Was it the umbrella that inspired Edas Butvilas to fulfill his professional dreams? | ATP Tour

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Was the umbrella what inspired Butvilas to pursue his professional dreams?

The 20-year-old recently won his first ATP Challenger Tour title

October 03, 2024

The players were awarded with their trophies, the champion and the final. Then came an additional prize: a big box of juice, a set of headlines, and an umbrella for the winner. For two eight-year-olds, this was a big difference.

Edas Butvilas cried when he received the umbrella. It was punches in the gut when his best friend, Vilius Gaubas, left the Lithuanian town of Palanga with a big cup and the coveted juice.

Years later, that moment shines through as both Butvilas and Gaubas are rising #NextGenATP stars enjoying promising starts on the ATP Challenger Tour.

“I lost in the final and I remember it well. I cried for a long time because I wanted a big box of juice and at that time I didn’t care at all about the umbrella, I gave it to my parents,” Butvilas told ATPTour.com.

“Losing was not that painful, but I saw what he got with the prizes, it really hurt. I still miss it. Sometimes I talk about it with Vilius.”

Entering the 2024 season, there were only two Lithuanian winners in Challenger history (since 1978): Ricardas Berankis and Laurynas Grigelis. Butvilas, who won last week’s Charleston Challenger, and Gaubas each won their first title at that level two months ago.

Gaubas is ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, five spots ahead of Butvilas. Both are aiming to qualify for the 20-and-under Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.

In Lithuania, a country with a small mark in the history of tennis, the future is bright.

“This is one of the best things that could happen, that we dreamed of,” Butvilas said of his rise alongside Gaubas. “We grew up together. We are equal so we dreamed together, we play together and now we wake up like this, it’s just a dream.”

Butvilas, who grew up in Klaipeda, started playing tennis at the age of two with his father Tomas, who is a tennis coach. When Butvilas was 11 years old, his mother, Dana, began taking him to international tournaments.

“I remember going with my mother in the car and we used to travel many kilometers together, just playing in many competitions,” said Butvilas. “Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, it’s really close. Poland, sometimes Germany, Austria. Sometimes I go to Iceland, I’ve been there twice, I’m thinking of playing Tennis Europe.”

Butvilas grew up idolizing Roger Federer and World No. “He showed that even if we come from a small country like Lithuania, we can do very well in tennis,” said Butvilas.

At the age of 15, Butvilas moved to Alicante, Spain to begin training at Club Atlético Montemar. Butvilas met with coach Ivan Navarro, who has been with the Lithuanian player for almost two years.

Butvilas last week achieved a milestone when he claimed his first ATP Challenger Tour title on the hard courts of Charleston, South Carolina. It was just his ninth appearance at the Challenger level.

Edas Butvilas wins his first ATP Challenger Tour title in Charleston, South Carolina.” style=”width:100%;” src=”https://www.atptour.com/-/media/images/news/2024 /09/ 30/16/59/butvilas-charlestonch-2024.jpg”>
^{Edas Butvilas wins the Challenger 75 event in Charleston. Credit: LTP Challenger}

Butvilas, now ranked World No. 261 in the PIF ATP Rankings, he became the first lucky undefeated Challenger champion since February 2023.

“It’s still hard to believe because I was very close to being out of this competition,” said Butvilas. “I lost in competitions and I got a place and lost by luck and everything went my way.

“The conditions there were really difficult, hot and humid. In the second qualifying round, I squeezed the last set and almost threw it. I was very upset. Then I got the losers spot and had to play the next day and I won 7-5 in the third. Mentally, I fought a lot that week.”

Still early in his career, Butvilas has learned an important lesson: the tide will turn in your favor if you stay strong.

“I lost a lot of close games this year. “My coach always told me that tennis can change quickly at any time,” said Butvilas. “I was just thinking, ‘Why don’t I do it this time?’”

Did you know?
Butvilas is the junior Slam doubles champion. He won the 2021 Wimbledon boys’ doubles event with Alejandro Manzanera Pertusa and the 2022 Roland Garros boys’ title with Mili Poljicak.