In the middle of an American tour, Carlos Alcaraz took a little break from the tennis courts to watch, for the very first time, to a live professional padel tournament. Is the Motorola Razr Miami Premier Padel P1 that the Spaniard, freshly eliminated from the ATP 1000 Miami, took a seat in the VIP stand to experience the men's semi-finals in the front row.
And he did not hide his enthusiasm:
“Yes, the truth is that I love padel. I play whenever I get the chance, depending on my schedule. This is the first time I've seen it live, and I'm really excited. Watching a match like this, in real life, is incredible.”
Installed alongside racquet legends like Fernando Belasteguin, now tournament director, Alcaraz was able to speak with Luigi Carraro (president of the FIP) and David Suggen (CEO of Premier Padel). While Chingotto and Galán were fighting a fierce battle against Nieto and Yanguas, Carlitos vibrated to the rhythm of the points, impressed by the quality of the game.
The Spanish tennis star also revealed a special bond with Arturo Coello, world number 1:
“When he came to see me here in Miami, we got along right away. I told him that one day he should try playing doubles tennis with me… and I’ll play padel with him. We’ll do it one day.”
If the ATP 1000 Miami did not meet his expectations, The Murcian keeps his head high and now turns to its favorite surface:
“Yes, I'm already preparing for the clay court season. I'm really looking forward to it.”
By then, it's not impossible to see him hanging around a padel court again... or even, why not, with a pala in hand.