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 .

Mediterranean Games: Prince Albert II tossed by Fonteny / Boronad against the Deus brothers

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 .

2026 Mediterranean Games: Pothier/Bahurel and Fonteny/Boronad fall to stronger opponents in the quarterfinals

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

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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