Mike Yanguas begins a new season full of ambitions alongside Coki Nieto. The Spanish pair are seeded number 4 in the Riyadh Season P1. After a successful 2024 season marked by 1 title and several finals, notably with Franco Stupasuck, Yanguas is confidently looking ahead to 2025 and is aiming high. In an interview with Diario Sport, he looks back on his career, his goals and his adaptation to his new teammate.

A very positive 2024 season

Last year, Mike Yanguas reached a milestone by reaching several finals and winning at Newgiza P2 in Egypt. A progression that motivates him even more for 2025:
“Without a doubt, 2024 was the best year of my career. I finished in the top 3 of the pairs and I am very happy. I played two Major finals in Doha and Acapulco, a final in Kuwait and I won in Egypt. I am very happy.”

Now associated with Coki Nieto, he knows that adaptation is essential and that he must quickly find his bearings.

A duo that is being built

Adapting to a new partner is always a challenge, but Yanguas approaches this transition with enthusiasm:
“As a padel player, you have to adapt quickly. Sometimes you can't wait and decisions are made quickly. The project with Coki is motivating. We've played together before, which is an advantage. I think it's going to go well.”

The pair start the season with elevated status, which brings added pressure:
“We start the season as the number 4 seed. That means we have to be at least in the semi-finals, but why not aim higher, reach finals and win tournaments?”

How did the pair with Nieto form?

After his split with Franco Stupaczuk, Mike Yanguas took a few days to think before deciding on Coki Nieto:
“Franco called me to tell me he was changing his project for 2025. I waited a few days, talked with my father and my team. They all thought Coki was the best option. I called him, he was excited about the idea, and that's how we decided to join forces.”

This choice was not made by chance, because Nieto has qualities that complement his own:
“Coki is a super humble person, always positive, which helps a lot in training. He brings stability and, this year, he plays more aggressively. We want to be a pair that puts pressure on and closes points quickly.”

A clear objective: the top of the rankings

Yanguas does not hide his ambitions and wants to reach the highest level with Nieto:
“The goal is clear: to become world number 1. I have been thinking about it for years, and I feel more mature today. We worked well in pre-season and I feel ready.”

But to compete with teams like Coello / Tapia, he knows that the challenge is immense:
“Coki has already beaten them (in the final of the Barcelona finals). That proves that it is not impossible. But you have to be mentally strong and maintain a very high level for at least an hour and a half.”

A perfectionist player who knows himself well

While Yanguas knows he has to improve, he also recognizes that his demands can be a challenge in this new association:
“I am very perfectionist on my shots, sometimes a little too hard on myself. I hope Coki will remain calm about that, because he is an easy-going player. We have to keep a good balance.”

A critique of arbitration

Finally, Yanguas gives his opinion on an often criticized point: arbitration. For him, certain decisions should be better supervised:
“I wouldn’t change the rules, but we need better-prepared referees. We should have line judges to avoid certain mistakes. We are sometimes at the centre of controversies not because of bad refereeing, but because the decisions taken are not precise enough.”

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 !

On the same subject

Tags