Javi Garrido: “Tino and I could well be the revelation of this year”

Javi Garrido, recently began his collaboration with Tino Libaak during the Brussels P2 tournament. An unexpected association which follows the break with Martín Di Nenno , with whom he formed the fifth world pair at the start of the season. He spoke about this in an interview with Diario Sport For Garrido, this change came quickly, but did not surprise him.

“I didn't really expect it, but it was predictable. Neither Martín nor I had the best feeling.”

After receiving a call from Tino, Javi understood that things were about to change. Although their partnership has ended, he clarifies that the friendship with Martín remains intact :

“It’s a job, everyone does what they think is best for them.”
Partner changes: a challenge for players

The pace of partner changes on the tour is often criticized, but Javi is pragmatic on this point:

“That's how it is, it's on the agenda. But I think we need to give projects more time, work together, and see what we can do. A year might be reasonable.”

For him, this constant rotation sometimes makes it difficult to create a true dynamic as a couple. However, with Libaak, Javi hopes to find that essential chemistry.

Complicated beginnings

Their first match together was not a success. Beaten by Cepero and Torre after an initial set won 6 - 0 , the Garrido / Libaak pair experienced an unexpected collapse. But the Andalusian puts things into perspective:

“We played without even practicing together. It was weird.”

Although Javi lives in Madrid and Tino in Barcelona, both players intend to make efforts to adapt:

“I think Tino is one of the best right-hand players on the tour. If we complement each other well, we can do great things.”
Ambitions remain high

Despite this false start, the Andalusian does not lose sight of his objectives

“I always aim as high as possible. I don't set a specific number for myself, just the desire to get to where I deserve to be.”

With the current hegemony of COELLO/TAPIA and Chingotto/Galan , Garrido remains optimistic about the emergence of other competitive duos. He also welcomes the emergence of Cardona/Augsburger , which he considers to be the revelation pair of the start of the season.

“Tino and I could well be the revelation of this year.”

Benjamin Dupouy

I discovered padel directly during a tournament, and frankly, I didn't really like it at first. But the second time, it was love at first sight, and since then, I haven't missed a single match. I'm even ready to stay up until 3am to watch a final of Premier Padel !