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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.
Hey, Julian says here and today
we're so excited to have Davide Nalbandian.
He's a former tennis professional,
rank three in the world, and
he's also the Miami Premier Tour
Ambassador and Public relations.
David was a runner up in a singles event
at the 2002 Wimbledon's Championships.
During his career, he
won 11 single titles.
Including the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005
and the two masters thousand tournaments.
David, what a, what a great pleasure
to have you here in the channel.
Uh, it's truly incredible.
Uh, after your incredible tennis
career, uh, tell us a little bit,
how did you move into Padel?
After retirement and all that.
I mean, super excited
about that.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
And, um, yeah, I finished, uh, my tennis
career a few years ago and I have my,
my, my cousin who start playing Padel.
And I started playing with him
a little bit many years ago.
And, and then, uh, I start running, uh,
a club I invest on, on a club in close
to my, to my town with him, and that's
why I'm getting, uh, involved on it.
So you're a club owner as well?
Yeah, I do.
That's exciting.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Very nice.
So when you were playing tennis,
did you know about Padel or, or did
you play here and there, or No, no.
Yeah, yeah.
I play, I play a little
bit when I was very kid.
Uh, around nineties in Argentina,
when was getting the Padel huge
over there and then falls down,
um, in, in those, in those moments.
And then start again.
I think it was around 2010
or 2008, something like that.
Uh, so I play a little bit in
the beginning as well when the
rules was completely different.
And, uh, and then I get back after, after
I play, after I retire with my tennis.
So now tell us
a little bit, I mean, what is
your involvement with the Miami
Premier Battle tournament?
Well, we, we have a, a very big group,
Bella Teddy, well, a, a, a few, a few
guys in the, in the, in the company
who, everybody will get involved in it.
And we believe the Miami Premier will
be, uh, a great start for, um, US market.
Um, we believe that, uh, it is
gonna grow up quick in, in, in us.
And which better city than
Miami, who is a, a, a Latin city.
With many South Americans and even
even Spanish people around right now,
and we believe that, uh, Miami Premier
will be, um, the really beginning of,
of the great successful in, in, uh,
in us.
So how, how does that work?
Is it this just one year that
you've invested in, in the Premier
Padel Miami, or is it a few years?
It is five years.
What is, what is the plan?
No, we, we, we think it is
gonna be a, a long terms.
Um, we didn't believe that this
is gonna be short and easy.
It's a, uh, a long way, uh, step by step.
This is the, the beginning, uh, already
grows up, uh, too fast in Miami.
Um, we believe that with a little
bit of, of time is gonna grow as
well in, in, in us, in the future.
And that's our, our bet.
I mean, growing, uh, get the sports
nose, but uh, American people as well.
Um, we have that, that view in the future.
And, and
so, you know, Bela is from Argentina.
You're from Argentina.
The rest of the team is
also from, from where?
Where's the rest of the team?
Spanish, Italy.
She wants, so why not do it in Italy
or in or in Argentina Or in Spain.
And why do the United States or Miami?
Yeah.
Uh, because we believe that
it's a, a very good market and
that it's not real here yet.
Okay.
But it's gonna come.
Soon it's gonna come, we believe.
And that's why we, we bet for, for
us and for Miami in the beginning.
So it's a much riskier bet.
But you see the long-term return.
Exactly.
Exactly.
Good.
So what, uh, what other, uh, I know you're
involved in the, the Premier, but what
other projects are you involved here?
In, here in the USA with Padel?
Yeah.
Nothing yet.
Okay.
Um, we are thinking of a
few things, but we want to.
To make it happen, uh, gets a lot of work.
Um, we didn't have a lot of time
to, to make it happen, uh, in,
in, in, in terms of, of dates.
Uh, so we was very focused on, on this.
And maybe in the future we're
thinking in something more.
But at the moment it's, it's
just a premier tournament.
Um.
In few years.
Let's see, what, what are we gonna do?
So now what are, what are the differences
gonna be of this year's, uh, tournament
in the premier than the last couple,
uh, tournaments that were here in
Miami when it was World Padel Tour?
Well, it's different, uh,
price money are different.
Um, the place is gonna be different.
Uh, the atmosphere is gonna be different.
It is already a sport who grows
from the last few years, so.
Uh, we believe it's gonna, it's gonna
go the, the same way as the other,
um, countries around the world who is
already bigger sport or huge sport in
others, in other country, we believe
that, um, we, or even the sport is
gonna go in that direction here as well.
So how long do you think it's gonna be
where it's kind of Padel the standard?
Everybody knows what it is.
'cause United States is big.
Yeah, but you never know that.
Huh uh, we hope that sooner than later.
Yeah, of course.
But, but we, we, we think we're
thinking about five or 10 years.
Yeah.
Um, maybe Miami will be faster
because we was talking about for
you a lot of, uh, Latin Americans
around, uh, but you never know that.
So, but we are
thinking about minimum three, five years.
So how do you think about, how, how
do you think you can Americanize it?
Because right now it's kind of more.
South American, European Sport.
And so this USA and obviously
the, the, the South Americans
are minority here in the USA.
Mm-hmm.
So how do, how do you
Americanize a battle?
Well, let's, let's have the
American people have the opportunity
to play and to start playing.
Uh, I mean first on, on in clubs, uh, have
some trainers, uh, then some tournaments,
and then there is a league right now.
With the PPL?
The PPL.
Yeah.
Who it's is not a huge one, but
it's, it's the beginning of it and
it's, it is the only way to, to
make the Americans know about sport.
Um, and I think that is gonna, is gonna
grow sooner or later it's gonna come.
Excellent.
So where,
I mean, first of all, I just wanna
say thank you for you guys investing.
I mean, we are also investing
in the United States.
We see the future.
We're not making any.
Any money yet, but we see the
future and I, and I guess you guys
are investing for, for the future.
You're betting on something that
is much more riskier than doing in
Spain or in Argentina or in Italy.
But we, we see the future and, and we
had another interview with Bella, and
I think the way you guys are doing
it right now, going to every single
club and, and, and helping the Padel
community spread the word, I think it's.
That's very, very important, uh,
for, for all of us because we
wanna make this board, uh, to
be as successful as possible.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
It's, it's smart just
getting people there.
Yeah.
That's the biggest thing,
getting people there.
Yeah.
You know, regardless, however you do it.
That's our, our view as well.
Bella View as well is walking every,
every club in, in Miami right now, so.
Uh, we want to, to the people know
about the sports and having him on
court, on every, every club and doing,
uh, uh, things, clinics, or playing on
everything that's gonna make the, the
American people, uh, know about the sport.
And that's
our, our view.
It's, it's smart.
It's smart.
I think a lot of people play
here in the US but I think
only a small percentage Watch.
And know who the players are.
And, and the rest is just, I'm
there to do exercise and I go home
and I don't watch anything else.
You know?
Yeah.
And we need to change that.
Yeah.
There is a start.
And David, um, we always, you know,
sometimes, uh, because we're in every
day with involved with Pat and all
that, and so you see that the Arturo
colos on the tapas, and if you live
outside Miami, nobody knows them.
Mm-hmm.
Right?
And then we always thought, why don't
we get a, a, a. Former tennis player.
Yeah.
Professional tennis player
like you or, or, or Rafal or,
you know, come to his market.
And when you get a, a, a player,
that big playing Padel, the noise
is gonna be much more profound that
having Bella, which all over the world,
you know, them here is like Bella.
Mm-hmm.
You know what I mean?
So now that you are involved in this
a hundred percent maybe with your.
All, all of them are your friends, right?
Yeah.
Maybe have a a, a partnership with them.
It will be a, a great to expose them
because we were talking, uh, at the
Miami Open, now they have McEnroe and
Rodick playing the pickleball thing.
Yeah.
Right?
Yeah.
And do something similar, but we
Padel, you know, that would be huge
to expose the sport, especially if he's
an American, let's say erotic or, and
even there is, there is a lot of tennis
player who, who plays puddle and even,
uh, soccer players is playing puddle.
So, uh, I think the.
The, the guys who like
sport is gonna try it.
Yeah.
Because everybody who likes the sport
is gonna try this sport or another one.
Or, and then gonna pick
uh, whatever they want.
Yeah.
Or whatever they like most.
I think last week there was a,
a video of Rafa playing Padel.
Yeah.
I saw it.
And everybody went crazy.
You know, everybody
sharing cherry and cherry.
Well, Rafa Rafa
has a, um, a court in
his academy right now.
Okay.
In, in Majorca.
Um, they think they have, um.
A team in, uh, gon cup.
Okay.
So he's, and also having a Kapuka Right.
And a Kapuka as well.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So he's getting involved or the
academy is getting involved on it.
So that's, that's people who,
who make this getting bigger.
Right.
And faster.
But you have it on, on your WhatsApp
message, man, just tell him, Hey,
Raffa, can you do me a favor?
Come to the premier, jump on the
court, hit a few bolts with me.
That would be huge, man.
Imagine that
he's in you in in Myca, right?
Now's not gonna be that simple.
But with the tennis tournament, there is
a lot of tennis players around, so I, I'm
buy a few and all these guys mean maybe
having these guys, I mean, because it's
gonna be the same time of the Miami Open.
Yeah, exactly.
Bring him to, to, to the stadium.
Exactly.
I'll watch, people will go, the
Americans will go crazy, you know.
That's a, that's idea.
That's idea.
But we always thought about, you know,
uh, I'd love for you to be involved.
I mean, we, we really want the market,
this American market, and we believe a
thousand percent is gonna be successful.
Right.
And, and you know, I just wanna say
thank you for you investing in this
market and not taking it somewhere else,
because I think for all of us in, in the
industry, it, it's, it's very helpful.
And, and I really appreciate that part.
Thank you.
My pleasure
And pleasure to be in US Miami.
It's like almost second city to me.
Um, I live here a little bit when, and
you had good memo in Miami Open too.
I do, I do.
I have a lot of friends around,
so it's gonna be a very nice week.
Good.
Excellent.
Good.
Thank you.
Alright David, thanks for coming on.
Okay, thank you.
Appreciate it.
Good luck with Thank you guys.
Appreciate the premier.
Thank you Premier.
See you this week.
Bye.