It was around a delicious coffee that we were able to exchange with Maximiliano Sanchez. For those who do not know him yet, the native of Villa Mercedes, in Argentina also nicknamed “el tiburon” (the shark), was world number 1 in 2018 alongside his friend Sanyo Gutiérrez.

Back on his first contacts with the pala and on his journey from his childhood in Argentina until today.

Roland-Garros: the pinnacle

“It's an idyllic place for us, players of padel. We never thought we could come and play here. Two years ago this was unthinkable. the padel made an incredible leap forward. It fills me with joy and pride because I love this sport and I want to see it in these magnificent stadiums (Foro Italico, Roland-Garros ..)”.

“It's hard to put into words the atmosphere that emanates from this place. For a sportsman it is the pinnacle. To be in this emblematic place is to feel 100% professional, to tell yourself that all the work done for so many years is finally bearing fruit. Thousands of players have passed through this central pitch, we admired them on television and today it is our turn.”

“I called my father to tell him that I wanted to turn professional”

"I started on padel when I was very young, in my hometown of Villa Mercedes, San Luis in Argentina. I must have been 6 or 7 years old. My brothers also played padel and every weekend we traveled several kilometers to participate in competitions. It was this social aspect that I also liked because I had the chance to make lots of friends during this period.

Around 15, 16 years old I saw that I was in condition to do tournaments and I liked that, to train, to work to be competitive on the track. This is where I made my debut on the professional circuit in Argentina. When I turned 18, I made the decision to go to Spain because that was where all the greatest players in this sport were. When I participated in my first competition in Marbella, I still remember very well, I fell in love with the Spanish pro circuit as well as the country. So I called my dad to tell him that's what I wanted to do: become a professional padel.

From that moment on I got into it 100% and in 2008 I moved to Spain to come and train and become a professional player.”

“Today there are more circuits than before”

“It was not easy for me to come to Spain.
Today there is a lot of competition with several circuits that allow young people to climb the ladder in order to reach the heights. Moreover, from an economic point of view the padel is getting better and better and as you said, young people can return more easily to Argentina to find their families. It's true that when you're young and to achieve your goals you have to leave your home, your country for another place thousands of miles away, it can be hard. In addition to training and competition which is very intense, our minds put us to the test.

The fact that today there are more circuits allows more and more young people to get into competition."

“The APT is a great circuit”

“The APT is a great circuit, an important structure which helps enormously the padel to develop. As I told you, it's an additional option for young people who want to embark on a professional circuit. There are many stages in Latin America which allows young people from the continent to get a foothold more easily in the competition.

It also helps the padel to grow very quickly and I think that's great.”

“I hope that the circuits unite”

We could see that this year the players were not idle.
Indeed some will participate in no less than 34 stages spread over two circuits. A choice made a few months ago by players betting on the new official circuit of the FIP, Premier Padel.

"Yes 34 tournaments in the year is hard but we decided to bet on this new circuit and we are happy to be present here today. We will give everything this season and next year to participate in all possible events. We have obligations to the World Padel Tour as well as Premier Padel but we will make the effort to do everything to grow the padel. And then we'll see what happens.

Today Premier Padel gives itself the means to develop the padel and put it where it deserves. We will see if in two years a union is possible between the two entities and I hope there will be one for the good of the padel. I really hope that there will be a union between the circuits so that it is beneficial to our discipline and I really want to believe in it."

“A good season with Lucho”

“I am a player who has achieved all his goals in his career. Today my goal is to be competitive and feel at my best. the padel has become very competitive and I hate losing (laughs): I want to win every match, tournament after tournament.

With I fight Capra we want to win titles, that's our primary objective. Succeed in scoring more points each time, win matches and try to play as many finals as possible."

Maxi Sanchez and Lucho Capra

“Kuikma is a very professional brand”

“When Decathlon thought of me to start a partnership, I thought it was brilliant because it's a very big brand. I think we work well together, we manage to improve a lot of things and I feel even more pro because it's the most professional brand I've had the chance to work with”.

Maxi, rocker at heart?

It is common for players to listen to music before games, to relax or get motivated. It's a big part of their pre-game ritual to shut themselves off and immerse themselves in their bubble.

What about Maxi? Failing to make it a routine, “el tiburon” tells us a little more about the style of music he listens to.

“I love music, I listen to a lot of Argentinian rock and in Madrid we are lucky that some bands come to perform on stage. Right now I'm particularly fond of a Uruguayan band called “No te va a gustar”. It's the type of music that makes me disconnect and that I like the most”.

Victorious this Thursday against Miguel Yanguas and Javier Nieto, Maxi Sanchez and his partner will play this Friday afternoon against their compatriots Juan Tello and Federico Chingotto for a 100% Albiceleste face-to-face!

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.

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