At just 20 years old, paul cardona has become one of the most promising young players on the professional circuit. After bursting onto the scene alongside Paquito Navarro, the player from Mérida now plays with Leo Augsburg, a young, explosive… and already feared association. In an interview given to Marca, the Spaniard looks back on his beginnings, his ambitions, and his thoughts on the current world of padel.

A dream start to the season

From the first three tournaments of 2025, Cardona and Augsburger hit hard: they eliminated the two best pairs of the moment, Coello / Tapia et Chingotto / Galan. For Pablo, this progression is not surprising: "I knew we were capable of beating everyone. We have little training time, but from the pre-season, the feelings were very good."

However, he emphasizes the difficulty of facing the top pairs: "Against Coello and Tapia, you can't stick to a single strategy, because they can change it fifty times in a match. We focused on aggression, on taking the net, and it worked."

An obvious complementarity with Augsburger

Despite starting out outside the top 8, Cardona doesn't see his decision to join Leo as a step backward. "With Paquito, I ended up playing poorly. I was frustrated, I wasn't enjoying myself anymore. With Leo, we complement each other perfectly. It's the best long-term option." He acknowledges his need for stability, but remains clear-eyed about the ups and downs of the tour: "In the short term, we continue together. In padel, everything can change very quickly."

From frustration to reconstruction

While he acknowledges having had a "spotlight" with Paquito Navarro, Pablo admits that this period also highlighted his weaknesses: "I was inconsistent, I made too many unforced errors. You can't win against the best by making 15 or 20 unforced errors."

He also mentions a lack of enjoyment: "I played without confidence. I knew I had to improve, but I couldn't. I even lost the taste for competition." It was this difficult period in particular that convinced him to change projects to relaunch his career.

Objectives: top 8 and Tour Finals

For this season, Cardona is clearly aiming for a place among the top eight pairs of the circuit. His individual goal? To participate in the Master Final again. He also wants to demonstrate that he is capable of performing on all surfaces: "They tell us we specialize on fast tracks, but we're improving. In Miami, a slower track, we held our own against Lebrón and Stupa."

A clear look at the future of padel

Regarding the current tensions between circuits and players, Pablo remains optimistic: "The uncertainty is there, but it will eventually stabilize. Padel is growing very fast, perhaps too fast, but the arrow is pointing upwards." He believes that disagreements are normal in a sport in transition, but insists on the need to unite for the future.

Head on shoulders

When asked if success has gone to his head, Pablo answers sincerely: "Maybe after a good result. But padel quickly puts you back in your place." He also confides his need to return to his roots: "When I'm mentally tired, I go back to Mérida. It's my magical place to recharge my batteries."

Despite his young age, Pablo Cardona displays impressive maturity, a rare lucidity and an assumed ambition: "My goal is to reach my maximum. If that takes me to number 1, so much the better. But it's not an obsession. I want to progress, always."

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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