After playing alongside Sanyo Gutiérrez and Juan Lebron, Paquito Navarro has now teamed up with Pablo Cardona for the second half of this season. At the end of August, the Andalusian gave a long interview to our colleagues at Marca, where he spoke on various subjects, including the difference in rhythm that “El Lobo” and he wanted to impose in their game. Here are some selected moments from this interview.

Fewer tournaments, that's not so bad!

"It's true that we travel a lot and the first part of the year has been difficult, but it hasn't been particularly heavy because we've had two very intense years before, where we've had more than thirty tournaments to play. I think the fact that this year we have twenty-five is noticeable in the calendar. We're a little more comfortable and, even if we're doing miles, we're doing better."

I'm looking forward to this Sanyo / Paquito 2.0

"I want to say it: I have a thorn in my side. It was my first project of the year and I have confidence in Sanyo. I think it still has a lot to bring to the padel and that we could have done better. At the beginning of the season, we were getting used to each other. The outdoor courts were very fast and I think our game was going to improve throughout the year, with the indoor courts being a little slower, where you can play a little more padel, let's say. I'm still looking forward to this Sanyo/Paquito 2.0, to see what our ceiling would have been."

We couldn't get used to each other

"We didn't know how to adapt our game to each other. I think that either I didn't know how to adapt a little to the rhythm that he wanted to impose, to put pressure on the opponent, or, on the other hand, he perhaps didn't know how to adapt to my game either. It's a little less rhythmic, with ball control and point preparation. At times, we played very well, but in the important moments, I think we lacked compactness in our game. (…) This change was complicated for him, because he still had very high expectations. Certainly the fact that he didn't get the results quickly affected him. It's not so much my case, since I wasn't winning many tournaments, far from it. Probably with a little more time, we could have found our game, but it's clearly my fault. Lebron went with Di Nenno and won his first tournament with him, so I can't say anything (laughs)! And I'm happy for him, because he deserves it. For him, victory is the most important thing and he still has a lot to do."

Pablo Cardona: a beast!

“I’ve been following him for a long time and I really like what I see. He’s young, he’s hungry, he’s enthusiastic, he’s professional, he’s educated, he has a good family… In other words, I like everything about Pablo. Despite our age difference (we’re from two different generations), I think we get along very well and I’m very comfortable with him. Plus, he’s left-handed, which is also something to take into account. I can give him some things and he can give me others. I think the choice was the right one. (…) In Finland, for our first tournament, I was very comfortable. I asked him for some things and he gave me others. In terms of play, it’s similar to what I did with Juan Martin Diaz in 2018. I really like adapting to the volume of the ball, preparing the point so that my partner, who is a “beast”, can finish it. And I also think we're going to see the best of Pablo Cardona tournament after tournament. He's growing every day, he's learning every day and I hope I can contribute to making him a better player."

Association to follow!

Frederic Theulé

Not a day goes by without a line… of track padel ! For several years, Frédéric has decided to devote himself to his lifelong passion: the little yellow ball and its merciless world. Addict, did you say addict?

On the same subject

Tags