Here already  5 years that Elias Estrella has tragically passed away  in a traffic accident. And the world of padel continues to mourn one of its brightest jewels.

An Argentinian padel prodigy

Originally from Rosario, Argentina, Elias is a child who tries all sports and is noted for his skills with both a racket in his hand and a ball at his feet. Like many young people from Rosario, he first dreams of following in the footsteps of Lionel Messi, before devoting himself exclusively to padel at the age of 15.

Very quickly,  he becomes the local benchmark for his age category  and even became the number 1 of all the teams he belonged to, whether in his club or in national selections. Having reached the top of Argentine padel at only 17 years old,  he decided in 2012 to embark on the WPT adventure  alongside his compatriot Juan Cruz Belluati.

A promising start on the WPT

The Argentinian press is then convinced of it, it holds there the one who will be the future world number 1, it could not be otherwise. Elias Estrella is described there as " a pure prodigy of his sport, full of class and charisma , which is improving dramatically day by day ”.

elias estrella clenched fists

After two seasons at the Belluati coast, Estrella decided in 2015 to join forces with Andrés Britos. Together they will have an excellent season, marked in particular by this Master of Malaga where  the young NOX doublet reaches the 1/8 finals  by offering a spectacular and refreshing game. A birth certificate, a promise for the future.

It was precisely at the end of this revelation season that he was contacted by  his idol Gabriel Reca to play the 2016 season with him . 40 years old, Reca saw in Elias Estrella the ideal companion to give him that little boost he needed. He said of Estrella thus: “He is a very complete player, technically excellent, fast and with great power in his strikes. He covers a lot of ground and he has a great future, I'm sure he will be one of the very best."

A broken fate

Filled with illusions, Estrella returns to the country during the holiday season to enjoy her family while waiting for the start of the new season. But fate suddenly came to remind us that we are all just passing through.

While he had to go to Paraguay for an exhibition,  Elias Estralla was involved in a terrible traffic accident with his friend Martin Di Nenno,  January 16, 2016. Unlike Martin, Elias did not survive this accident. He was barely 20 years old.

Five years have passed since that tragic day when the destiny of a rising padel star was shattered.  The rising star has turned into a shooting star  and the whole padel family mourns this talented and kind young boy who showed great promise.

A legacy to celebrate

Even today, the world of padel does not forget this kid from Rosario who knew how to make an impression both with his quality on the court and with his generosity, humility and joy of life off it. And the tributes to Elias Estrella continue, whether in Argentina or in Spain.

On the occasion of the last Master which took place in Menorca, it was thus possible to see the name of Elias Estrella displayed in large size on the walls of one of the biggest clubs on the island. At Padel Indoor Granollers, on the outskirts of Barcelona, ​​the club where he trained and gave lessons to children, a mini museum in his memory has been created.

The WPT also honors the memory of Elias by awarding  an eponymous trophy to the player designated as the revelation of the season , trophy received in particular by Juan Lebron in 2019 .

elias estrella reverse

Malick N'diaye padel columnist

If tennis is a sport that drives you crazy, then multiply that madness by 2 and you get padel.

Expat in Malaga, passionate about sports and photography, Malick immediately fell for padel. If you don’t find him on a court working on his “bandeja”, he will surely be hiking, GoPro in hand.

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