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Today we have a former World Padel tour player, uh, Peter Lonzo.
Welcome Peter Lonzo.
I started playing paddle 26, 27 years ago when I was a kid
in, in southwest Spain, in Mar.
I had a summer house there, and so close to my summer house
was, uh, for paddle courts.
It was a little sport in Spain.
Uh, I start enjoying it in summer and start, uh, playing the, the
Spanish championships when I was junior in my junior, uh, season.
No, between 10 years and 18 years, I won five Spanish champ.
Three World Cups and, uh, starting, traveling, playing, and
dreaming about, about this game.
And then in 2008, in 2009, I became, uh, it was my first year as a pro player.
I start playing the Pro Tour, the Paddle Pro tour was, was called, it was the, the
one that was before the war pile tour.
Uh, then, uh, all the players we started playing war pile
tour, I think was, uh, in 2013.
Uh, and it was like a transition of all of us.
And my last match in a war tour in 2021 when I decide to, to come here to, to us.
Beautiful.
Let, lemme ask one thing.
What was your best, best ranking in the war tour?
My best ranking was couple nine in 2014.
20.
And who was your, your My partner?
Yeah.
Was Mathias . Ah, Mathias.
Yeah.
Awesome.
And lemme ask one thing, why, why the us What, what, what do you
see for you to make the big step to come to the United States?
Well, there is, uh, different components, but, uh, I have been,
these years I have been traveling.
Okay.
With, with p just before I came here, uh, I had my own academy in, in sh.
Wow.
I, I think I was one of the first guys to, to go fly to Sweden to play.
Wow.
Remember it was in 2014, uh, I went to Sweden.
Uh, I was the image of Fadi pa.
So we went to make, uh, kind of an event there.
I think it was six course in whole Sweden.
Now, right now it's more than three, 3000.
Wow.
Incredible.
So, so well, uh, I believe, I think that this country, uh, is the biggest country
in the world in consumer, consumer.
In in economy.
Sports too.
And in sports, yeah.
So it's, yeah.
Tell a little bit.
So what countries do you see this sport growing right now?
Right now, uh, this, uh, paddle was, has been completely,
completely, uh, taken over.
Taken over.
It's like a rocket.
Yeah.
And I think, uh, COVID has been, oh yeah, the, the, the
final push the, the catalyst.
Yeah.
So right now, uh, whole Europe is, is full.
Uh, if we talk two years ago, we say no, UK and Germany is not involved right now.
Yes.
Uh, Italy, it's crazy, crazy.
France also, all the.
Uh, all the countries Middle East, not Nordics, Nordics, of course.
Okay.
I mean, Europe, we are going to tell, I I, I think Europe is whole.
Europe is, is is completely full, but also the Middle East.
Middle East, yeah.
But right now I have every day, almost every day, uh, I have news from.
Australia, of course.
Whole America.
Not only in the US uh, Latin America.
Look, last, last la last week we had Chile, and the Chile open was
7,000, uh, people in the crowns.
Wow.
And they say could be 10,000, 12,000.
Yeah.
So, so how do you see, um, you know, paddle here in Miami?
And Flo in general versus, uh, outside of Miami?
Well, in, in, in Miami right now, what I see is that it's a, a well known if
you, if you go to the street and you ask someone, Hey, have you heard about Paddle?
The people is going to say, yes, I heard about it.
Eh, I play, I don't, I don't play, but I know what.
I heard about it out of Miami.
It's an, an unknown sport is what I think.
Uh, right now in in us, it's going to happen.
Uh, if you do the same proof, you go to Houston or you go to to Minnesota or
Minnesota, absolutely sure what is say.
Okay.
Is this Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
But, but I think so now, um, I mean, what do you think, uh,
needs to happen to transform that?
I mean, I think most people think of the sport as like a European or
South American sport, so how do, how, what needs to be done to transform
it to kind of more an American sport?
I don't believe about, uh, how do you say I don't believe, yeah, the stickers.
I don't believe about the stickers.
And if one thing it's proved in this sport is that the Spanish guy
or the Argentina guy, we don't.
One genetic thing.
Why we love paddle?
Because if, if, if it wasn't like this, eh, it has been a sport that
we have been playing Argentina and, and Spanish guys for 30 years.
So suddenly everyone loves paddle.
Yeah.
It's not a secret.
So I only say this because I look at soccer in the.
And I see it really big Europe all over the world, but Americans,
it was really tough for them to kind of, uh, accept that sport.
Well, what I think right now, uh, I've been one year over here at the beginning
was a lot of Latin people playing stills, of course Latin, uh, people playing.
Of course, Miami is not, for me, is not a normal place in US because all
the, the percent of Latin people that you have, but right now, you see, or
I see a lot of, uh, us, uh, players.
Mm.
And you know, right here we have reserve, for example.
Yeah.
And you see the people that.
Starting to be involved in this industry and that is going to be
the big, big jump in my opinion.
Yeah.
And, and if it, may I add something to that?
I mean, I think now we start hearing of different spots around the country.
You know, Texas new open clubs.
I'm consulting with a club in, in San Francisco, uh, Connecticut actually.
I just came back from Orlando and we did a coach's paddle culture certification
and we have nine people from Connecticut.
And they were always, they were putting some clubs in Connecticut.
We have New York.
So I think that's a very, very good sign when you see all these different clubs
popping up all over the United States.
So I have another question.
Uh, what do you think about pickleball and it taking, you know, some of
the equity that Paddle has built these last three, five years?
What I think about pickleball is always a fun game.
It's a fun game.
Uh, I, I try to play it, uh, but I feel when I play and when I.
That, eh, sport and pickle game.
I like that.
That's sounds very good.
So what, what I see is a game for everyone, or, or, I think it's a great
sport for all, all people, right?
Yeah.
Eh, I don't think it's a great show to see a professional pickleball, uh, game.
I think it's a big show to see, to watch a professional, uh, paddle.
But.
Two days ago, on Monday, I was invited to reserve paddle and they made a
pickleball court and a paddle court.
And you see the difference between one and the other came tennis, uh,
professional tennis players came, pickleball, professional players
came, paddle professional players.
And the feeling it was the 90, 95% was getting.
To the side that, that's very interesting.
That's a good comparison to have it at the same time playing at the same time.
People time here.
Yeah, good, good players, all that stuff.
And, and I think, uh, most paddle players and myself agree with you, but you have
to see in other states, it seems like pickleball has been, you know, um, really
excelling and people have been playing.
You know, um, just because maybe they don't have access to paddle.
But, uh, I, I think it's kind of, uh, taken over certain,
certain states here, I guess.
But let me ask one thing.
I think it's very important.
I think I'm, I'm sure you guys agree with me that United States is such
a big, big country that there is room for all the different sports.
You know what I mean?
Yeah.
It's so big that there's.
To growth all over the place.
Yeah, definitely.
Of course.
And definitely, and, and I, and I, and I think that in all these
places that you talk about, uh, inside us with the pickleball, uh,
if you ask what is parallel, they don't know what is parallel yet.
Yeah.
I think, and, and I, I really think that here, Uh, is is with all the
sport that that they have, there is going to be a space for all of them.
Yes, but I all, but, but I, but I think, I also think that is going to happen
that uh, they are going to be clouds.
It's going to be racket.
Clouds.
Exactly.
There is going to be tanish, pi and Palo.
That's what I saying.
And I firmly believe it.
Yeah, because right now you see a cloud change.
Cloud with 26 courts.
Yeah, 30 courts.
So there is a space to make it.
Yeah.
What I think is going to be a big transfer.
Of tennis player and pickleball players to paddle play, uh, to the paddle plays.
I'm not so much to paddle that to tennis or pickle.
Yeah, maybe something to paddle to pickle maybe, but what is for me?
Sure.
That is going to be a big, big, big translate of that question.
I agree with you.
I think that's definitely right.
But how, how do you educate the people?
How do you what, how do you do that?
People don't know about the sport, you know?
And how do you get them to learn about the sport?
How do you get 'em involved?
Uh, when I'm in Connecticut, I have to go to New York to play at Pet
House, you know, uh, I introduce to my friend, they have no idea.
But before, before you played these guys playing pickleball, what happened?
Maybe they had to travel to New York to the only, uh, court.
So the first thing that you have, and you need.
Is courts and for to start as a sport is, for me, it's going to be the
first one is going to be a court.
The second one at the same time is going to be material.
And third one and most important is how to play it.
Coaches.
Coaches, yeah.
Coaches.
Yeah.
That's you.
You need to have that, that those steps on that combination.
Now the three.
Yeah.
Three steps.
But with, but without the courts, you can't have the other three.
Exactly, exactly.
So you need the courts first to play, to, to play soccer.
We need, we need a ball and we need a, A goal.
A goal.
No.
Yeah.
Right.
Yeah.
It's like this to play basket.
We need a basket and we need a ball.
Yeah.
To play pilot, you need a court anette, a rocket and a ball.
Yeah.
Then after that, how to play it.
I, I agree with, I agree with you a hundred percent.
Yeah.
Let me ask one thing.
You were number, um, nine in the world in World Cloud tour, right?
Couple nine.
Yeah.
Now you are the undisputed mega superstar number one in the United
States unto the untouchable.
So every, to every tournament you win, every tournament you
play, you kicks everyone butt.
So, so where, tell me about the level besides you, everyone else
or, you know, the level of paddle players at, at the professional,
let's call it professional, but it's.
How far are they from Waral two level?
How far are they?
I mean, uh, when I finish playing Waral tour, I firmly believe that
I could still play a Waral tour.
The reason when I quit and I come here, It's a business reason.
Okay.
That's the, that's the big truth.
So, uh, I still feel okay playing p uh, but you think the level is good for, for
the, the place that you play against?
No, no.
The level is so far, of course, it's so far here.
It's an, first of all, it's Anma.
Amateur.
It's an amateur.
Amateur.
Sure.
It is, uh, a lot of the guys are starting, uh, if you see the ranking of
the U S B A, maybe, I don't know, the third plan, how many US US players are.
Maybe it's nielli.
Yeah.
The only one, the, the, the, the rest are there.
Reds are Latin guys, Latin Americans, or so many Europeans.
So what I think is going to be fast, eh, it's, it's all about
how many courts are going.
I mean, it's, it's all about how, how many people is going to play supply and demand.
Exactly.
So you need more courts to build more players.
That's the only thing like that, like that and the time is going to
decide when you're going to have a real professional, uh, US player.
So, I mean the, the, I guess the level in Europe or South America compared to,
compared to here is a big difference.
At what point do you think they will meet?
Yeah.
Right now?
Yes.
Because here, paddle here.
Imagine a whole life here.
Paddle is a baby.
Yeah.
Uh, Europe is an old, an old man.
Yeah.
So, uh, I've been playing 26 years.
Yeah, yeah.
Maybe I play against one guy that, uh, has been playing two years and Yeah.
I have, that's me.
Even better technique than me.
Yeah.
And he is stronger and he is taller, but I have that experience.
Yeah.
And the understanding of the game.
You have so much better, the understanding of the game, because this game is,
is, is, is not a, it's very tactical.
It's very tactical.
It's a very chess game.
So, and you have a lot, a lot of different, um, ways to play this
game and to play every match.
So if you know how to make that kiss, eh, I think it's, it's, it's, it's,
it's, it's, it's not an easy, easy game.
You gotta tell me about your documentary Along the path.
There are many obstacles.
I have suffered injuries such an herniated disc or a reoperation.
I have suffered many.
Moments where the confidence was low.
I have thoughts of giving up both on the business side of the
sport and then the sport itself.
But what I have learned and what is clear to me now is that overcoming
each obstacle makes you increase your strength and experience resulting
in greater knowledge in all aspects.
When is it out and, and, uh, when, where could people see it?
And what is, what is it about?
Thank you so much.
I appreciate, I appreciate it was, uh, well, no, it's, it's, it's, it's out.
Oh, okay.
It's on my, it's on my YouTube.
It's on my.
Uh, Instagram.
I was really excited with that.
Um, uh, my, my idea also to be a little bit more known and, and, and, and, and
better, yes, not only me is, uh, to make a little bit of content, okay?
So that people can see what, uh, what we do and, and.
I love it to, to make it, and I think the documentary is something that talks about
me, about my life, about what, eh, what I have I, because now maybe the people don't
know me or even know me and say, okay, these guys, eh, Have a, a great life.
He's in, in us, fantastic.
Blah, blah.
And he's like, what a good luck.
What a good luck.
Yes, of course.
But the good luck you have to, to fight to, to take that, huh?
So I, the, the, the, the real thing is that I have been 26 years,
uh, involving this industry in this sport, and I fight a lot.
That's the, that's, that's, that's the truth.
I fight a lot and I, I, I also had, uh, That have been really difficult.
Right now, the economics is much better, but I've been playing, uh,
professional and, and, and at the end of the year, uh, it was not profit for me.
Yeah, yeah.
So that's another question.
I mean, how, how do the players profit in this game?
How do they survive in this game?
You know, eh, right now, right now, everything is, Yeah.
Right now I think it's like a will.
Everything is increasing when it's, uh, when it's more countries involved.
There is more social media, there is more tv, uh, there is more sponsors.
The sponsors make more, more, more gas for that car.
It's, it's, it's, it's kind of a wheel.
So when a sport is a really, for example, Chile dollar day, 7,000 people every day
looking at the match at 100, uh, dollars, uh, per ticket, and then tv of course
that's, that's, that's a real business.
When it's a real business.
There is money behind people.
So it's, so what would you say is the percentage of the professional place
in between sponsorship and price money?
Is it a 50 50, 60, 40?
Eh, before, before now, I have been an 80 20, about 80 sponsors 20 price money.
Right now it's a big increase.
Increment of price, money, eh?
I still believe.
It is more the percent of of sponsors that the prize.
What I think is, uh, the way that we are going, I think, uh, in 10 years,
15 years, I, I, I don't know because yeah, it's, it is going so fast.
Yeah.
But, but I mean, when, when, when something is, uh, when it
is established, this big sport I think will be more 60, 70 of prize
money, 30 of, of very interesting.
Of.
Of sponsors.
Yeah.
And what I think is what happened in tennis le Let me ask one
thing, very important question.
Your lethal weapon, the silks.
Mm-hmm.
Why don't you tell us about this paddle, why you're playing with silks
and your partnership with Pa Nuro?
Okay.
I, I work for, I, I work for Silks.
Um, I play, so what do you do, especially for them?
Well, I'm kind of an ambassador player at the beginning.
I, my.
I was the, the country manager, uh, last year for ses, for SES and,
and, and 360 Palo Group and estro.
So, ses, uh, it's own no.
Uh uh, ses is owned by Palo Maestro.
Eh, was own Perro now is uh, uh, is a bigger vehicle.
Okay.
That is called 360 Power Group that you have in this way, eh, one
car that is going to be Perro and one different car that is silks.
Okay.
Before was just one the same, but now it's, it's two different companies.
Interesting.
Okay.
So I work for that two different companies.
Okay.
And, uh, I, I went as a country manager.
And right now we have our country manager and I'm a consultant.
I'm an ambassador.
I'm, I do a lot of things with them.
Uh, I can't, I can't tell the word exactly word that, uh, and, and lemme
you about this panel because he loves the per the, this, the Diablo, right?
Yes.
So what, what type of paddle it does.
Essential spot.
Yeah.
This is a, this is a new sand rocket.
Uh, this is, uh, the Avor Revolution two.
Uh, first of all, what I feel, because well, is that it's a beautiful rocket.
It is, it looks beautiful.
I think it's, it's an elegant and beautiful rocket.
And, uh, the, the most important thing for me is.
How, how it's going, you know?
Exactly.
Because maybe, uh, it not looks good, but doesn't perform.
Exactly.
So would you say it's more, it's much more a control paddle.
I know.
We know it's a tear draw paddle, right.
Or it's, I think it's a great balance paddle.
Okay.
One of the main thing of this, uh, of this, uh, rocket is that it's a
really control, it's, I think the, it's between the control and the.
And the sweet point is a big, the sweet spot.
Yeah.
Sweet spot.
And, and how do you compare that to the other two, uh, paddles that
San came out with for originally?
For me, for me, what I touch, this is more complete, more complete for me.
What I think also is that this is like the, the definitely one.
Okay, okay.
Because the other one was like limit edit.
It was okay, but I firmly believe that Sandio had more time to make the
rocket to develop the right one, right?
Yeah.
Le lemme ask one thing.
So let's say you, our viewers or listeners that wanna try the paddle,
can they try it here in Miami as a demo?
Can?
Can they feel it?
Of course they can.
Where, first of all, in two months.
Okay.
We are going to open, uh, a great bottle.
In Winwood.
Wow, that's Palo, that's going to be a P store.
Exactly.
Yep.
It's going to be a, a whole p.
Wow.
And they can, they go there and get demo paddles close to, close to paddle walls.
Okay.
The next street, Wynwood wall, no paddle walls No yet.
Wynwood Walls.
Windwood walls.
Eventually we'll become paddle walls, but you know, have a paddle walls.
Yeah, yeah.
Okay.
Yeah, yeah.
Windwood walls.
Okay.
Yeah.
The next street.
Oh, beautiful.
To me, we, we are going, it's going to be, uh, between 300
and 400, uh, square meters.
Wow.
It's huge.
So they're gonna have a warehouse.
We already product here already.
Own.
We already have it.
And this.
Came the first big, big, big containers with all our material.
Oh wow.
That's beautiful.
Wow.
Okay, so now we start.
Now we, awesome.
We're looking forward to, so our viewers and listeners can go there, try demo
rockets, get the feel of the paddle.
They can take it back to our paddle clubs and mm-hmm.
Winwood and UL Ultra and all try the different paddles.
We're going to start working with Wynwood Paddle.
We're going to start working with Paddle Life.
We already work with Reserve.
And different ways.
So I will, I will tell you soon with my social media and, and with Palo also
where you can go to try to make that test.
That'll be fantastic.
And, and, and, and, and also to buy the Rockets.
That, that'll be fantastic.
That's a great, great sign.
That is happening.
A lot of things in us.
Yeah.
There is happening a lot, a lot, a lot of things in us.
Let's hear it.
We need more courts.
More courts we need, so I don't care.
More courts.
My courts great.
They're courts great.
Yes, we need courts.
Yeah.
I mean, the cake is so huge.
Yes.
That's a good point.
Huge.
So huge.
So what I, and also, we need more coaches.
If I, everything is going to be like this.
Yeah.
Everything is going to be like this.
Yeah.
What I think, what I believe is all the people, all the people that are in the
public industry, Try to be friendly.
We, we are professional.
Yeah.
We're a paddle ambassadors.
We're trying to promote the sport exactly.
In a way we can.
So friendly, professional, and then it is going to be a
long along and beautiful trip.
Thank you everyone for, for listening and, and, and viewing our great
podcasts with a great, uh, our number one paddle player in the.
Peter Alonso, I'm really happy to be here Whenever you want to talk
a little bit more, I will be here.
Keep on playing Paddle, and let's take your paddle game to the next level.
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