{"id":2263,"date":"2021-07-20T11:55:06","date_gmt":"2021-07-20T09:55:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/?p=2263"},"modified":"2026-09-22T12:08:42","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T10:08:42","slug":"interview-with-javi-rico-wpt-marbella-challenger-winner-and-world-number-8-pair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/en\/noticias\/padel\/interview-with-javi-rico-wpt-marbella-challenger-winner-and-world-number-8-pair\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Javi Rico: WPT Marbella Challenger winner and world number 8 pair"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em>&laquo;They are the ones who make us great, everyone who follows us and supports this sport. Without them we would be nothing. Everything we do, we do because of them and for them, so I am hugely grateful for their support.&raquo;<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Javi Rico and his partner Momo Gonz\u00e1lez have made history together, taking the title at the 2021 Marbella Challenger. At just 23 and 24 years old, Javi and Momo fought through what has been one of the most intense and difficult tournaments they have played to date, reaching a very tough, closely contested final in which they gave everything to end up crowned as champions.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"708\" height=\"399\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bR_QmKlURSw?start=12060\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/center><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">We have been lucky enough to hear first-hand all the details about this latest tournament, as well as Javi&#8217;s goals and objectives, in the interview we share below:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong style=\"font-style: italic;\"><span class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">Many congratulations on your recent win at the Marbella Challenger, thoroughly deserved. How do you feel physically and mentally after this tournament?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Thank you very much, honestly very well and very happy. Mentally the tournament and the week we spent there left me much stronger, because Momo and I were playing very well indoors, but outdoors we were not quite comfortable.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The truth is we were drawn against really tough pairs, one of the hardest draws. We knew how to suffer, almost every match started against the run of play, and we knew how to handle it. On top of that it was a tournament without a coach, since we were facing rivals with the same trainer, and even so we worked well together and solved the problems. That adds a lot for the team.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Physically, better than expected. I thought I would be dead, but I actually feel better than I thought. In fact we are already on our way to Madrid, and I will have a recovery session with the physio as soon as we arrive.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>You and Momo have been playing together for about seven months now. Are you comfortable as a pair?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Very comfortable, honestly. I am very happy. His profile is similar to the one I had with Coki: a very defensive, physical guy who moves very well around the court. Besides, Momo and I are among the youngest in the competition, along with Coki and Barahona, and we all get on really well.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>I was looking for something similar to Coki, and I think I have found it. Time is proving me right and we are getting very good results together.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Which was the toughest match of this Marbella Challenger?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>It is going to sound like I am sitting on the fence, but the round of 16, the semi-final and the final were all extremely hard matches. The quarter-final was a bit more under control.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>In the round of 16 we were a set down and facing a golden point that would have put our rivals 7-6, 3-2 and serving. On top of that we were on a court where the ball came out a lot, against two rivals (Cepero and Arroyo) who play very well and very aggressively, so if they broke us the match got very complicated.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>In the semi-final we were a set down after an hour and a quarter of play against Campagnolo and Bergamini. Also, at the start of the second set we were mentally dead, because we felt we had deserved more: we had 3-2 and serve, 5-4 and serve, and in the tie-break we had three points go against us with very bad luck&#8230; It was mentally very hard, but we recovered and managed to win the match.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>In the final we were level on sets, and Coki and Allemandi had 30-40 to break us, and again we were mentally dead.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>They were three extremely difficult matches. I could not pick just one.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Did you expect to take the win?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Honestly, no, because even if you go in as the number one seed and people say &#8220;You have to win&#8221;, that is not true. These days there are pairs of a very high level, like Coello-Lamperti, Campagnolo-Bergamini, Coki-Allemandi and many others.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>You could see it in the tournament: we could easily have lost in the first round, but we won. The way padel is right now, going into a tournament as the top seed guarantees you nothing.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>It is true that you know you can take it, it would be hypocritical to say otherwise as the number one pair, but mentally you cannot get complacent, because if in a match you go a set down and they have a break point, you are going to lose. Everything is very hard now, and any pair can beat you.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>The Las Rozas Open starts shortly. How do you see yourself for this tournament?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Well, Momo and I make our debut as the number 8 pair in this tournament, and our plan is clear: always win the first round, and then we will see what happens.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Obviously right now, going in as the number 8 pair, you feel more pressure and responsibility, and you always try to think about the quarter-finals, but our goal is clear: win the first round. We face a new pair, Mati D\u00edaz and S\u00e1nchez Serrano, and you never know what they will bring. It is going to be an interesting match, although hard to prepare for. We will try to get through that one and then we will see, everything is very tough.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>What are your goals right now?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>On the sporting side, finishing the year as the number 8 pair would be a dream. It is not our real objective, but it would be a dream and a surprise. In every tournament our goal is always the same: get through as many first rounds as possible and then see what happens. Besides, with our style of play it is hard to win every match, because it is about getting a thousand balls back and it is very frantic, so winning every match that way is complicated. So that is what we go for: getting through as many first rounds as we can.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Then on a personal level, luckily, with the sponsors I have, both Enebe and all the others, I am very happy, and they allow me to make a living from padel. So that is my goal: to keep making a living from what I love, which is something not everyone can do and makes me feel very fortunate.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>And finally, to close the interview: what would you say to everyone who follows and plays this sport at amateur level?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>I would tell them that they are the ones who make us great, everyone who follows us and supports this sport. Without them we would be nothing. Everything we do, we do because of them and for them, so I am hugely grateful for their support.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>It is true that we are a little further down the ranking and maybe not as many people follow us, but even so you can feel the support and it is hugely appreciated.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Keep playing and keep watching us, because the day they walk away we will be nothing, and without them we could not do what we love. We need you, padel is the people!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&laquo;They are the ones who make us great, everyone who follows us and supports this sport. Without them we would be nothing. Everything we do, we do because of them and for them, so I am hugely grateful for their support.&raquo; Javi Rico and his partner Momo Gonz\u00e1lez have made history together, taking the title [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":660,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_et_pb_custom_css":""},"categories":[273],"tags":[],"formats":[],"class_list":["post-2263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-padel"],"acf":[],"_et_pb_custom_css":"","dsm_author":{"name":"xavi","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6ff49c07b288972697eb0953c5e4c03165bc93f1cb074b762fc368c0dd3004fb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","archive_link":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/en\/author\/xavi\/","biodata":""},"dsm_categories":[{"term_name":"Padel","term_id":273,"term_link":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/en\/categoria\/padel\/"}],"dsm_attachment_categories":[],"dsm_featured_image":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/entrevista-javi-1024x683-1-150x150.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/entrevista-javi-1024x683-1-300x200.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/entrevista-javi-1024x683-1-768x512.jpg","large":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/entrevista-javi-1024x683-1.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/entrevista-javi-1024x683-1.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/entrevista-javi-1024x683-1.jpg","et-pb-post-main-image":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/entrevista-javi-1024x683-1-400x250.jpg","et-pb-post-main-image-fullwidth":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/entrevista-javi-1024x683-1-1024x675.jpg","et-pb-portfolio-image":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/entrevista-javi-1024x683-1-400x284.jpg","et-pb-portfolio-module-image":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/entrevista-javi-1024x683-1-510x382.jpg","et-pb-portfolio-image-single":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/entrevista-javi-1024x683-1.jpg","et-pb-gallery-module-image-portrait":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/entrevista-javi-1024x683-1-400x516.jpg","et-pb-post-main-image-fullwidth-large":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/entrevista-javi-1024x683-1.jpg","et-pb-image--responsive--desktop":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/entrevista-javi-1024x683-1.jpg","et-pb-image--responsive--tablet":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/entrevista-javi-1024x683-1-980x654.jpg","et-pb-image--responsive--phone":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/entrevista-javi-1024x683-1-480x320.jpg","woocommerce_thumbnail":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/entrevista-javi-1024x683-1-600x600.jpg","woocommerce_single":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/entrevista-javi-1024x683-1-800x534.jpg","woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/entrevista-javi-1024x683-1-100x100.jpg","full":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/entrevista-javi-1024x683-1.jpg"},"dsm_comment_count":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2263"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2263\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2289,"href":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2263\/revisions\/2289"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2263"},{"taxonomy":"post_format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enebe.garaje12.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/formats?post=2263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}