This is a question that one might legitimately ask if we were to witness a period of reshuffles on the professional padel circuit in the coming days. Javi Garrido may feel in danger. The 12th player in the world has the opportunity to play alongside some of the best players on the right to the world. We obviously think of Martín Di Nenno, his current partner, ranked 8th in the world. And yet, the future of this association seems more than uncertain.

From a strictly accounting point of view, Garrido is not having a bad start to the season. One round of 16, two quarter-finals, this is a record that many would like to display after a few months of competition. But with a player of Di Nenno's caliber at his side, the expected minimum was probably higher.

We must go back to last october, during the tournament of Newgiza in Egypt, to find a trace of a semi-final in a major tournament for the Spaniard. Certainly, he reached the final of the Mexico FIP Platinum last November, but recent performances are no longer enough to reassure. And if Di Nenno were indeed to change partners – an option increasingly discussed behind the scenes – Garrido may well run out of options serious for the future.

The partner market is shrinking rapidly. Tino Libaak, a possible “collateral victim” if Juan Tello leaves to join Di Nenno, could represent a credible alternative for Garrido. Young, explosive, promising, the Argentinian talent is, on the other hand, highly sought after. A new medium-term project with Garrido, possible?

For now, nothing is official, but one clue is intriguing: Several headliners, including the players concerned, are absent from the list for the next tournament in Belgium. A timing that fuels speculation around imminent separations and recompositions of pairs, while the 2025 season is just beginning.

To be continued... but Time is running out for Garrido, which will soon have to convince that it is still an attractive partner in an increasingly competitive circuit.

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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