Aimar Goñi continues to gain ground on the professional circuit. At just 20 years old, the Navarrese player has established himself in the world's top 40 and, more importantly, is beginning to receive praise from players who are intimately familiar with the demands of the highest level. In London, Paquito Navarro delivered a particularly laudatory analysis of the player he had just faced for over two hours. 

Some compliments carry more weight than others. Those of  Paquito Navarro , after his quarter-final of the London Premier Padel P1 facing  Edu Alonso and Aimar Goñi clearly belong to this category.

Against Martín Di Nenno, the Andalusian had to battle through three sets to eliminate the 11th seed:  7/5 6/7 6/3 . A match which above all allowed Goñi to confirm that he could now seriously challenge the established pairs at the top of the table.

"It drastically reduces the spaces"

Interviewed after the match, Paquito Navarro spoke at length about his opponent's qualities in the diagonal.

"He's an incredible player. I think he has a huge present and future. He shoots from everywhere, covers a lot of ground, and he's really, really uncomfortable for his opponents. He closes down the spaces a lot."

But Paquito goes further. What seems to particularly impress him is not only Goñi's power, but his ability to  impose the type of match he wants to play .

"You also need a bit of luck, to pray that he makes mistakes on some shots, because managing to change the game from what he wants to play is very difficult. He puts a lot of pressure on you, comes into contact a lot, imposes himself a lot at the top of the court, and puts you under pressure with his volley."

Before this conclusion, which sums up the Sevillian's feelings quite well:

"In the end, all you have to do is focus on yourself, do your job well, and see if he gives you an opportunity. But obviously, playing against Goñi isn't easy for anyone, I can guarantee you that."

The portrait drawn by Navarro perfectly matches the player's profile.  1,90 m, left-handed (diagonally left) Goñi naturally possesses significant net coverage and an ability to finish points which becomes particularly problematic when he manages to establish himself forward.

Paquito Navarro Premier Padel vamos

The FIP currently ranks it  36th in the world with 5,286 points , his best career ranking. Born in Pamplona on October 13, 2005, he is still only 20 years old.

And the numbers are starting to give weight to the feelings.

For the 2026 season alone, the FIP awards him  25 wins in 42 games That's nearly 60% of his matches won. Most importantly, Goñi is no longer content with just getting through the early rounds: he's starting to appear regularly in the second half of tournaments.

Asunción, Málaga, London: Goñi knocks at the door

His season allows us to measure his progress. Goñi has notably reached  the semi-finals of the P2 of Asunción He reached the quarterfinals of the Brussels P2 tournament, then the quarterfinals of the Málaga P1 tournament, and now those of the London P1 tournament. He also reached the round of 16 at the Rome Major.

In Málaga, with Edu Alonso, he had already sent a message by eliminating  Coki Nieto / Jon Sanz , then seeded 5th, with a score of  6/3 3/6 6/3 Alonso/Goñi was then the only pair outside the top 8 seeds still present in the quarter-finals.

In London, it was déjà vu. The 11th seed reached the quarterfinals again, this time after eliminating Santigosa/Sánchez and then Pereyra/Solano, before pushing  Navarro / Di Nenno, seed 5 , until the third set.

So it's no longer really an isolated incident.

The association with  Eduardo Alonso  It also seems perfectly suited to his characteristics. Alonso, a 25-year-old right-back already firmly established among the best Spaniards, brings a more structured profile that complements his partner's power. The FIP ranked him at the  16th place in the world  during its last update.

Aimar Goñi edu alonso

Goñi can thus use his wingspan and power on the left side without constantly having to force the game.

And perhaps that's precisely what Paquito Navarro describes when he explains how difficult it is to "take" Goñi out of the match he wants to set up. When the Navarrese player manages to advance, close down the angles, and take control of the net, his opponent has to find solutions before the rally turns into a power struggle.

And now, what about the Spanish team?

Naturally, a few months before the  Doha World Cup His progress also raises another question: how far can it take him in the Spanish hierarchy?

The competition is immense. Several players accustomed to the very highest level can claim the available places, and Goñi still needs to prove himself over time against the very best pairs in the world.

Aimar Goñi

But his name is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

At 20 years old, with a better ranking already achieved at  36th place in the world With quarter-final appearances in P1 and a semi-final in P2 this season, Goñi has gone in a few months from the status of a young player to watch to that  of an opponent that the seeded players prefer to avoid in their section of the draw .

And when a player with Paquito Navarro's experience explains that you almost have to hope that Goñi "gives you an opportunity", the message is pretty clear.

 Aimar Goñi may still be at the beginning of his rise, but on the circuit, no one seems to want to discover him on the other side of the net anymore. 

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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