Long before becoming world number 1, Arturo Coello had already caught the eye of Nacho Coque. Bandeja, the official podcast of Premier Padel, his physical trainer recounts his beginnings with the young Spaniard at only 16 years old and reveals a quality that had particularly impressed him: his incredible involvement in physical work.

Today, Arturo Coello's power and athletic qualities seem almost inseparable from his game.

But this construction began long before his arrival at the top of the world padel scene.

In the second episode of Bandeja de Premier Padel,  Nacho Coque , who accompanied Coello in his physical preparation, recounts his first memories with the man who would become the "King".

Coello had only then  16 years .

"You quickly realize that you're not dealing with an ordinary person."

From their very first sessions, certain clues caught Nacho Coque's attention.

The young player obviously has an unusual build, but it's not just his height that catches the eye.

"When you meet a player like Arturo, you quickly realize you're not dealing with an ordinary person."

Coque describes a teenager who is still slim but already very well coordinated despite his tall stature.

He also perceives power and particularly interesting physical qualities.

"I started working with him when he was 16 years old, and I quickly realized that we were dealing with someone special."

However, be warned: no one could have predicted what would follow.

Coque emphasizes this point precisely.

Identifying exceptional potential does not mean knowing how far a player will go.

"You don't know the end of the road. You participate in the journey and you try to lay the small stones to make it the best it can be."

One thing particularly surprises his physical trainer

Beyond talent, one element will quickly impress Nacho Coque:  Coello's desire to work .

And in particular its relationship to physical preparation.

"He had an incredible desire to train."

Coque explains that young Arturo practically never missed a physical training session.

This behavior is far from insignificant at this age.

"It surprised me that, at such a young age, he never missed a physical training session, because it's sometimes quite difficult for young people who don't yet know clearly what they want."

Coello seems to have understood something essential very early on: improving his body allows him to directly improve his padel.

"I think he saw that as his physical qualities improved, his game also improved."

And Coque sums up his philosophy with a very simple question:

"Why do we do physical training? So you can play better."

The work that the public never sees

Nacho Coque's intervention becomes even more interesting when he addresses what he calls  "Invisible training" .

From the outside, a professional player may give the impression of having a large amount of free time.

For Coque, it's an illusion.

"When we look at an athlete, we think: that's all he does, he must have a lot of free time. That's wrong."

Because training doesn't stop when Coello leaves the track.

Nutrition, sleep, recovery, physiotherapy, care, recovery devices: all of these are integral parts of performance.

"Food is training. Rest is training."

Coque specifically mentions recovery boots or, for some athletes, sessions in a hyperbaric chamber.

All these routines take time.

Up to five or six hours a day

When you add up all these elements, the days become particularly busy.

A suitable breakfast, physical preparation, padel, recovery, physiotherapy, nutrition, travel and sometimes a second session: the day of a professional player is very different from the simple training visible to the fans.

Nacho Coque believes that on days with two sessions, the whole can represent  five to six hours daily to which must obviously be added the rest essential for recovery.

When Nacho Coque says stop, Coello listens

Alberto Bote also recounts a particularly revealing scene.

During a tournament in Gijón, he wanted to interview Coello. The player was perfectly willing to answer.

But before definitively accepting, he turns to Nacho Coque.

As if to ask:  Do I have time? 

Bote humorously sums up the scene: Coello agreed, but the one who made the decisions at that moment was Nacho.

The physical trainer confirms it.

Because after a match, certain minutes can be important.

He gives the example of a slightly inflamed elbow: quickly applying ice or starting a recovery protocol can allow you to be in better condition for the next match.

At this level,  every detail counts .

The defeat at Genoa 2024 is a perfect example of their method

The program also revisits an episode that illustrates this work culture.

In Genoa in 2024, Galán and Chingotto dominated Coello and Tapia in the final.

The two players then went on to play against Málaga.

They win the tournament but, instead of immediately enjoying a period of rest, their team decides to implement what is described in the show as a  "micro-preparation" .

The goal: to analyze, work, and start again on a new foundation.

According to Alberto Bote, this work then preceded a historic series of victories up to the Barcelona Finals.

Behind the "King," a construction begun at age 16

Coello's power is therefore not just the result of an exceptional physical heritage.

Behind the player we see today finishing points from his right side are years of preparation, recovery, and daily discipline.

Nacho Coque had detected something different when Coello was 16 years old.

He couldn't have known that the teenager would become world number 1.

But one thing was already visible:  Arturo Coello wanted to work. A lot. 

And several years later, this culture of detail is perhaps one of the least visible explanations for its dominance.

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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