A few days after his coronation in Argentina, Paula Josemaría spoke in an interview given to BRAND on what she herself describes as “the most surreal tournament of her career.” Feverish throughout the week, sometimes unable to get out of bed, the world number 1 still managed to win his 40th title with Ari Sánchez, in extreme conditions.

“I couldn’t even get up.”

Arrive at Buenos Aires In great shape after the Asunción tournament, Paula began to feel unwell from the first round. Chills, a sore throat, night sweats: from Wednesday evening, her condition deteriorated. “I didn't even have a thermometer, but when I decided to check my temperature, it was at 39,5°C“, she confides. The nights are terrible, waking up even worse.

Despite this, she makes the decision to play every day... at the last minute. A medication taken 90 minutes before entering the field helps bring her fever down a little. Just enough to keep her on her feet.

A week of uncertainty and pain

“During warm-ups, I felt like I'd already played for six hours,” she says. Every day was a battle against her own body. But on the pitch, adrenaline sometimes took over, the desire to win momentarily stifling the pain. With the invaluable help of her coach Claudio Gilardoni, Paula adapted her style of play, focusing on quality rather than intensity.

The Argentine title, won in these conditions, left its mark: “An achievement I will never forget. I don't think I'll ever experience something so intense again in my career.”

Victory in a sweatshirt and body on edge

Another unusual scene: Paula Josemaría played several matches in a sweatshirt, a rare image at this level. “It was 6 or 7°C, I was sick… I wasn’t going to wear short sleeves,” she explains. Informed and warned, the organization accepted this unusual outfit.

A domination often underestimated

With 40 titles won together, Josemaría and Ari Sánchez are the most successful pair in the history of women's padelAnd yet, Paula says, “We haven’t always been recognized for our true worth.” Faced with the rise of other duos in the media spotlight, the historic pair has often kept a low profile. “I prefer that our results speak for themselves.”

Mental strength and complicity

She also talks about their stability: “We don’t spend all our time together, we give each other space. That’s what allows us to last.” And if the idea of ​​a separation may have crossed their minds, confidence in the project has always prevailed “We had some difficult times, but we held on.”

Today, despite competition from young shoots like Claudia Fernández, Alejandra Alonso or Martina Calvo, Paula says to herself in the best form of his career, both mentally and technically.

The quiet force

The interview ends with a lucid reflection: “Perhaps we will value more what we have done when we are no longer playing.” In the meantime, the world number 1 is looking ahead, with a simple objective: to continue to perform, match after match, without ever losing the taste for combat even when the body says stop.

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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