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Hey Padel enthusiasts welcome to Padel Smash Academy, I am Cesc and I am here with Julian and we're all about Padel! Whether you're new to the sport or an experienced player, you've come to the right place. Our goal is to provide you with the best tips & tricks, news, and weekly lessons to help you improve your game and take your Padel to the next level. So grab your Padel Racket and let's get started with all things Padel on Padel Smash Academy.
Look at these guys.
These are the original
rack Padel rackets.
Look at how thin they are.
Okay.
And these are yours, right?
Have you tried to play
lately with this one?
Uh, not lately, but I know I
can still remember the feel.
I just don't want to get
the, uh, damage my elbow.
And we are all things Padel.
Hello everyone.
Welcome to another exciting episode
of Padel smash Academy today.
We're so happy and so thrilled to have.
Fernando Alarcon, former number
one player in the nation and top
five in the nation currently.
So welcome to the channel,
Fernando, and please tell us how
did you start this Padel journey?
Pleasure to be here, guys.
Um, it started, uh, in 89
when I was 11 years old.
Padel was It was, uh, like a new
sport in Latin America, especially
in Argentina when I was born, uh,
in Paraná town, uh, called Paraná.
And yeah, that's how,
that's how it started.
Just playing, playing for fun,
playing with friends, uh, became super
popular and just I took it from there.
So there was, you didn't play any
other racquet sports prior to that?
Nope, no, uh, nothing before
Padel Padels, the first,
uh, first Padel sport for us.
So how did you get here in the USA?
So, uh, always wanted to,
uh, come and go to college or
university and, and the States.
And, um, I, um, ended up getting a
scholarship for, for tennis actually.
So I had to transition
into, into the tennis world.
Uh, the opposite of what you see nowadays
where, where a lot of the players.
That's a first, right?
I mean, we always hear the
opposite, you know, people from
tennis going to Padel, you know?
So how was that transition?
I mean, how did you, how did
you go from Padel to tennis?
Because those are two different games.
Well, I got picked because I could
play in doubles, I could serve in
volley, but, uh, but yeah, I can tell
you that basically I was playing,
playing Padel on a, on a tennis court.
Right.
Chip and charts.
Yeah.
So were you, you volleying and
people are like, what's that?
Because people baselining at that
time, just baseline, baseline, right?
Exactly.
And you were volleying and you were doing
bandejas and vibras, like, what is that?
Right?
It was fun.
Fun, fun time.
So you said you were serving in volley.
How did you learn to serve tennis serve
because it's different to Padel serve?
Yeah, but in a way I had to adjust
and learn it and you know, and
how to actually had a good kick
serve and a good flat first serve.
The portrait, the portrait serve.
But you learned it at the university?
Uh, I, I play here and there last year
before going, I started training a
little bit in tennis because I knew I
was going to be in a scholarship, but
I was really focused on the academics.
Um, That's great.
So what school, what school was it?
Uh, Lindenwood University in St.
Louis, um, I ended up staying there for
like seven or eight years, uh, studying
through a couple of master's degrees in
finance and, uh, really focused on, on,
on, on the academics more than the tennis.
I knew tennis was not my, my thing,
but, uh, unfortunately at the time
it was very, I mean, non existent.
Padel was not.
You know, it's not, it's not there yet.
So, so did you try to look for any
Padel clubs or any type of group
when you were at the university?
Just, you know, just
'cause you're curious.
I did.
I did, I did a lot.
And, um, in, in, in oh eight I end
up going, um, to Mexico to play.
I started, I, I miss it so much.
I, I wanted to play and I, I played
every time I went back to Argentina,
but, but, uh, for, for, there was
a, a big, big lapse for me since.
Um, 99, I want to say until 2013 that I
didn't, I didn't touch a Padel basically.
So, wow.
So when you went back to
play, where, where did it
come back to you very quickly?
Or did it, you were a little rusty and
you had to, you started playing a little
tennis, but then you wasn't sure about
Padel or like, you know, back and forth.
Rusty for sure had to kind of
like, but, uh, but it was good.
It was good.
I went to a couple of tournaments in
Mexico and then I connected with, with
someone in, in the Houston area was
interested in, um, in, uh, opening Padel
courts on, on an existing, uh, tennis
facility, a beautiful facility, and
that's how we, uh, then wind up moving and
taking the family to go to, to Houston.
So how, how long after you
graduated that happened?
Um, I wanna say that.
Yeah, that was 2013.
I graduated in, in 2008, so it
took me, I worked for about five
years doing business development.
Yep.
Um, but, you know, I wanted my, I, I knew
that my thing was just to be in sports.
Wow.
That's, that's awesome.
So now let's talk about the big
thing that happened just recently.
Now you are a Pan-American champion.
So tell us that whole experience,
how was it from the first day
until holding that trophy?
Yeah, it's amazing.
Uh, I mean, we had a, an unbelievable
week in, in Mexico and Cancun with the
entire, uh, team USA, um, congrats to
everyone in the team and, and, and, and
everyone else that, that supported us.
Uh, a lot of fun.
I mean, individually, I got third
place in, uh, in my division.
But as a team, we were able to obtain,
I mean, we pretty much we could say we
made history, uh, this past week, uh,
getting taken, you know, beating Argentina
and Brazil and that came in third place.
So you guys collected
the most points, right?
Out of your whole group.
That's amazing.
That's the first time for USA.
I think that everybody's
probably surprised, right?
Uh, yeah.
Yeah.
That they were, we, we were a little
bit surprised with, they announced
that it was official because we were
counting points and it was a lot of
levels for men's and, and for the women.
And, and we did was, so tell us a
little bit how, how's the form the
former works of the Pan Americans?
So, for this type of, uh, a
tournament, uh, what, what they do
is they have different divisions.
Uh, and then so you have, you're
able to put two teams per division.
And then if you, if you get first,
second or third place, you're adding
points to, to the overall count.
Um, and so you, we actually played
groups first, uh, in, in my case, we,
uh, we had, uh, Brazil, uh, Paraguay
and, and the first one, uh, was Chile.
So we beat all three and went, end
up going straight, uh, to semifinals.
For having, for being first in our
group and unfortunately we lost
against Mexico in the semifinals.
But again, it was so much fun.
So who is your partner?
Partner was, uh, a 17 year old.
Wow.
Vinny Di Francesco.
So, uh, amazing player
with so much talent.
And I'm sure you're going to hear
a lot that name in the future.
Is he American?
I mean, born and raised here?
He was born, he was born in the US.
Uh, currently he lives in Argentina.
He's been training there.
Oh.
Uh, and, um.
And, uh, funny that, uh, he wrote
me yesterday, he said, I'm already
training in Corrientes to another state.
He went to, yeah.
So, but you're going to hear that name.
He's, uh, he's very talented kid.
And how was that moment when you
guys find out about what were you
doing and how, how did you find out
that you became, you know, like the
most points, like the most points.
So, um, we went out to eat with,
with the entire team, not, not
too far from, from the club.
And then someone texted that it was
officially we hit one, so we're already
celebrating with a few margaritas.
I saw the reels and, and, and, you
know, the content there, and I saw
USA flag with everybody going crazy.
It must have been so,
it would Padel, right?
So it must have been so amazing, you know?
It was, it was.
So, so now, uh, I know you
pay, you had the honor and the
pleasure to represent the U.
S.
in the World Cup, uh, Dubai, right?
Correct.
How, how was that?
Um, it was, uh, it was,
uh, actually in Qatar.
Oh, Qatar.
Yeah.
Okay.
Um, it was, uh, I mean, that was
something, uh, unique because
you have the best players in
the world in just one facility.
I mean, you don't know, uh, what match
to go and watch and you learn so much
and you get, you know, uh, it was a
little bit, uh, challenging for the U.
S.
We still have a, like a young
team when it comes to, to Padel.
With, um, but, um, hopefully in the
future we can do, you know, start
building a team and do, do better.
But, uh, it's amazing.
Did you play against any top, you
know, World Padel Tour players?
Uh, yeah.
Who did you play against?
A few of those.
Uh, the main one was Paquito Navarro.
Oh, wow.
So I got to play against him.
Yeah.
He was, uh, kind enough to give
us a couple games here and there.
So, so let me ask you from,
from the playing point of view,
what is the big difference?
Is there a big difference or what do
they do different compared to you guys?
Well, um, I think the main, main
difference is that they're, they're
truly professional players, right?
Uh, if you, if I had to describe
myself, I would be, I don't know,
maybe semi professional when it comes,
cause I play some events that are.
professional.
But for the most part, what we we do here
and for the level that we had, we don't,
we don't train enough to be to consider.
And especially at my age, right?
Um, you're, you have a lot of kids
nowadays playing and they take it very
seriously and they're truly athletes on
every, they do nutrition, they do physical
training, they have, you know, they have
support and they have a team behind them.
So Um, that's, that's the main difference.
You can tell that the training, I
mean, we, we have a group of talented
players, but the difference on the
court is going to show when they're
playing at the highest level.
So things have changed.
They're kind of like tennis, right?
Where they're incorporating, working
out, you know, uh, being more athletic
and contributing that to pedal as well.
That's where you get young guys smashing,
moving around, but it's just different.
Totally different.
Padel is changing fast and it's
becoming a lot faster than what
we used to play back in the day.
So when you play with these
Paquitos and all these guys.
They're technically better.
They're physically better.
I mean, what, what did you
see any big difference?
Do they play the 30 forties and
the 40 thirties differently?
What, what was the major differentiator?
Well, technically they're all
technically and tactically, I mean, on,
on every aspect of the game, they're,
they're, they're there for a reason.
They're complete players.
They, they're very good at
everything that they do.
So yes, they're all very, and what
it it comes down to is that they're,
they, they have a level of consistency.
that it's very hard to match.
We can play a great, great point.
You can win a few good points, but it's
very hard to do that, you know, on a
continuous basis throughout two sets, or
that's why you have to play three again.
That's what makes the difference, right?
That's, that's kind of like, to
me, the main, I mean, they're going
to play every rally 20 points.
We get to five or six, and then
we start, you know, we, we could
miss, or we could lose a point.
So, they, uh, they have mentally They're
prepared to play really long rallies
and that's when the training kicks in
and they don't, they just don't miss.
Really?
So basically it's about, they
don't make unforced errors.
That's it.
Yeah.
I mean, it's not like they're more
powerful or anything like that.
It's just that too.
They're also more powerful.
They're also more powerful
and they can hit the ball
consistently by three or by four.
And yeah, and Paquito would do it
in kind of like slow motion just to
show you that he is in total control.
Yeah.
Uh, so yeah, a lot of fun.
All right.
So now you play Pan American game before.
So did you see the difference from before
to now when it comes to level of the USA?
Uh, well, in the absolute, um,
yes, a lot of times they don't
bring their A team, so to speak.
They don't, they don't bring the, you
know, uh, Sanjio and, and, and all those
players, but, uh, Panamerican is, it's
really, the level is, it's really high,
um, world championships I played in,
uh, for the seniors in, in, in Vegas.
Um, that's also, it's
really high level, but.
But again, you don't have, uh,
in that division, you don't
have the professional type.
So it's, it's more, I mean, it's playable.
It was playable.
Yes.
Okay.
So, so tell us a little bit for the
viewers and listeners, how the Pan
American works because I know they have
three different Pan Americans, right?
So they have the one that play in Caracas
with the Lamperties and the Chingotos.
And then you have the one you should play
now, and then we have the seniors, right?
In different divisions.
Correct.
The absolute, uh, The absolute is
the one that the professionals play.
Yes, it's the open, and,
and, and anyone can play.
And then you have an amateur division
where professionals are not allowed to
play, and they involve a lot more levels,
so it allows people from different,
different levels to, to participate.
So you can bring, you know,
you'll be playing in different.
Levels go from second, third,
fourth, I think, uh, fifth.
So, um, it's a, it's a,
it's a different setup.
The, um, the absolute is just your
best players period in your country.
And you bring eight players.
You play three matches and then, um,
and three games and, uh, and, you
know, you have to win two out of three.
And did you play the absolutes as well?
Uh, yeah, we played last year in Mexico.
Um, we actually did pretty good.
I partnered up with, uh, with, uh,
with Paquito Rivero, uh, from Houston.
We did, uh, really, uh, we had
really fun, fun matches and, um.
But again, that, that level is
the best players of every country.
But this year you didn't play?
This year, we weren't able to bring a team
for, not, not, not, not exactly sure, we
couldn't tell you what the reasons were,
security and safety reasons for the team.
We, we ended up not, not
bringing a team out there.
And so you guys didn't play this year,
but now you're playing the seniors.
Tell us a little bit about
the seniors and all that.
How is that?
Um, so the same, same concept for the
seniors, you have the amateur event
where you have a lot of different levels
and you can bring a much larger groups
and allow a lot of, um, you know, and,
and enthusiast battle players that are
not, you know, necessarily, uh, of good
level, but they can still there and
compete and have a tremendous fun time.
Yeah, that's going to take
place in Brazil next week.
Uh, we're ready to go.
Uh, we have a great team and it's
going to be, it's going to be as fun.
So going back to what you were saying
about the one that you just played,
we heard that one of your players
got sort of removed or kicked out
because he was sort of like a half
professional or something like that.
Uh, yes.
He was playing A1 and all that.
What was that?
Yes.
He got voted out.
He should probably.
Never been in the team to in the
first place, and it's just, uh, You
know, uh, fortunate that, that, that
he was there and he was not allowed
to, but he was a professional player
playing for us under, uh, a few
contracts for, for different things.
So you, that he was considered,
you know, to, I mean, he, he is a
truly professional player, right?
And, and that is just, just not allowed.
So, so now, uh, let's talk,
because we, we got that question
asked, uh, uh, previously.
When, how would you define a
professional Padel player?
Meaning, how do the association makes, or
the federation makes the decision, Okay,
you're a professional and you're not?
At the end of the day, uh, it was, you
know, they, they, they took votes on it,
And then they voted, um, but, I mean,
in my, in my opinion, Somebody that is
able to, you know, to, um, make money and
make a living Out of playing this sport.
That would be considered, uh, you
know, a professional Padel player.
Now, there's a lot of people that play
in professional tournaments, but they
do something different to make a living.
And then, you know, that could be
considered, again, semi professional
or something more of that kind.
And, um, but at the highest
level, and especially these kids
that train, you know, every day.
Uh, anywhere from three to six hours
and, and, and, and that's what they do.
And, and they, they, um, they, they
work, uh, very hard to, to become
professional players if they're not yet.
And that's what I define as
a, as a pro pro player, right?
Uh, I mean, we could say back in the
day when you get your first professional
points, that's when you actually become a
professional player or when you get your
first contract and you're making money.
Um, but, but yeah, uh, in this case,
uh, every, all the delays from every
team, they, they voted to see whether he
was qualified as a professional or not.
And that happened only to the
American team or there were other
countries that had the same issue?
Yeah, to my knowledge, it was just us.
That's strange.
Isn't it?
Or, or, by us probably?
It is.
Uh, I don't think it's by us.
I don't think it's by us.
It's biased.
No, but I mean, the
federations, I mean, you know.
Yeah.
But I, I do think, uh, that the, so the,
the point that the, the point that they
make is it's not our responsibility to
tell you who's a professional, who's not.
If you bring your players, you
can put your players on your list.
We're not gonna verify all
the players that you bring.
If the rules are clear and you
cannot bring professional players,
if you bring one, it gets kicked out.
So did they get, basically that's their.
Uh, argument.
Did they get penalized
because the rules are that?
And now they're trying to break the rules.
You know, did they get penalized?
That's uh, that's a good question.
Um, I don't, I don't think nothing
happened other than it was, uh, that I've
heard that he was, we were penalized.
Uh, Now do you think there's other players
that did answer that they didn't catch?
No, for the most part, um, I mean,
you had, I mean, in the highest
level, which is the one that I play,
you had really good players, but,
you know, again, not professional
players that live off of a Padel
and are training on a regular basis.
I mean, either, uh, players that had
been professional at some point, but now
they're retired and they're playing the.
amateur.
Um, so yeah.
Okay.
So now you are number one for
what about in the, here in the
USA for about eight years, right?
So you got to see a lot of different
players out of those eight years.
How did you see that level
of, of Padel, uh, a change?
Um, yeah, that's a really good question.
Um, I, I could say that from 2013 to
the first two years, uh, really the,
the, the tour and the people that travel
and everything was not really big.
Um, you had a good, uh, good number of,
uh, good players in, in the Houston area.
'cause that's where it actually had
at the time, a, a, a larger community
than what you see today in, in,
in Miami or in, in South Florida.
Um, but then it started getting more
competitive and and we started seeing
obviously a lot of really good players
coming from from the tennis world.
Uh, some have stayed, some have
not and and you know, and you
don't see him on the tour anymore.
Uh, but I expect that I suspect that
in the in the in the coming years,
you're gonna start seeing that the
level is going to continue to to to.
to get better.
And there's going to be even going to
be more people coming from from other
countries and participating in our our
our highest level here of competition.
No, that's another good point.
Have you seen different um, players
from different countries start playing,
competing really well here in the USA?
Versus, let's say, at the beginning,
which probably were a lot of South
Americans and And it's in Spanish, right?
Yeah, yeah, no, absolutely.
It's happening and it's
going to happen even more.
Uh, there's, there's really, um, players
that locally, either in Argentina or
Spain, because the level is, it's, it's,
it's the highest level in the sport.
They're not going to be able to,
to play or compete at the highest
level in their own countries.
So they're looking for
opportunities of, you know, or
of competing here, uh, in the U.
S.
Now you see other people come from
other countries here participating
in the USA, um, just saying
USPA or any other tournaments.
Do you see that's a, a
good thing for the U.
S., uh, where, uh, the people
who are native here are, have to
force themselves to get better?
Or, or do you see them taking spots there
that the, the USA players could have?
No, no, definitely a
good thing, uh, for sure.
It's only gonna help, uh, to continue
to, to grow the sport and to, you know,
and, and even if you, you, if some
players that have played professional
in the past come here and, and they
take, uh, the number one spot, I mean,
I think it's, it's a positive thing.
Um.
It's, it's how you do it and how you
organize and, and, and having clear rules.
But I think, uh, in the end it's,
it's, it's very, very impressive.
Now, how do you see that gap?
How big do you see that gap between the
native people here playing and then, uh,
the people that are coming from other
countries playing when it comes to level?
When it comes to level, um, I, I think
that the, the main, main difference
is, is the training again, right?
You can tell, you can tell when
a play, uh, somebody, It's you
can tell what I can tell with any
player has been training a lot.
It shows on the court, it shows
how you move, it shows how
you how many balls you miss.
And you can tell if somebody
has been playing lately or
hasn't played for six months.
And this is kind of like the same.
I mean, when you when they come here and
you can tell that they've been competing
a lot at a faster pace and all that.
And it makes a difference.
playable because we've, we've in, in,
in more than one occasion, I've had
the opportunity to beat really good
players that are professionals or semi
professionals, uh, um, and, and, and,
um, and, and qualifiers for the first
world pilot tour that we're playing here.
And I believe it was 2017.
We got to play, uh, in Houston against,
uh, Against, uh, a player named Nani,
who's at some point, I think, uh, fifth
in the Warpile Tour, and we beat him.
So, when they play with somebody local,
or when they play with somebody of a lower
level, if we do very well, we can, you
know, sometimes match their level of play.
Uh, but, in the long run, they always
have that, you know, the, the The history
of playing against really good at a
high level in, uh, and they're better.
I mean, that's, that's a reality.
So, so, uh, question that I, you know, I
seen you play, uh, quite a few matches.
Um, when you play with the younger
players, you know, the Nico
and Telly's, the Luis Estradas,
and, you know, they're younger,
they're like 10, 20 years younger.
Do you see a big difference in, in this?
What do they do different?
I mean, is youth a major factor
compared to experience or not?
Um, yes.
I mean, it's, it's, it's always going
to be, I think that that's going
to be the case in, in every sport.
Um, once they get to a certain
level, Where they, you know, they
have everything else when it comes
to the, the strategy of the game.
And when they learn and
they're comfortable.
Somebody coming from, from the
tennis world that plays Padel
for five years, they're gonna,
they're gonna be good for sure.
And, and, you know, and being young,
I mean, you're gonna recover faster.
You're gonna be able to maybe, uh, last
longer if you have a, a long, long game.
So yeah, it definitely
does make a difference.
And then on the other hand, you had
players more, more like me that have
been playing for a long, longer time.
And we know how really quickly
how to change a strategy in a
match when we see that it's not
going the way we wanted to go.
And so we can make adjustments that,
uh, you know, Experience, experience.
Experience come, come in place
and then you play more relaxed.
The points that you need to play or
you play better when, when you're a
little bit against, against the ropes.
And that, that, that, that plays
in favor and for, for us, for.
So, so let's talk about these
babies, babies, vintage babies
that you brought right here.
Look at guys, look at these guys.
These are the original
rack Padel rackets.
Look at how thin they are.
Okay, and these are yours, right?
Yeah, these are So, you actually
play with these ones, and they're
so heavy, it's ridiculous.
So, what is the material made out of?
It says fiberglass.
Is that just the outside?
And inside, is that plywood?
Wow.
That's just like I mean,
imagine playing with this.
Nowadays, it's incredible.
Have you tried to play
it lately with this one?
Uh, not lately, but I know I
can still remember the feel.
I just don't want to get the,
uh, damage my elbow or anything.
Wow.
So, the transition is huge
from this to what we have now.
Do you see it even changing more?
Um, Yes.
Uh, but not, not at the same pace.
I mean, I, I've seen, and I can
tell you a little bit on how
we went from, from this battle.
So what we have today, so this, these
are, uh, 12 millimeter, uh, wood.
Those are the very first ones that,
that you could get from every brand.
They were all about the same and they
probably came from another sport.
If I don't, it could have been,
uh, maybe, uh, Uh, platform
tennis or, or other, other sports.
And that's what was available
to play at the time.
So the evolution of this
Padels is that they went from
12 to 14 to 16 to 18 in wood.
Uh, and that's, that's the,
the highs that you would see a
wooden Padel at 18 millimeters.
So what made the difference was thick,
but what, what, what you mean for the
viewers is like the thickness of the wood.
Right?
Right.
So the thickness, so this one is 12.
That one is 12 millimeters right here.
So it went higher and higher and higher.
This one is also 12.
That's the very first one.
So what made the difference
when they went thicker?
Well, you had a little bit more
power, uh, and, uh, they started
using different type of wood.
So it was not as hard.
And this had to be hard
because the 12 millimeters,
you would, you would break it.
Yeah, especially when you get
out as a smash or something.
Exactly.
And look at the strap how many
it will, you know, cut your
circulation on your wrist.
I know, you already broke one.
But look at how small it is.
Oh man.
It's incredible.
It's sticking your hand
through there as well.
You get rope burn.
So and after the 18, then they started,
uh, the, uh, having foam and, and
different type, types of, um, They
call, uh, yeah, so how did that change?
Was it difficult for people playing
already with these rackets or was it
like, and then was it a huge difference?
Like, wow, this is a
totally different game.
Almost.
It did change the game literally.
Uh, now the game was faster.
Now you can hit the ball faster.
Now the racket all of a sudden is
lighter and you can have more explosive.
Volleys at the nets or you can hit the
ball hard from the back of the court.
It changed the game entirely.
And then those went from 18 all the way
to 38, which is what we have today, right?
And, um.
And they've been evolving
ever, ever since.
I can imagine for you guys going
from here to a 38 like this thick,
it was like holding . Did, did the
weight change because you said they
used other type of wood inside,
made it to be lighter or something.
Was the weight a lot heavier or was
it relatively close to the same?
No, no, no.
They, they, uh, they were
lighter, lighter rackets.
Wow.
Uh, and when they start coming up
with the, the new ones, and I, and I
remember 'cause I was at a tournament
when the first time I tried it and
I, I'll never forget playing in the
final and that's the first time I used.
One of the, the new rackets and uh, it
was a, it had so much power in your hand.
So how many grams is this?
You know, so that way we compare
This gotta be, what, 500, 400?
It's, it's close to four 50.
Four 50, right.
Something like that.
Wow.
Look at that.
Look at that.
Exactly.
Yeah.
And, and what I love of this, look,
SGIO Kin was a major, uh, yeah.
Tennis brand.
Mm-Hmm.
back in the days, in the late eighties,
early nineties, I had a few shirts.
Yeah.
And then, uh, they, they
were doing a Padel record.
That's pretty, pretty impressive.
Yeah.
I, I think they still are.
I, I, I don't know.
Or maybe they made a few, but I haven't.
I'm not sure.
I haven't seen them too popular in Padel,
but I think I've seen a few out there.
Yeah, there's so many brands nowadays
and I'm, I wouldn't be surprised
if you see a Sergio Cecchini.
Right.
So do you see the Padel
even changing more?
And if so, what do you think it's, what
do you think they're going to change?
Um, I'm, I'm a little bit involved
and, um, yeah, Wilson on the Wilson
side, uh, I've been working for
the past three or four years.
Uh, well, let's talk about that.
How are you, how are you
involved with Wilson?
Um, well started, uh, just like that.
They asked me to do reviews, uh,
of their Padels, uh, started
working with the R and D.
Um, Um, I've been doing that for, uh,
four years now, I think, uh, even with
balls, trying different type of balls for
altitude, for, for the wave, for all that.
And that's kind of how
my relationship started.
And, uh, and it evolved to, to,
for them to, to offer me to be, uh,
to use their, their brand and, and
sponsorship as, as a player as well.
Um, so it's, it's, it's
been great right now.
Um, They've, uh, we, everything
evolved into like a commercial or more
business relationship where, where
they have, um, currently at the club
exclusivity to sell their, their products
and, and everyone's really happy.
They have one of the best
pals in the, in the market.
And they, the thing with Wilson is they
continue, they're continuously looking
for ways to make things better and to,
you know, uh, Not, not only for the
game, but just to protect and to absorb
one of the things that they're working.
It's just to absorb a little bit more
of the impact of the ball so you don't.
you in time that translates
into less injuries.
So how, how involved are you in
the research and development?
Like, do they talk to you about it?
Do they give you certain,
you know, Padels that are
not out there yet to try out?
And you, you kind of like let them know
it's too heavy, the sweet spots here.
What is that process and how
are you involved in that?
So the process is just they, they would
come up with, um, with a new Padel, let's
say they're trying something that it's a
different shape or a different material
could be a different material as well.
And so once they put it together and
what they think it could be, they, they
ship into me at this point, I want to
think that I've, I've, uh, reviews for
them for more than 50, uh, 50 Padels.
So they use like a prototype and a lot
of times I get to keep them and sometimes
they, I, I, I have to send them back,
but they use like all black where you
don't know what they're all black.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And, uh, and, and that goes
for, for different products.
Uh, they're, they're, you know, they,
uh, they're, they're very strict
when it comes to, you know, um, the
privacy of what they're doing in R& D.
And when it comes to the R& D, we
even are trying some, some of the
protectors for the Padels that they're
developing right now and testing.
And, you know, and then, um,
and we also do it with, um,
with, with some of our players.
We, uh, we extend some, some, Uh,
we allow them to use and do tests,
uh, with a bunch of the Padels and
then we have like regular people
writing reviews to see what, what
they, what they think the Padel.
Um, now can you tell us, uh, is
there any new Padels coming out?
Uh, there is a new line, uh, there is
a new line, uh, can you talk about it?
Um, no.
Wilson here.
Be careful what I said, but there is
a new line coming out in a new Bella
line, and it's going to be soon.
Beautiful.
I play with a Bella and
they did a pretty good job.
Let me do this.
A good, good racket.
I mean, it's beautiful.
It looks really nice, too.
You know, so nice racket.
Very, very impressive.
The balance on the racket is just unique,
and then they feel also it's great.
They've done it.
They really done a great job.
And I think also the aesthetics.
It's a Padel that we've been, we've
been selling, it's been selling
amazing and people, people love it.
Right, right.
Okay, so let's get back into business.
I wanna, because you're
an entrepreneur, you know.
Um, so how did you get to working in
Houston and then, you know, uh, well I
know that they sold the company, right?
And then, so how did
you get to Ultra Padel?
How did, how did that happen?
Um, because you are the, one of the
founders of Ultra Padel, right?
Correct.
Uh, um, always wanted to, you
know, be involved in the business.
That's what I, I do all day is
just to be involved with Padel.
So, um, always wanted to have
a club of, of, of my own.
And when I said my own, I, uh,
I'm saying of our own because, uh,
Forget, but it's your baby though,
Claudia, but it's your baby though.
You know what I'm saying?
It's also Claudia's baby.
Yeah.
, uh, she, she hasn't been instrumental.
She has been a lot more than that.
She has been the person responsible, um,
I'm sure in, in a way more than me, maybe
me a little bit more on the sports part.
Maybe me her more as
a, as a business woman.
Yep.
And so, so what to tell our,
our viewers, who's Claudia?
Uh, yes.
Uh, very important.
I mean.
Uh, Claudia, Claudia is my wife,
um, and, um, don't, don't, don't
ask how long we've been married.
She, uh, she has, she keeps all the data.
So what does she do, uh, for you?
I mean, you guys are a team, I
assume, you know what I'm saying,
right, and you guys work together.
We're a team.
We always work together.
We, we, we do really well together, uh,
and, and she does, she does so much.
I mean, she does.
I mean.
She knows almost everything related to
the administration, the marketing, the,
you know, following up with the vendors,
every aspect of the business, she knows
it and she knows it very well and she
does, she's done an amazing job, which
in turn allowed us to, um, to open our
own facility and, and, and what I can
tell you like in the, in the, in That,
that we'd been, we'd been, we did really
good and when, and just the first year
that since, since we'd been, we'd been
open and that we will continue to, to
contribute to grow the sport and, and,
and to, to have more clubs because at
the end of the day is having more clubs
is what's going to take the, the sports
to, to the next, to the next level.
So let's talk a little bit about
Ultra, how many courts, what
type of courts, um, where is it?
And, um, and those details like that.
So, um, ultra, um, started a, a couple
of years back, uh, we, um, we had,
uh, a lot of difficulties at the, the
beginning for, during the first year and
a half to, to try to open with, with,
with permits, uh, in, with the city.
But, uh, we're able to, to get
it done and actually opened
doors this year in, in February.
Um.
Um, we are showing every month, uh, grow
and, and, and, and more reservations
and more people coming in and playing.
And, um, I think we being, I mean, I
don't want to pat myself on the back,
but, uh, I think we'd be, we've done
a great job when it comes to the, um,
educational part of it and the teaching
and the lessons and organizing, organizing
events that are, you know, that Uh, for
the most part, and that's really happy
and they come back and that at the end of
the day, it shows and again, all I mean,
a lot of that goes to goes to Claudia
for for putting a lot of these programs
with me and events that, uh, That makes,
makes us what, what, what we are today.
So let's talk a little bit about the
permits, because a lot of people that we
have here want to open up gloves, right?
Or they're maybe in the process
of, or there's this, there's that.
And they're kind of stuck or having
difficulty with, with permits.
I mean, I know it's a long process
here, right, in, in, in, in, uh,
in Dade County, you know, so.
Um, what was that process and you
were one of the few that were able
to do it, you know, where a lot of
these people weren't able to do it.
I know, I know.
And I've seen, uh, I mean, like you
said, a lot of people interested in it.
It's not as easy.
You have to understand the market, the
city and how things work all around.
You have to be able to invest the
time and money that it will take.
You know, all the way to to, to
finally being open and getting that,
that co for your building so you
can open the doors because that's,
uh, that's, that's key, right?
Yeah.
And, um, it's, uh, when, when it
comes to the whole process is I
think the, the main differences.
Whether if you have to build
something or you, or if you have
a facility, you're able to find a
project that's existing that has.
For instance, restrooms,
bathrooms, and, and everything
that you need to be up to code.
If you don't have that and you have
to build and you're gonna go through a
series of inspections, uh, that, that
are gonna, no matter what they're gonna
take, you know, they're gonna take time
to, to do and to get approved until
you can, you can open What, what, what
would you say is the average length.
Uh, from starting point, submitting
the permits to getting approved.
Is that six months,
eight months, ten months?
Yeah, I think it's a little
bit more than six months.
It's always going to be a little bit more.
It takes, again, time to go through
each office in the city to get
permits for different things.
And that could be parking,
or it could be access.
It could be many, many things.
But in the end.
It depends on what kind of facility
you're doing, whether you're putting
only four courts and something minimal.
But if the capacity and you expect to
have more courts, then you're going
to have more people in the city.
It's going to ask for more things.
Um, and I'm thinking no less than a year.
Really?
So 12 months, would you say, at least?
I think that I would feel confident
to do something like that.
And that if you do things right
and you know what you're doing,
you could Potentially get it done
in, in, in, but it's not guaranteed
because you have the experience.
Somebody come in and has never done it.
You can add another 50 percent to that.
It's good for new investors and all that.
Hey guys, you know, hold on your horses
now because I want to open a product
club and in a week I'll have it ready.
So yeah, that's a good point.
And it happens a lot because like,
I mean, at least for me with the
experience coming from Latin America.
You could literally open a, a pallet club.
If you have aquas, you mount
the courts on a, on, on, on a
space and you'll have a business.
You can start your business.
There's regulations are, I mean,
they, they have them, but, but
they're more relaxed, loose and, and,
uh, and yeah, they're super loose.
And, and you can open in a month.
You could have a, an uh,
a club up and running.
Yeah.
If you have, but here's not the case.
Yeah.
It's just not gonna,
it's not gonna happen.
I mean, uh, findings a, a
location or acquiring a location
already has a sports, uh.
A sports zoning would probably be easier.
And you think it's specifically Miami
Dade or it's the entire state of Florida?
Um, yeah, no, I think it's
just the city of Miami.
There's a lot of construction right now.
There's a lot of buildings.
So everything that you
do, it takes more time.
You're always put in a queue and
you have to wait until everyone else
that's in front of you to finish.
And maybe in other places is a lot faster.
I want to, that would be my guess.
And even in other states.
like somewhere like Texas, you're
going to have basically no code.
So if you have acres in the back
of your house, you could open four
Padel courts and then you just get
your business and you're good to go.
So in that sense, uh, it's, it's
different, uh, everywhere you go.
Let's talk about a little bit
old trust, uh, uh, programming.
What, what do you guys offer, uh,
from clinics and things like that?
What, what do you guys
are doing right now?
Well, first, how many
courts do you guys have?
So, so we have three indoor courts
and, uh, full courts and five outdoor
courts and one indoor singles court.
It's like the only one, I think.
You might have never seen one, right?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
The space was right.
It made sense.
It's really working for us.
There's a lot of times where,
you know, a dad would want to
play with one of their kids.
Um, or, you know, you have a couple
of sudden they just want to hit, or
maybe you can't find that extra fourth
players that sometimes it's very hard
to find, but you have your best friend
and you want to go hit and train.
So people are liking it.
So what, what type of court
do you guys have there?
So we have is, is, uh, the same court
that you actually see in the tour,
uh, uh, that Padel Gallies produces.
Uh, it's the Panoramic, oh yeah, it's the
War Padel Tour Chord with the Mondo Turf.
Uh, we, we knew from the beginning
that, that people wanted to experience
playing, you know, in a chord that,
that bounds perfectly and that
protects your, your, your knees.
And you wanted to play on that too,
cause you have a standard, right?
So, so the programming now.
So what, what do you guys offer at Ultra?
So for programming right
now, well, we, we have.
Quite a few options and what
and what I can tell you, well,
I'll mention a few of them.
We have, uh, we'll have
individual lessons that we do.
We have group lessons.
We have clinics during the
mornings and some in the evening.
Um, we also have, uh, a tournament with
our own ranking that we do on Thursdays.
And we have a, a, a, a, a cardio clinic
where you can come and, and run a
little bit more for those who want to
get a, you know, the workout and, and,
and, and burn, burn some calories.
And so we got a, a right now.
Um, a good, I wanna say we're,
we're, we're pretty good.
We, we have as far as programs, but we
are gonna add a couple potentially in
20, 24, a couple more, more things that
people, we think that people are gonna.
are going to really like and, and, and,
uh, one is one of them is going to be
called a shot of the week, uh, where
you can learn if you're interested in
doing that and that's, I'm going to do
it personally because a lot of times, I
mean, for, for other reasons, I haven't
been able to be on court as much as
I want because teaching is my, my, my
passion, but this one, I'm going to do
it, uh, myself and, and we're going to
talk about tactics, tactics and, um, So
that's coming, and there's also gonna,
we're gonna have the Ultra League, which
is, uh, a format that we put together,
uh, that's gonna have its own ranking,
you're gonna be able to even get a rating
from it, which is a big deal nowadays,
you know, your rating, and the, this
league that I've, um, put together will
be able to tell you exactly, I mean,
or, or, really close to Your, your
rating, but based on, on your plane
and nothing else is it's trying to take
subjectivity out of it based on you
winning pretty much based on you winning.
So it's kind of like
platonic a little bit, right?
I played ultra league.
I really like, it's really great.
Yeah, it's not quite the same.
It's going to be an individual rating.
Basically, I can tell you in two seconds
kind of how it's going to go down, but
you will play individually within a court.
Uh, in you will play one set with each
one of the other players and the one that
has the best count for when it comes to
games is going to advance to a higher
court, which allow you to play with
better players the next following week.
If you lose your court, you go down this.
It's the same concept as the latter
in tennis, but it allows you.
Uh, to know exactly who's
the best player on the court.
And then when you go up, you're going to
face, uh, players, uh, that are better
than you, supposedly, in the higher court.
And then you have to do your
best to try to stay in there.
And, um, and then what allows is, allows
everyone, involves everyone, because
now you're going to have eight courts
playing at the, where the highest
level could be somebody like a place
open or competition level like me.
But on court eight, you could have
somebody that's intermediate and they
can work that's going to allow all the
players to, you know, to say, well,
now I have the chance to, to play up.
That's beautiful.
That's great.
Yeah.
So a couple of things.
I mean, um, when are you signing the
shot of the day or shot of the week?
The shot of the week is that
we're going to start that,
uh, and starting in January.
Um, I'm, I'm traveling like, uh,
like we said, I'm going to, to
spend some time in, in playing in,
in Brazil and then in Argentina.
So I won't be around in December.
Whenever you do that, uh, the shot of
the week, you do the bandeja, please
let us know because he needs to improve
the shot, the bandeja so he can go.
Because who plays the bandeja?
Most people play the vibora
and he can't do the vibora.
Okay.
Wait, wait, let me ask another question.
So, um, Have you ever, I mean, are you
guys thinking in doing, uh, U US USBA
tournaments or, um, red Padel tournaments
or, or things like that at the club?
Uh, we are, we are, um, we wanna have,
uh, one or two major events potentially
this year, uh, that, that gives you
points for, for the ranking for the USBA.
We wanna do that.
Uh, for sure.
Uh, we're, um.
But we want to do it right.
We want to do it.
We want to be able to, you know, to,
to make people happy at the same time.
So we have to find a way, you know,
when it comes to, um, being able to say,
okay, um, this is a tournament that's
well organized and you're going to get
this, this, this and that if you do
well and, and, and, you know, have a
little bit more when it comes to prices
and all that, that we don't, a lot of
times, but for people that have to travel
and all, and then yeah, you travel and
it's, it's, it's, it's all an expense.
So.
Beautiful.
We'll, we'll try to do that in that.
So now I've heard you talk
about, uh, Houston a few times.
So is that where the next
club's gonna be, ? Uh, no.
No, no, no, no.
Um, okay, so you talked
about other clubs, right?
Is that something you see in the future?
So, so yeah, uh, there's a few
major cities that we would like,
obviously, to have a presence.
Okay.
Um.
So where's your top five cities
that you would want to, you know,
put clubs in, you know, in the
future, in the next three years?
Uh, it could be Houston, it could be
Dallas, it could be San Francisco.
Um, we, we, we have an, uh,
an idea of what we want to do.
Tampa, I think it's also So
how do you figure out where
you're going to put the club?
What analytics do you use to figure out
to, you know, hey, the club is going
to do better here than over there?
So, um, demographics is,
is, it's, it's key, right?
You have to understand, uh, how
many, how many potential players you
can get out of any given, um, area.
Um The next thing is just, can you, are
you able to find, um, a space that, that
will allow you to do the facility or
type of facility that you want to do, are
you going to be able to do permitting or
change the use in an area that is maybe
not, not recreational and stuff like that.
But, um, but yeah, it's, uh, we go, um,
um, uh, The way we do, it's, we'll analyze
any locations and, and for the most part
we've had a lot of people coming to us.
We don't have to go out there too
much, but we've analyzed this year
alone, more than 20 clubs to, to, you
know, to see whether an, an investment
is, is viable to, to, to do it.
And, and, and it could be, again, it
could be any city that's gonna have,
uh, potentially space and, and the
demographics that you're looking for.
To, to, to be able to have a, a, you know,
to generate good return on the investment.
And is indoor must or could
it be indoor, outdoor?
Both?
Or outdoor, or does it matter?
It, it could be both.
And what, uh, I mean, currently what we're
exploring is, is, is to find a way to, um,
to have covered courts that are outdoors
that allowed you to play outdoors and
you don't, you don't need, or you don't
have to have the cost of, of, of renting
or owning, uh, an indoor facility with.
you know, that it's, uh, it's, uh,
with air conditioning and stuff
like that, they're pretty costly.
So, so are you guys just looking for
the business aspect of it or are you
guys all supporting the asset as well?
Uh, well, we, we, we're
looking at both right now.
And, uh, and, and again, it's, it's hard
to answer that question in general because
each, each one of them is going to be
so specific when it comes to the Padel.
But, but just to answer your question
more, more, more directly, uh, yes,
I mean, I'm all about the indoor, the
indoor, people love it, you can, you know,
you're going to play, you know, you're not
going to have this, especially here with
the, with the heat and the rain, I mean,
for Florida, it's, I, I, I would tell you
if I open a club, it has, it's probably
a must, do a combination of both, but
yeah, and then you have extreme weather,
you know, up north and, uh, and so.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So, uh, I'm always
looking for, for indoors.
So what do you think the percentage
is through the whole year that you
lose, um, when it comes to rain or
weather, you know, when it comes to
not being able to play on the court?
Um, if you have, um, eight to 10 days
of rain in the, in the rainy season, um,
Um, you, you could, I mean, for a Padel
as a business, you could, you could lose
like some, some serious money, right?
Uh, due to the rain and this
year it's been, it's, it's been
raining a lot, uh, and that's when
your, your indoor counts, right?
Come into place because,
uh, whatever you're, you're
going to be potentially full.
If there's other clubs that people,
you can't go to, to the club that you
normally go then, but you have courts
that are indoors somewhere when it rains.
Most likely you will be at full capacity
during the rainy season on the indoor.
Uh, so it kind of makes up
for the money that you lose.
Okay, that's why it's important,
going back to your questions, to have
something that it's a hybrid model
where you have indoor and outdoor.
So if you just had outdoor, do you think
you'll lose about 20 percent um, of?
of not being able to
play because of weather?
Um, I, I, it could, it could
be a little bit more than that.
30, 40 percent maybe in New England?
Even 50%?
That's what I would guess.
Well, that's, that's a lot.
That is a lot for, for, yeah.
I mean, uh, so is investment
obviously, because you're going to
invest maybe 50 to 75 percent more
doing an indoor and also the time.
Uh, so is it, you're saying it's well
worth that than putting something
outside of, you know, being a lot less
to, to, as an investment, correct?
And that's where it comes into place.
What kind of leads you have, you have
five years, uh, with the numbers.
So Fernando, what is your highest
achievement as a player and as a
professional and as a coach, as a coach,
uh, as a player, uh, I would, uh, I would
tell you that, uh, When we play the last
World Championship in Las Vegas for the
Seniors event in the 35 plus, uh, where
my partner at the time was Paco Rivero.
We had a great run.
We were expecting to, I mean, due to
the level that the highest level of the
competition playing 35 years old, we,
we, you know, we were guessing that we.
We would be happy, uh, going
over the first or second round.
We end up doing much, much better.
We, we did, uh, amazing.
After the first few days, our level
kept rising and we kept on winning.
Uh, we did, uh, Belgium, uh, Chile,
Italy, and then we made it all the way.
We won quarterfinals, uh, uh, and then,
and then all the way into the semifinals.
against Argentina and we're able
to take Argentina in two sets.
So we had a great run.
I was in a whole week of Padel at the
highest level and in our best tournament.
And unfortunately we, we end up in
second place, uh, and, and also play
the number one team from Argentina.
But we took a set, so we came so close
to being world champions, uh, in, uh, you
know, in this, uh, in this type of event.
So that was our, our, probably my
highest achievement as a player.
And how about as a coach?
So highest achievement when it comes to
awards and things like that is, um, I
got, uh, I, I got this year in September,
uh, named, um, And, uh, International
Master Professional, which is one of the,
it is the highest, uh, achievement that
you, you, you could, you could get, uh,
as a, as a, as a Padel professional.
That's good.
He got, he got UB.
Yeah.
You did it good.
You did it good.
So, so how many people, um, you know,
get this and how difficult is it and
how did, how did you achieve that?
So, so the, the RPP, the, the
International Master Professional
is an award that it's, it's given
to somebody that has extensive, um,
experience in the competition and in
the not only competition, but on the
educational part of the, the, the sports.
And apparently I have, uh, both, uh,
a vast experience within all these
last years and, and both and, and, and
there's only eight in, in the world
that, uh, have achieved the highest
is, is really the, the highest level.
And, um, in, in, um, Being
the only one in the U.
S.
Congratulations.
You're making Julian jealous.
Yes, I know.
How does he get one?
So, so how often do they give this award?
Is it every year or every couple of years?
Because there's only eight.
Uh, yeah, no.
Uh, well, because I know
they do it in tennis.
And I don't really know
how often they do it.
Uh, but, uh, you know, they take a vote.
And, and, and And yeah, it was a little
bit of a surprise, but they, they,
they wanted to acknowledge all the, I
guess, all the, the hard work that we,
we put for it and we've perfectly had
contributed to the sport in the last.
Congratulations.
Uh, so, uh, Fernando, what's coming
for next year, 2024 for you and panel.
So, uh, big news for next year.
We, uh, we want to.
Uh, start our, our own academy.
Uh, I'm going to partner with one of
my head coaches, Guillermo Cajigas.
Oh, okay.
And we're going to work
together to open ACE.
Uh, ACE is going to be, um, a high
performance academy, uh, that is
going to mainly, uh, work with, uh,
players that want to really take
it to the next level and compete.
And, you know, our emphasis is going
to be put on kids, which we, we, we
know that it's, it's very much needed
for the sport and, and we're going
to have methodology and we're going
to do, we're going to, uh, Attempt
to, to, you know, to have an academy
where, where we can develop players.
And now we, we have many elements
you, you, you'll get to know
since you'll have more, more news.
So that's like a real academy.
Yeah, that's great.
That would probably be the first
year, like a real, real academy.
Wow.
It's amazing.
And we need to do that.
I mean, for the growth of the sport
here in the United States, for sure.
I mean, we need juniors for sure.
So, so Fernando, at the end of
the interview, we'll go into
the golden point questions.
You ready?
Is that straightforward?
Questions?
You know.
Okay.
So, question number one.
What do you prefer to play?
Right or left?
Left.
Do you prefer playing indoor or outdoor?
Indoors.
Power shots or finesse?
Um, finesse, but I don't have
it, so I've seen your smash, man.
For me, it's gonna be power.
Alright, favorite club.
That's an easy one.
That's an easy one.
Favorite clubs, uh, we can all
agree that, um, it's Ultra.
Dejadito or Y3?
Uh, no, I actually like the,
the, the hottest shot a lot and,
uh, yeah, I've seen that live.
I've seen it.
I can do it, man.
Yeah.
Uh, bandeja or víbora?
Um, I, I, I like the víbora more.
Yeah.
Good.
What is your best shot?
Uh, best shot, I think,
is the forehand volley.
Down the middle.
Uh, your worst shot?
Good one.
Uh, I think it's potentially
not a shot, but movement.
I've been playing, I had a really
bad injury on my knee back in
the day, and that makes me very,
you know, an easy bit movement.
I need to do a lot of
improving in that area.
Good.
Who's your favorite professional
player that you love to watch?
Uh, I love to, uh, watch, uh, Galan.
And it's, I think, uh, it's.
One of the most solid
players that I like to watch.
Alright, favorite racket?
Uh, the Wilson Elite.
Elite.
Wow, that's my, that's my racket.
He has chosen wisely.
He believes he owns that racket.
I did not own that for the racket.
Who's your favorite partner
that you love to play with?
Played with a lot of people and with
a lot of partners and and I enjoy
different things from from a lot of
them, but I don't I don't necessarily
had a favorite Okay, top three Top three.
Well, I enjoy a lot playing
with guillermo right now.
Uh, he's he's He's got so much talent.
He's going to continue to improve and
we get along super well So i'm i'm
extremely happy to have him as my partner
uh currently Uh, you know Um, also Paco
for a whole year, we won everything
here when the last time we decided that
we were going to take it seriously.
Uh, and that was a couple of years ago.
And, uh, and, and I, I
love to play with him.
I have so much fun when I
play with, with Paco as well.
Okay, great.
Oh, from one to 10, how good
is Claudio on the Padel court?
Oh my God.
The pressure is on baby.
Oh my God, you brought
him on the spot bro.
Oh boy.
So, uh.
All I can tell you is that her rating
doesn't reflect her true abilities.
Well done, well done.
Yeah, this guy, man,
he's a smart guy, bro.
Oh, man, he's good, man.
You should get one of him.
Alright, golden point, who takes it?
Uh, yeah, well, normally, um, it
depends on where the ball's coming
from, uh, who's, who's, which one
of the other players is serving, if
it's the left or the right player.
But other than that, I love
to take it every single time.
Great.
So tell us, uh, well, your
goals for, for this coming year.
Um, okay.
Uh, so goals again, going back to the
academy, we're going to put a lot of,
a lot of emphasis on the sports part.
Uh, and maybe not so much on
other aspects of the business.
I'm going to try to clear
time now that we have a.
a team behind me.
Uh, so, so yeah, uh, goals is, is the
academy, I think is, is, is number one.
And then maybe training a little bit
harder to compete in some of the, the,
the events, the national events that
are going to be coming, like the world
championship taking a little bit because I
don't have too many more years to compete.
Uh, I want to, yes.
So I want to maybe give it an,
uh, one or Another last shot.
Alright Fernando, thank you for
coming on Power Smash Academy.
Okay, we want to wish
you all the luck in 2024.
so much.
guys.
Good job, man.
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