The WPT has started! By Álvaro Cepero Rodriguez

Hello friends!

It’s time to sum up the results of the first month of competition, after a long and hard wait for preseason. The 2017 Padel World Tour has finally begun with the Santander Open.

As you already know, I’m starting a new season this year with another Manzasport player, Aday Santana, with whom we’re going to achieve great results. We are a couple with a great combination of experience and youth, but especially a lot of strength and motivation.

We came to Santander at number 7 due to the absence of some players, but our goal remains unchanged. We want to go one step further and fight for those places that will give us access to the Master Finals in December.

In Santander, besides the results, our goal was, above all, to adapt as a couple, consolidate the model of the game and always be mentally strong. But above all enjoy, enjoy a lot, because that is the way to get results. We will go game by game, without looking at who we have in front of us, whether it is the first or the last match of the tournament.

And so it was. We started a bit nervous in our first match against a very tough couple Escalante – Bueno, where although we tried to find our rhythm of play, we were able to solve the match with pride and effort.

In the round of 16 we faced Lahoz-Marina, a very tough couple that also played “at home”. We entered the match very determined and mentalized, which allowed us to quickly take the initiative in the match, and this aspect accompanied us to victory.

The goal achieved, our first quarterfinals of 2017. In front of us one of the four best couples in the world: Lamperti-Grabiel. A pair that became one because of an injury to their partners, but with great quality and experience, and who know each other well from playing together years ago.

The goal achieved, our first quarterfinals of 2017. In front of us one of the four best couples in the world: Lamperti-Grabiel. A pair that became one because of an injury to their partners, but with great quality and experience, and who know each other well from playing together years ago.

It was a big moment for us, and we think that despite losing in the tiebreak of the third set, we did well. Most importantly, we convinced ourselves that with hard work, we can fight with almost every couple, and put on a great show!

After a couple of weeks without competing, we went to Alicante, where I got my first World Padel Tour victory. I also achieved it in a very special tournament for me, the Memorial José Martínez in Pilar de la Horadada, where I played with advantage because I knew the court I was playing on, as the official court was Manzasport. It was my sixth participation and my first victory, which also coincided with the fact that this tournament was part of the World Padel Tour in the Challenger category.

I can’t hide my satisfaction after winning my first World Padel Tour title. It’s a reward for the work I’ve done with all my team, and in this case on the right of a crack like “Stupa”. Even though it was a Challenger, it’s always important to win and a WPT tournament is always special. Besides, nowadays, it’s very hard to win a Challenger. With players like Nerone, Reca, Godo, Capra, Lebron, Belluati, Alex Ruiz, Escalante… the level is very high and this type of tournament, while it seems a cliché, can be won by any couple.

It’s true that we arrived at this first Challenger as number 1 seeded, but that didn’t mean I was under more pressure than in other tournaments. I was in a good mood when I came, and the approach with Stupa was clear: go match by match and adapt little by little, especially since it was our first tournament as a couple.

And the truth is that we did not do badly at all!
We want to thank the work and effort of Carlos Pozzoni who was our coach in the tournament, and we are looking forward to continuing to win in 2017.

See you on the padel courts!