Pablo Lima is looking for a love story

At the microphone of the magazine journalists Marca, Pablo Lima addresses several subjects including that of staying as long as possible alongside Paquito Navarro.

Pablo Lima, finalist of the WPT Estrella Damm 2020 in Madrid, partner of Paquito Navarro and world number 4 answers questions from our Spanish colleagues.

How did you experience confinement?

It was difficult. At the very beginning it was brand new and I was pretty happy. But gradually it became heavy. It allowed me to think. I learned a lot of things: to be more patient, to take care of the people around me and to be more communicative with my wife. I’ve tried to improve things that I didn’t pay much attention to before.

Are you the state of the pandemic in Brazil?

The situation is worrying because we do not have the same structures as in Europe. The economic level is fragile and the aid is not the same as here. In Brazilian villages, there are a lot of social differences and it makes me sad to see a country so rich in so many things and go through so many problems. I am worried about my friends and family.

Were you able to train?

I took the opportunity to set up a small gym at home. Running, weights and equipment so as not to lose the physical preparation, which was the most important because we did not know if we were going to resume playing the following week or not.

When were you able to re-enter a track?

I do not remember exactly. But I live in a village of 5000 inhabitants, close to Bilbao, and I was able to quickly get back on the slopes, an advantage.

Do you have a good contact with Paquito Navarro?

Since the takeover, he has come to spend a week in Bilbao and I have then come for a week to Madrid. We make the effort to travel so that we can train together and tackle the next tournaments in the best conditions.

Wasn't it difficult to win the first tournament and then stop everything?

After winning a tournament, the enthusiasm is at its highest. And to cut this enthusiasm is not pleasant. We have projects and objectives, we must continue on this path.

Speaking of projects. Will the agreement between you and Paquito expire at the end of the season or will it last longer?

Several conditions must be met so that we can continue together. The results, the deal and all the things that can't be predicted. We have already talked about it, and if things are going well, we will continue together. Nothing to do with arriving at the number 1 position. We want to become a strong, solid and above all competitive pair.

During your recovery in Marbella, and your victory, you allowed Paquito to reach the number 1 position. Are you happy for him?

Of course. I am one of those people who think that if my partner earns 10 points, it is 10 points for the pair and not just for him. I am very happy to form a team with a number 1.

In tennis the pairs hardly ever change, let alone when they win. At padel it's the opposite. How can you explain it?

I think the players are impatient and often do not understand the way of being of the other. If it is not done as they want, they do not understand that there can be a mixture, a little of each. It is only a problem of understanding and understanding of the personality of each player. It is true that there are pairs which have had good results, which have reached the top and which have separated. Sometimes the age does not correspond and the agreement becomes more difficult.

You are 33 years old. When you look at Bela who is 41 years old and still very competitive, do you think your career can be so long?

When the years add up, there comes a time when you have to think about the future. When you're 25, you don't think about it. My idea is to try to play until I am 40 years old. And if I reach 40 and think I still have the level, I will continue a little more.

One of your idols is Gustavo Kuerten. You think tennis and padel are linked ?

Brazilian tennis is a sport without structures, and my country does not have a culture of racket sports. That a person like Guga has become number 1 means that it is a phenomenon. What I like about him is that he has always had the same behavior. A number 1 is not only when you win. For example Juan Martín Díaz has the same behavior. He was number 1, has not been, but remains the same. This is what I like, their attitude outside the track more than that on the track.

You have seen the growth of the padel. It surprises you that the padel grew up so quickly?

Le padel has evolved very quickly. Perhaps the new generation has not realized how good the condition is. padel today. When I arrived in Spain in 2005, the padel had nothing to do with it. It's a whole, the players, the WPT, the sponsors. They are doing a very good job, and the next step is for sport to develop more strongly in Europe in order to find more European professionals in the first positions.

You arrived in Spain at 18 and with € 5 in your pocket. How have things changed?

It is gratifying to see that the things that were planned not to work, in the end, work. When I came to play the last Final Master in Barcelona, the best in history, I said to myself: "play and have fun because all this is much more than you imagined coming here." This event changed my vision of things. What I have achieved is already very good, but I will try to take more pleasure in trying not to suffer on the track because I have already won and had much more than I imagined.

Did this way of thinking help you win the Final Master?

It helped me to see things in a different way and maybe not to be so tense. When you have kids and you're going to be 34, you learn things that make you see life and sport in a different way.

When you play in front of 9 people at Palau San Jordi, does that make you goosebumps?

In my case, when I get back on the track, I don't realize what's going on because I'm isolating myself. I'm so lucky. But when I saw the pictures and the match pieces, I realized how impressive our sport has reached in places like this, and I am very happy to see the padel in this position.

One of the great attractions of padel is the balanced level that we see today?

This is proof that our sport is always more professional. More sponsors, more money… The more money there is in the circuit, the more players we will have because they will be able to train more and in better conditions. Ten years ago, there were 10 or 5 pairs training, and the others had to do some other activity to get by. It was a big disadvantage. Today more and more young people are coming to the forefront, and some of them are Spanish. This is what also makes the padel evolves because the majority of tournaments are in Spain.

Could this discipline become popular in your country Brazil?

We have a culture based on football, and there is no support for other sports that are not football or an Olympic sport. The padel is not Olympic and the culture of racquet sports is not present. It would be a wish for me, but I don't think it will happen anytime soon.

Le padel will become an Olympic sport?

The institutions are struggling, but they will have to work for several more years. I hope they can do it, but it takes a lot to convince this giant.

Source: Marca

Julien Bondia

Julien Bondia is a teacher of padel in Tenerife (Spain). Columnist and advisor, he helps you play better through his tutorials and tactical/technical articles padel.