Le Prince Albert II of Monaco took advantage of his presence at 20th Mediterranean Games of Taranto to attend several padel matches on Tuesday. A passionate fan of the sport and an amateur player himself, the Monegasque sovereign also took to the central court to play the quarter-final coin toss between the French pair Timéo Fonteny / Yoan Boronad and the Portuguese pair Miguel / Nuno Deus .
Albert II close to the players
After meeting Massimo Ferrarese , chairman of the organizing committee, as well as members of the Games and the International Federation of Padel (FIP) Albert II watched several matches from the VIP stand of the Parco Mediterraneo Salinella .
He then spoke with several leading figures on the international circuit: the Portuguese Sofia Araújo , current member of the world's top 10, former number 1 Lucia Sainz and Patty Llaguno , as well as the Italian women Carolina Orsi and Giorgia Marchetti accompanied by their coach Marcela Ferrari .
A France-Portugal match featuring Fonteny and Boronad
The Prince's presence on the track preceded one of the important posters on the men's card: Fonteny / Boronad versus the Deus brothers .
The two Frenchmen had won their first match against the Egyptians Mohamed Aboulkassem / Mohammad Nasr (6/4 6/4) Facing them, Miguel and Nuno Deus represent one of the main forces of Portugal, the nation that won the silver medal at the FIP Euro Padel Cup 2025 .
A historic first at the Mediterranean Games
This visit is taking place for the padel's first appearance as a medal sport at the Mediterranean Games In Taranto, 88 players representing 18 nations are involved in three competitions: men's, women's and mixed.
The first Mediterranean medals in the history of padel will be awarded. Friday 28 August .
The presence of Albert II of Monaco , a self-declared padel enthusiast, thus offers an additional spotlight to a discipline which continues its integration into major international multi-sport events.
Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.
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