Jesús Moya: I didn't know if I could play again one day

Padel Magazine goes to meet one of the most promising players in the World Padel Tour, Jesús Moya Sos. Originally from Melilla, this very endearing character is already 29th in the WPT ranking despite his 21 years! And this having been sidelined for more than a year because of health problems, he tells us his story.

At only 16, he beats two stars of World Padel Tour

Padel Magazine : Jesús, to begin with, can you tell us a little about your beginnings in the padel ? When did you realize that you could turn professional?

Jesús Moya: I started playing padel when I was 5 years old. At that time I was already playing tennis and football, and I loved both sports. But my parents always played padel, so it was natural to get started. But in the end I think I preferred tennis and football! So I started to do these three sports at the same time. I had so much energy that it was okay to do three activities at once!

Very early on, Christian Volpe, a coach of padel well-known, who today works for the World Padel Tour, offered to train me because he thought I had potential. I remember a tournament in Melilla where several professionals played, and I won the title with Uri Botello. We beat Juan Martin Diaz / Sebastian Nerone, and Alvaro Cepero / Maxi Grabiel the next day! It was crazy ! I was 16 at the time, and that's when I really understood that I had a chance to turn professional. I had just moved to Malaga to train and I told myself that I had made the right choice!

Padel Magazine : Today you are already part of the Top 30 with your teammate Francisco Gil. What are your short and long term goals? Do you see yourself in the Top 20 soon?

Jesús Moya: Today my goal is to improve myself little by little. The ranking is not that important, it is updated every week and it does not necessarily reflect the level of play. For me what really matters right now is to progress, to play well. Finally, sometimes you can play badly and win matches, and play well and lose. For example, I played badly during the Alfafar Challenger but we still made a semi-final, which is a good result! And once you're in the main draw, it necessarily depends a bit on the draw. So for now, the main objective is to improve myself day by day.

Then, yes, my goal, in the very long term, let's say, is to be one day number 1. That's what motivates me to train hard every day! ”

“I could have stayed there”

Padel Magazine : While you were on an upward slope, in 2019 you found yourself having a blank season due to health problems. Can you tell us more ?

Jesús Moya: “In 2019, I went to Madrid to train. We started early in the morning, it was cold, and I felt like I had lost strength in my hand, my fingers hurt. My colleagues confused me, they said it was because I came from Melilla and that I was not used to the cold! I went to the physiotherapist, he told me that I certainly had tendonitis in my wrist. I continued to train while doing sessions to treat tendonitis but it was harder and harder, the pains did not go away. It got so bad that I came to a point where I couldn't even cut a tomato!

Finally, I had more in-depth examinations which revealed that I had thrombosis in my wrist. I had to return to Melilla to be treated. The doctors told me that I could not continue to train. I was taking heparin but it wasn't really working. It was not easy, I was used to doing sports all the time and there I was going around in circles, and I was worried about my health. I had to go to several different hospitals to see specialists, to do some tests, to try to understand why it was not working.

Then one day, during an ultrasound, we realized that I actually had two more thromboses higher up in the forearm. We ended up seeing that I had an aneurysm in an artery higher up which was causing all these thromboses. Fortunately we realized it early enough because I could have stayed there, really. I had to have my operation but it was not without risk, my parents were very worried. It's been a really tough year for the whole family.

The operation went well and then I spent two months doing recovery sessions twice a day. I was in pain, I had no more strength in my right arm, but I absolutely wanted to be able to play the padel. I spent a lot of time in the weight room, and I eventually regained my strength. I was therefore able to return little by little to padel ! "

“Pass on my passion”

Padel Magazine : You are a powerful, aggressive player. Where does this style of play come from? Which players inspired you the most when you were young? ?

Jesús Moya: “My favorite player since childhood is Juan Martin Diaz, but I would say that the player who inspired me the most when I was young is Lamperti! A player who makes the show on the court, very charismatic, and inevitably with a very big smash!

Today, I love Paquito Navarro, because he has something that other people don't have. He has an incredible passion; he has a way of motivating himself. And I absolutely love his game, he's very strong, very talented. ”

Padel Magazine : You are necessarily a little young to think about retirement, but do you already have an idea of what you will want to do after your playing career?

Jesús Moya: “I would like to be a trainer, to pass on my passion for sport. It will sound crazy to you, but I can see myself as a basketball coach. This is what I would love to do. I follow the NBA all the time. But obviously the most logical thing would be to be a teacher of padel, which would obviously please me too. ”

Jesús in the foreground with his lucky charm, a Kobe Bryant jersey

“In general, I am interested in a lot of things, psychology in particular. I read books about it, I find it very interesting to be able to understand and help others. For me, life is not about doing things on your own while thinking only of yourself. I need to help people, to bring something to others so that I can be happy. So inevitably, after the padel I would like to do a job that allows me to flourish in this direction. ”

La Starvie Kraken Pro, for exceptional control

Padel Magazine : Finally, let's talk a bit about your racket, the StarVie Kraken Pro, which is distinguished by its reduced thickness (26mm against 38mm for most models). What does this special pala bring you?

Jesús Moya: I've been with StarVie for almost 2 years. Last year I was given several palas to try. I like to try new things, I don't stay in the routine. And there I saw this finer pala ...

“I played beach tennis when I was a teenager, and the Kraken really reminded me of a beach racket, so I wanted to try it right away… and I hooked straight away! By being lighter, it gives me maximum precision. I really feel excellent control. I like being able to try things from the back of the track and the handling of this pala is really perfect for that! ”

Xan Tafernaberry

Xan is a fan of padel. But also rugby! And his posts are just as punchy. Physical trainer of several padel, he unearths atypical posts or deals with topical subjects. It also gives you some tips to develop your physique for the padel. Clearly, he imposes his offensive style as on the field of padel !