Agustin Tapia is a key player in padel global. As he did with Franco Stupaczuk, Lorenzo Lecci Lopez was able to discuss with him during a Live Instagram (which took place before the Lima / Tapia victory at Las Rozas) to get to know him better from his beginnings in Argentina to the summits of World Padel Tour.

“I grew up between football and padel"

Lorenzo Lecci Lopez: Before talking about the great Tapia of the WPT, can we talk a little more about Agustin. How did you start the padel in Argentina ?

Agustin Tapia : “I started when I was 9 years old. My family was starting to take an interest in this sport, I played football and at the age of 14 I had to make a choice between these two sports, and it was at this precise moment that I got started in earnest. in the padel. "

Lorenzo Lecci Lopez: Can you tell us about your arrival in Spain. It must be very difficult to leave your country for another continent.

Agustin Tapia: “It was indeed difficult but I got used to it quite quickly because when I was little I regularly went far from home to compete in tournaments.
It was not the first time that I left my family that's why when I was 18 when I arrived here it didn't seem that difficult to me. ”

“Playing with Bela was a wonderful experience”

Lorenzo Lecci Lopez: Let's talk a bit about the Bela - Tapia duo. When you got together the public and the media were in awe of this union and in addition the results ended up arriving (Master Final Madrid 2020). Do you think it was a good decision to stop this collaboration? 

Agustin Tapia : “It was a great experience to be able to play with Bela, I was able to learn a lot but in the end we made this decision because we both play on the left side.
By playing a few months on the right, I was able to improve over the matches thanks to a lot of training but my position on the track remains “el Revés”. ”

Lorenzo Lecci Lopez: By the way, you won the final Master by playing Drive, could you go back to the right side one day? 

Agustin Tapia: “At first I was a little reluctant, but now that I feel a lot more comfortable, we don't know what the future holds and if I had to go back to the right side I could do it without hesitation.”

“With Pablo we want a long-term association”

Lorenzo Lecci Lopez: Let's talk about the present. Can you tell us more about the Tapia - Lima pair. Is it an association for one year or do you have the goal of creating a viable project? 

Agustin Tapia: “For my part in my relations of padel, I am considering long-term projects. With Pablo we get to know each other a little more every day and I hope that this relationship will last over time. Everything will depend on the results. ”

Lorenzo Lecci Lopez: Speaking of results, they are starting to arrive from Marbella. You were finalists for the first time. Do you think this is the key moment to launch your season? 

Agustin Tapia: " I think so. The Marbella tournament has been very positive for us. It gave us a lot of self-confidence and we know that every game we play together can only help us improve. ”

 

“I work hard to be number 1”

Lorenzo Lecci Lopez: The padel is played more and more quickly, and you who are part of the youth of the sport, do you think that in order to win you have to have a fast game?

Agustin Tapia: ”I believe so, today the physical condition at padel is very important. You always have to be physically on top to be able to compete with the greatest players. ”

Lorenzo Lecci Lopez: Before concluding this interview I wanted to discuss your future with you. Do you see yourself number 1 in the world?

Agustin Tapia: “I know this is a very difficult goal to achieve in any sport, but for me the urge is there, and I'm ready to work hard to achieve it. My motivation is there to finish one day number 1. ”

Lorenzo Lecci Lopez: What do you think of current numbers 1, Lebron and Galan?

Agustin Tapia: “Personally I think this first place is deserved because they are working very hard on all aspects, physically and mentally. They do not relax their efforts and without counting their talent for padel, it helps them tremendously in this race for first place. There are games where they are unbeatable. ”

Lorenzo Lecci Lopez: What do you think are your strengths on the track? 

Agustin Tapia: “I would say attack. I have a very offensive game and I like being in an attacking position, I feel good there. ”

Lorenzo Lecci Lopez: In the women's circuit, which pair surprises you the most and which do you prefer? 

Agustin Tapia: ”Honestly at the moment I really like the playing style of Patricia Llaguno and Virginia Riera. I know Virginia well and I know she is a very talented player. ”

During this Instagram live, an internet user asked the young prodigy from Catamarca, if in two years he saw himself playing alongside Martin Di Nenno. To this question Tapia replied that we do not know what the future holds and that but that he would see himself playing with his compatriot because he greatly appreciates this player!

To see the video in its entirety (in Spanish), it's just below:

https://youtu.be/NOesaJ5MrqM

 

Sebastien Carrasco

Future naturopath and passionate about padel, Seb is the health/food gentleman of Padel Magazine. He juggles between pala, quinoa and essential oils. For almost two years now he has been dealing with the news of the little yellow ball with the same passion.