Do not miss the first part of our interview with Miguel Lamperti. Our colleague Daniel Gamarra had the opportunity to have a long conversation with one of the most charismatic players of the WPT Circuit, with whom he talked about many aspects of his professional and personal life.
Padel World Press .- Today, he may be considered one of the most spectacular players on the World Pádel Tour, capable of standing up to the stands with his impossible shots and with those resources that can only pass through the head of a true genius.
Fans may be looking forward to that moment of getting an autograph or taking a picture with their idol right now ... Miguel is one of those people with such a special magnetism that allows them to connect with fans with just one look, with just a gesture ... With just a hit inside the track.
To achieve this, the 'standard' of Team NOX He has had to complete a long journey full of stories, experiences, episodes of struggle and improvement that have led him to be the Lamperti we all know.
Do you know how were his beginnings in the world of paddle or when he met Juani Mieres, his current partner? Did you know that he worked in a blade factory or that he lived for a while in Brazil? When did you decide to come to Spain?
All those questions and many more will have their answer right below ... So you can't miss this great interview !!
How were your beginnings in the paddle? At what age did you start playing?
I started playing paddle at the end of 1991. After training the basketball, a king sport in my city, I usually played against the wall or bothered everyone to play when one was missing, hahaha.
What did you do before discovering the paddle?
I studied Primary and Secondary. In high school I graduated as a computer technician although, to be honest, I have no idea about computers. I was born in a pure basketball city and I was from a lower middle class family. My dad was a mechanic and my mom was a housewife. She lived by and for us, for my older brothers and for me. I, being the youngest, was the spoiled hahaha. I remember that my mother had to do raffles so that I could compete in Minors. Everything I have achieved, and mainly my way of being, I owe to her, my brothers and 'Peladito' Pensa. Thanks to his efforts I was Provincial and National Champion of Minors in all categories. In 1995 I was able to compete at the Professional Level for the first time, in a test that was held in Bahía Blanca, together with Martín Matoso.
From then on I began to play more previous of these Professional Championships with my current partner, Juani Mieres, whom I already knew from my time as Minors ... Therefore, it can be said that Juani was my first professional partner. Going to play the Preliminary of the Professional Circuit for us was very difficult since we had to go by bus and spend many hours traveling. In order to pay for these trips, I worked for several years in an ice cream parlor, where Juani came to get his ice cream every night, hahaha.
In the studies, it was not bad with the numbers. I started the University of Economic Sciences and I did 3 years, until the possibility came to come to Spain.
Tell us about your work stage in the paddle tennis factory ... How did you live at that time?
This occurred in the middle of the crisis in Argentina. In 2001, a man from Girona offered me a job in Spain as a paddle coach in a new club that was going to open. I saw that it was a good time to come to Spain because many great players of my generation had already been there for a long time ... So I spoke with my parents to tell them about the idea of going to Spain and I left the University ... A new adventure began in which I was preparing to travel to Spain but, nevertheless, in the first week of the trip, the gentleman from Girona disappeared and that paddle club never opened ... That cut my legs because that year I already lost the semester of University. That's when Emilio Forcher (SideSpin) offered me a job in his blade factory so that I could pay for my training and so I could play tournaments. Emilio behaved like a father, who let me live in his house. I will always be grateful to him. At that time I also met my best friend, who is like a brother to me, 'Peladito' Pensa.
How were your years of residence in Brazil? What did you do?
Brazil was one of the most beautiful experiences I have had in my life. I came to Brazil due to competing in a tournament in which the best in South America qualified and I had been number 1 in Argentina in 2002 together with Marcelo Pérez. I remember it was crazy and I came to Brazil and the tournament by chance… because I almost missed my flight !! I was always very clueless about those things but I think now I have improved a lot, hahaha. Even so, we won the test after beating Pablo Lima-Miguel Pisorno in the final. As soon as I achieved victory, a man from the city of Pelotas called me to offer me a job as a teacher in a paddle tennis club.
Along with this, I also saw the possibility of competing in the Brazilian Circuit, which, at that time, had a very good level ... There were Pablo Lima, Federico González, Marcello Jardim, Chico Gomes, Julio Julianoti, Gervasio Del Bono ... At the end of 2002 I I went to Brazil, where I worked like an animal, giving 10 hours of classes a day, crazy… Although I also had time to live and see some very beautiful cities.
At that time, you suffered a serious traffic accident that could change your life completely ... Were you born again? What changed in Miguel Lamperti after that incident?
The story began in Brazil in 2004, since I fell in love and got a girlfriend (Manuela). This girl helped me save a lot. It was the first time that I managed to raise money, since it must be said that I have always given little value to it: what went in then came out. At the end of that year, 2004, I managed to raise some good money. I gave it to my dad when I arrived in Argentina, who was wide-eyed since I never saved anything.
I told him I wanted to buy a car and the next day I went with him to buy a beautiful Renault Clio. Shortly after, I told my father that I was going back to Brazil with the car. I got to Buenos Aires, where I slept at Peladito's house so that, the next day, I crossed the border between Brazil and Argentina. Upon reaching the border I slept at the home of Danuso, a paddle tennis friend. The next day I left at 10:00 in the morning for Brazil, where I had met my girlfriend (Manuela). I remember the day perfectly, January 14, 2005, it was very hot.
I rolled down the windows but still stopped for a while because it was subhumanly hot. At the gas station, I asked the boy how long it was until Xangrila and he said it was about 315 kilometers. I refueled and 5 kms after leaving, I fell asleep ... Or so they told me because I woke up in the Hospital. He had fallen into a ravine and the car had overturned. As I did not have a belt, I went out through the rear window and that is why I was saved, only with the fracture of 6 ribs.
I remember that my brother was there when I woke up. He had come to see me from far away, to see how I was doing. It is a very nice memory that I have and that I will never forget.
At the time they sent my Clío to Pelotas and, when I went to see it, it looked like a napkin, it looked like a pineapple hahaha ... Everything I had saved had been lost, since I did not have international insurance but that was the least since, luckily, it was good. The truth is, I don't know how I was saved. The doctor told me that I had 6 broken ribs and that one had punctured my lung.
I remember that when my father-in-law came to look for me at the hospital he told me: “Gringo weed never dies”, hahaha… My father-in-law shouldn't love me very much. It was like being born again. I was higher than down. Therefore, January 14, 2005 is a date that I will always remember… The day I was born again.
Why do you always wear that ring on your neck? What does it mean?
The ring is from the person I wake up to every day with a smile, from my mom. I haven't taken it off since he passed away. She is the one who takes care of me from above. The day after I passed away, I made the tattoo that I wear on my arm, the tribal one that says "Mom, I love you."
How were your first years in Spain on a professional level?
After my mother passed away I made the decision to come to Spain… It was time to cross the pond. I had spent good years in Brazil, which were spectacular, but I always had the thorn to come since this was where the best Circuit was ... So in 2006 I came to Spain with Chico Gomes for two months alone: July and August. I arrived with a bag with 20 blades that the peladito Pensa of the Bristol brand gave me. That was really heroic since we arrived in Spain without having a clue of anything, hahahaha… We fell, thank God, in VillaPádel, where they treated me great. They welcomed me as if I were one of them and hired me as a monitor. It must be taken into account that in those years neither the PPT nor the WPT existed. I remember that at that time International Federation tournaments were held and I remember a tournament that I played with Chico, in which we reached the semifinals and lost against Willy-Jardim as well as another tournament in Castellón, where both Chico and I were cramped and lost. in the 3rd set against Pablito and Roby Gattiker… We had spent the night sleeping in the locker room. When this tour in Spain ended, which was very nice, Mariano Lasaigues offered me to play with him in Spain the following season. This was around 2007.
I also want to highlight a person who helped me a lot here in Spain, Rafa Suárez, owner of a real estate agency, who gave me a crazy hand so that I could compete here. He paid me all the expenses that I had to compete.
During those years I continued to play in Spain during several tournaments and my life began to change as the HEAD contract came out… For the first time I began to collect enough money to be able to adequately develop my sports career.
Maru told me that he wanted to go to Argentina and, from the middle of the year 2007, I started playing with Mati Díaz. Our first tournament was in Mérida, in which we made it to the final.
Were you as loved in Argentina as in Spain in your professional stage? Did you have the same fame?
I was always lucky with people. I always got along well with most people. The affection I receive is something that surprises me every day… But I do believe that I was just as loved, although it is clear that they don't know me as much there as here. What is certain is that when I go there to play the Circuit the affection I receive from the people is spectacular… It is something difficult to explain but very beautiful.
Did they already know you at the time as gray-haired? When did your hair turn white?
The fame of the gray-haired arose when I began to play as a professional in Buenos Aires, but in Bahía Blanca they never gave a 'ball' to that of the gray-haired man since there I did not have that recognition that I had in other places ... In my city nobody knew me; only my family and the people with whom I had played paddle tennis. My hair was white for the first time at 17 years old. I took it naturally, although once I was about to dye it black… When I went to do it, my mother told me that it looked nice like that and that's why I didn't dye it. Since then it has stayed that way.
You have played with many teammates in these years ... What would you highlight from each of them? Who is the player on the Circuit with whom you have the most relationship?
Marcelo Pérez: When we played together he was like my older brother… A great player, a friend who I really enjoyed on the court.
Mati Díaz: It is an example of perseverance, improvement and work.
Cristian Gutiérrez: Pure talent. A genius, but when we played together, I think neither of us gave it all.
Maxi Gabriel: One of the best companions I have ever had… A phenomenon, the dwarf. It was magical. I admire him as a person and a player. I think he is the type that is easier to play. He is the ideal companion because he always makes the one who is by his side better.
Tito Allemandi: He gives everything in every training. It breaks every day. It is pure sacrifice and effort. It trains to be the best day to day.
The player with the most relationship I have is Jordi Muñoz. My ex-girlfriend and his wife were great friends and for that, thanks to them, we became very good friends.
Stay very attentive to the pages of Padel World Press because, in the coming days, we will offer you the second part of our interview with Miguel Lamperti.
In it we will tell you how is your day to day, what are the best memories and moments that you have lived thanks to the paddle, how would you rate the current season and what has meant that a brand like NOX I decided to bet so hard for him.
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