It was 2004 November when a picture was taken of a baby wearing a diaper and a shovel in his hand. When he was just three years old, he could be seen posing with Gaby Reca and Seba Nerone and his first sports memories make references to the tests that the now disappeared Pádel Pro Tour Circuit disputed at the facilities of Club Tiro Pichón (Merida, from 2006 to 2009). As our colleagues in Diario Hoy, with those references, it was clear that this guy could not be a soccer player.
Padel World Press .- His name is Pablo Cardona, he is a true passion of the paddle and, during the dispute of the test of the TyC Premium of the Adidas National Circuit that was played in the Sociedad Hipica Lebrera (Badajoz), he was the best of Extremadura representatives and the only one who arrived to a final.
Next to the Marbella Juan Domínguez Cruz, and after two games that won by double 6-2, they stood in the fight for the title to measure their strength with those of two old acquaintances: the Valladolid based in Merida Rodrigo Coello and José María Aliaga Cruz (Écija).
It was a fast-paced duel and, despite corresponding to the Benjamin Category, was played at a great intensity. In the end, the triumph fell on the side of Rodrigo and José María for 6-2, 4-6 and 10-8 in the Super Tie Break. Very direct and honest, Pablo acknowledged: "They played better." At his age, he is not the one looking for excuses; he prefers to look for solutions.
As we have been able to know, from now on he will form a couple with one of his last 'executioners', José María Aliaga. Together they will complete what remains of the Juvenile Circuit and, of course, due to their potential, they will aspire to everything. "We are going to win the next two Premium TyC, the final Master ...". Of course, confidence is not lacking.
And how can we describe it?
Pablo is left-handed, he plays drive and his favorite shot is the right hand volley. He does not beat around the bush ... What he enjoys is gaining a point and, in paddle tennis, that is done on the net. As a good left-hander, he confesses himself an admirer of Juan Martín Díaz and, among Extremadura, he stays with José Antonio García Diestro, also left-handed, Álvaro Melón and Curro Barrau, all of them from Mérida like him.
With just nine years old, he knows that no future plans are made, but if he stops to think, he admits that: "With 19 years I want to play the World Pádel Tour tournament that is played in Extremadura and be professional". That is one of his dreams and that transmits with confidence, with the audacity of the nine years and with the experience that already holds.
He only had seven springs when he began to train all the serious things that can be done with that age. His first teacher was José Manuel Alonso on the slopes of Tiro de Pichón and his first partner, Lucas Fernández. Together they played their first Championship of Spain, a tournament that was played in the City of the Racket in Madrid and in which they reached the eighth. On that occasion they competed as Benjamins although, by age, their category was Pre-Benjamin. That was the first of his three Nationals.
The following year, in the company of Jesus Cruz from Caceres, he won the Master Benjamin of the JUDEX and in 2013 he was runner-up in Extremadura Alevín, also in a higher category than what would correspond to him by age. That final was lost in the painful third set but, of course, Pablo is aware that competing in a higher category is something that most minor players do that stand out over the teammates.
It is part of your preparation. On weekends there is no Children's Circuit to dispute other types of tournaments. With a demanding training plan, he makes two days of track and one of physical, along with his nonconformist nature and desire to excel, Pablo has become an ideal companion for many, as evidenced by the fact that many players, both of their category as superiors, they have contacted each other to form a partner with him.
Linked to Egalité for a long time, it is very clear. «Pablo has the same sponsor for a long time, we do not think about changing, but we have also been tempted». There will be time for that, something else, but time and future will spare Pablo.
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