Padel: Legende Fernando Belasteguín in Interview
Fernando Belasteguín was number one for 16 years
Belasteguín on padel: “No sport is so sociable”
The Argentine Fernando “Bela” Belasteguín (44) is the most successful padel player of all time. In the interview he explains what makes his sport so special
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: “What brought you to padel – and what didn’t let you go?”
FERNANDO BELASTEGUÍN: “I learned about the sport at the same club where I played football. And I realized very early on that padel allowed me to travel and get to know my home country. That’s how it ultimately became my profession.”
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: “The career that followed is legendary: countless titles, successes and records. For you personally, what is your greatest success to date? The 16 years as number one? The most WPT titles? Or something completely different?”
BELASTEGUÍN: “My greatest achievement is being able to look my family in the eyes with the certainty that I did my best every day. This feeling cannot be compared to any title.”
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: “Other padel players and experts often say that you have the best praise of all padel players. What quality would you highlight?”
BELASTEGUÍN: “The ability to adapt to my partner’s individual pace. This allows me to maximize the level as a pair and has allowed me to win tournaments with all of my partners.”
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: “What makes a good padel player?”
BELASTEGUÍN: “The willingness to work for the common good of the couple.”
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: “As you know, padel is played in a team. But for you, is the sport an individual or a team sport?”
BELASTEGUÍN: “It’s a team sport where only two of us play on the court, but off the court the team is much larger with our coaches and support staff.
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: “You played with different team partners throughout your career. How important is trust and loyalty in these relationships?”
BELASTEGUÍN: “To put it briefly: That has always been my philosophy. If I don’t feel comfortable with my playing partner on a personal level, I can’t perform well on a sporting level either.”
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: “In Spain and South America, padel is a popular sport: what makes the sport so special and unique?”
BELASTEGUÍN: “I don’t know of any sport that is as sociable, fun and entertaining as padel. I have no doubt that it is the sport of the future.”
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: “Padel is booming here in Germany, but it is often still referred to as a “trend sport”. What do you think has to happen so that padel could at some point be on the same level as, for example, tennis?”
BELASTEGUÍN: “I would never compare the two sports. We have to learn from a sport like tennis so that we can grow faster. I don’t think padel is just a fad, but a new sport. I maintain “We are dealing with the sport that will see the greatest growth in the world over the next ten or 15 years.”
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2023-10-02 14:37:27
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