On the eve of his final tournament of the season, Mike Yanguas arrives in Barcelona with his usual smile and a desire to compete. The Andalusian plays his Premiers Padel Finals with a particular emotional charge: he knows that it will be his final tournament with Coki NietoEven though he prefers to keep things public, the Andalusian gave SPORT a detailed interview in which he revealed his ambitions, his doubts, and his vision of the very highest level.

“The Finals make you forget all the fatigue”

For Mike, it was impossible to arrive at a tournament like this without motivation:
“My head is a little saturated… but the desire to play in the Finals erases all the negativity.”

The audience, the family, the atmosphere: everything weighs heavily in Yanguas' mind.
“Being here with your family, your friends, your sponsors… these are the people who love you and want to see you perform.”

The Palau Sant Jordi continues to impress the young player:
“It’s incredibly impressive. It’s a pleasure to play here.”

A clash of titans right from the start: Paquito and Jon

For their opening match, Yanguas and Nieto will face Paquito Navarro and Jon Sanz. A duel that promises to be explosive:
“This is a huge match for the spectators.”

According to Mike, the conditions could work in their favor:
“If the track is like last year, slower, it could help us a lot.”

The key moment of the interview: the separation from Coki

When directly questioned about the end of their project, Mike initially tried to dodge the question:
“We haven’t announced anything. We’re staying focused on playing well… we’ll see after the Masters.”

But the reality is quite different: Coki Nieto, for his part, did indeed confirm the separation in the Spanish press..

  • Mike prefers Keep your focus on the Finals.
  • Coki chose to make information public.

Despite this, Yanguas refuses to let emotion interfere with their final dance:
“I would like to help Coki have another great Masters week. It would be incredible to be able to finish the year with a title.”

Regarding the Stupa/Yanguas rumors

The internet has been ablaze for days, but Mike puts a stop to it:
“No, nothing at all. I’m focused on playing with Coki.”

Objective: to catch up with the two dominant pairs

Yanguas considers Tapia/Coello and Galán/Chingotto as references:
“They are superior, but if we work hard and for a long time, we can beat them.”

To reach this level, one key, according to him:
“You need this capacity for sacrifice and suffering to reach the level of the best.”

Family, his driving force

Mike emphasizes the importance of a strong support network:
“The most important thing is to have a healthy environment.”

At home, he doesn't get any favors:
“I’m often told things I don’t want to hear… and that helps me enormously.”

Special mention to his sister:
“She always tells me to be more patient.”

An ending… and a new beginning

Yanguas experienced these Finals with intensity: it's the final chapter of a much-loved duo...but also the beginning of a new chapter. And while the player still refuses to reveal his future partner, the market is buzzing: Stupa? A comeback with an old friend? A new era?

Answer coming soon.

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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