On January 11, it was one year since the death of Elías Estrella. The world of paddle tennis joined in the memory of a young player who left an indelible mark on us thanks to his talent, his humility and that special smile that characterized him. As a tribute, we wanted to rescue this emotional text published at the time by our colleague Óscar Solé.
Padel World Press .- Don't miss this great article by a good friend like Óscar Solé, in which he wanted to remember his relationship with Elías Estrella… They both had a pending email, the one they will never share.
"Negrito, when are you going to reply to my e-mail ...?"
- "... If I already sent it to you»I always answered with that innocent child smile, the same one that surprised me the day I met him, in October of 2011, when with just 15 I debuted in the Euskadi Internationals of the Professional Circuit with Juan Cruz Belluati.
The truth is that the famous e-mail, where he was going to detail his short but successful career, never reached me ... The sad thing is that it will never reach me.
I had to read the messages once and a thousand times as soon as I woke up in the middle of my vacations in American lands, thousands of kilometers from home and without my computer in front of me to be able to unload all my rage, all my anguish, all my pain.
The 'Negrito', as he affectionately called him, is gone. Right at the dawn of 2016, the year that was called to be the one of the great leap at a professional level with one of the best players of all time. That the 'demanding' Gaby Reca had chosen him was a source of pride, it meant the gateway to the elite of world padel.
More than 24 hours have passed and I still find it difficult to believe that there is no longer that 'boy' with curls who monopolized all my attention in Basque lands five years ago, when with total impudence in his debut he surpassed the previous rounds to get into the Main Draw of a tournament where the best in the world were. There he was, leaving traces of his magic, of his quality, of that skilled right hand.
These few lines are the most difficult to write, but I felt obliged to 'say goodbye' to this humble and talented young man, who will remain forever in our memory for his eternal smile. Rest in peace Elías Estrella, goodbye 'Negrito' ... I'll keep waiting for your e-mail.
Óscar Solé ".
* You can follow all the news of the world of paddle in our profiles of Facebook y Twitter as well as subscribe to our Newsletter .
