians are friendly, laid-back, and always supportive. But structurally, systematically, he was fighting uphill.

"If it wasn't for my family's investment, I wouldn't be here," he says.

Things are changing now. The new federation president, Ms Magali Montes, is trying to do things right, recruiting players, hiring great coaches, and building infrastructure, according to Nano.

A New World in Spain

2023 wasn't only filled with victories for Nano. During the first half of the year, he achieved some of the best results of his life. Everything was clicking. But during the second half, he moved to Madrid to start university.

It was chaos.

The high cost of living forced him to work. Life got so busy he barely had time to practice, and when he did, the sessions were mediocre. He was going to quit table tennis to focus on his life.

Thankfully, he didn't. His determination and his parents' support kept him going. Everything got better.

But Nano misses Peru.

"There, it's more chill and relaxed. People play for passion, for fun," he explains. "In Spain, most people play for money, which is totally understandable; it's how they make a living. But it's different."

The contrast taught Nano something about himself: he didn't just fall in love with table tennis. He fell in love with Peruvian table tennis, the community, the warmth, and the way people support each other even when institutions fail them.

Life Balance

Nano is now a third-year university student and a "semi-professional" player. He's living happily, disconnecting from the game by taking lonely, relaxing walks through Madrid, listening to music before and after practice. And, most importantly, university keeps him busy LOL.

Nano's table tennis dream? Represent Peru at the Olympics. And if he won a major medal, he'd dedicate it to his mother and father. What goes through his mind before a major point? Sometimes nerves, sometimes tactics, and sometimes just random things like food or movies. He's really distracted in tense moments.

A Vision for Peru

In twenty years, Nano sees himself running table tennis clubs around Peru, probably being some kind of leader in Peruvian sport. He's not sure where life will take him next, but one thing he's certain of: in his future, he'll be working toward something great for his country.