Belasteguin: “I have the same enthusiasm as 20 years ago. Padel is growing in Italy”

It is increasingly difficult to find a comparison in other sports, when it comes to Fernando Belasteguin: after Federer’s retirement from tennis, no one over 40 still really fights for the top world level, or at least not in the disciplines in which the athletic component plays a key role. He does. He’s still on top, and the legend of him has been going on for over a quarter century.

On the sidelines of the launch of the Wilson “Bela v2” collection, the strongest padel player of all time talks a little about the present, very little about the past and a lot about the future. Because in spite of an identity card that says “born in 1979”, Bela has no intention of looking back and basking in memories, let alone lay down their arms. Sorry: the shovel.

Belasteguin, what is the secret to continuing to compete with the strongest in the world, even if they are much younger?

“I have taken care of myself all my life, with the utmost attention. This will be my 29th season and I have the same enthusiasm as the guys who are 20 years younger, and with whom I compare myself. I have always faced my I work very responsibly, thinking long-term. And I still enjoy the results of this philosophy of sporting life today.”

When will we be able to see you again in Italy and admire you on the pitch?

“Well, the Premier Padel calendar has just come out, I will play in Rome and Milan, two tournaments in which I feel very comfortable. I love them, I always say that when I’m in Italy I feel at home, the Italians treat me like if I were one of them and they proved it to me from the first day I set foot in your country”.

Padel in Italy is growing strongly in terms of players and audiences. Do you think we will be able to compete with powers like Spain or Argentina?

“Yes, I have no doubts. The explosion of professionalism in Italy came many years later than in Spain and Argentina, but I have no doubts that in Italy, with planned and long-term work, excellent players will be produced. We need to unite sports culture to tradition”.

Can you explain the reasons that led you to decide to change partners and return to Sanyo Gutierrez? And will Lebron and Galan continue to be the duo to beat?

“I’ll start with the second question. Yes, Juan and Alejandro have been number one for three years, there is no doubt that they are the couple to beat and we all work to undermine them. The reason why I came back with Sanyo (previously played with Arturo Coello, ed) is that we spoke before the world championship, we clarified the things and the objectives that we would have set ourselves and we agreed that joining forces again would have been the best choice”.

What is the first advice you would give to a child who is starting to play padel and dreams of becoming… Bela?

“Above all, that he enjoys himself, that he does his best and that he combines his sports career with his studies, because a mentally prepared athlete will be less at risk of being deceived. A champion finds in his path many people who try to take advantage of his fame So better get ready.”

What do you think of the positive turnaround in relations between World Padel Tour and Premier Padel, who now want to collaborate?

“We have all heard that a dialogue has begun between the two main circuits. I think that uniting and working for the good of padel and sport, above business, is a positive fact. If the idea, however, is to meeting with business in mind and not sports, I’ll never see that as a good thing.”

Can tennis and padel coexist or are they destined to divide the public of enthusiasts and players?

“There is no doubt that they can coexist and there is no doubt that padel has to learn many things from a sport like tennis, which has been around for 120 years. If we want to have sustained and perhaps more accelerated growth, we can replicate things that were done well in that world.”

What did you think when you saw Roger Federer playing padel with “his” racket?

“It was an emotion and an immense joy. First of all, the fact that Federer has played padel is incredible, for padel it is something spectacular. And then seeing him wield a “Wilson Bela” is a personal satisfaction which I am pleased with and which I will keep for the rest of my life. The design and development of products for padel have always interested me and I’m really happy to put my experience at the service of this project. The idea is to put high-level technical tools at the disposal of any player”.

If you had to choose the most beautiful image of your long and brilliant career, which moment would it capture?

“I train every day and I think the best is yet to come. Until the last day of my career, I will think so. When I am no longer a professional I will look back and then I will be able to choose a moment of this long journey to remember with more pleasure in absolute”.

Argentina padel and soccer world champion: how can sport help revitalize your country, which is still going through a serious economic crisis?

“I am very happy as an Argentinian for my nation’s sporting achievements. Football is the number one sport in the world. I have always, always, always been convinced that sport, when used well, has incalculable power… And what happened in Argentina, despite the great social differences and the political rift that exists, it has united us all under the same banner. Sport flies higher than any political or economic problem of a country. And we can use it to bring joy to the people”.