This time, there will be no final dance in Madrid.  47 years , for his last professional season,  Miguel Lamperti  He had hoped to compete one last time in the main draw of the Madrid P1. After his wild card request was denied, the Argentinian had to earn his place on the court. He ultimately lost in the qualifying rounds.

Associated to  Octavio Álvarez Lamperti was beaten by  Javi Valdés / Miguel Benítez  at the end of a two-hour fight:  2/6 7/5 4/6 .

An elimination that means one of the most popular figures in the history of padel is out.  will not play one last time in front of the Movistar Arena crowd .

A final two-hour battle

Lamperti / Álvarez tried everything, though.

After losing the first set  6/2 The Argentinian pair managed to hang on and snatch the second set  7/5  and push Valdés / Benítez into a third set.

But the comeback stopped there. In the decisive set, Valdés and Benítez made the difference to clinch the victory.  6/4  after approximately two hours of gameplay.

A defeat that meant elimination for Lamperti, but above all...  last appearance in Madrid away from the main draw and its grand stands .

No wild card for his farewell

This is undoubtedly what gives this elimination a particular dimension.

Before the tournament,  Miguel Lamperti had requested a wild card for the main draw , with the hope of being able to bid farewell to the Madrid public at the Movistar Arena.

The organization had chosen not to grant him this invitation.

From a sporting perspective, the decision could be defended: wild cards are limited and can be used to reward young players, local pairs or projects considered a priority by the organization.

But in Lamperti's case,  The weight of history inevitably makes the decision harder to accept. .

At 47, the Argentinian is playing his final months on the circuit. Having lived in Madrid for many years, he has a special relationship with the Spanish capital and remains one of the most popular players with the public.

A farewell away from the spotlight

The consequence is quite brutal:  Miguel Lamperti's last match in Madrid was therefore in qualifying. , at the Pro Padel Coslada, far from the atmosphere he might have experienced in the main draw.

No grand entrance at the Movistar Arena, no final match in front of several thousand people.

A bitter end in Madrid for a player who has marked more than two decades of professional padel with his game, his charisma and his closeness with the public.

The scene contrasts sharply with the one that awaits  Alejandra Salazar She too is engaged in her last professional season and will have the opportunity to bid farewell to the Madrid public in the main draw.

After Buenos Aires, history repeats itself

This scenario is particularly reminiscent of what had already happened a few months earlier in  Buenos Aires P1 .

For his last appearance in Premier Padel In his home country, Lamperti had also not received a wild card for the main draw. Along with Martín Abud, he had to go through qualifying and lost to  Franco Dal Bianco / Facundo López ,  6 / 2 7 / 6 .

The tournament then paid tribute to him in front of  over 13,000 spectators at Parque Roca , but from a sporting perspective, he had not been able to afford this last match in the main draw.

In Madrid, history repeats itself, this time without the possibility of making up for it on the track.

An exit that is inevitably difficult to accept

Lamperti had built his career on his fighting spirit, and he tried until the very end. Down a set in his last match in Madrid, he came back before finally succumbing in the deciding set.

But this time,  The track did not allow him to earn the farewell he had hoped for. .

Just months before his retirement, "Canoso" leaves Madrid through the back door of the qualifiers. A discreet exit for a player who, for over twenty years, rarely left the public indifferent.

 Miguel Lamperti will no longer play in the main draw of a professional tournament in Madrid. And for a figure of such importance in the history of padel, the end inevitably leaves a bitter taste. 

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 !

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