by MAR DEL PLATA.- “In the end we are like a couple”Explain Martin Di Nenno the sensation of this individual sport, which is played as a couple: paddle tennis. And that choice that each player makes about who they want to have next to them on the court, to celebrate victories or console defeats, is not easy at all. “You always try to play with whoever you want, but many times you play with whoever you can,” Martín confesses, but he immediately looks at his current partner, Franco Stupaczuk, and smiles: “Franco and I are the one we want to play with.” Both in conversation with LA NACION, to which Federico Chigotto (currently second best pair in the ranking with Alejandro Galán) is added, reveal the behind-the-scenes of the most delicate situation in paddle tennis: having to tell your project, game, or work partner , that you are leaving with someone else.
On paper, the only thing that each couple has guaranteed is the next tournament; then only good will remains. When registration for a tournament closes, such as the Mar del Plata Premier Padel that is being played these days, each couple leaves in writing who they will play with, from then on no changes are allowed. But beyond that, the agreements between players tend to be all verbal and sometimes the words are carried away by the wind, or by bad results.
There are even cases of pairs that have lasted together for just one tournament and then left (very quickly) to look for new partners. There are exceptional cases like Juan Martín Díaz and Fernando Belasteguín, thirteen years together, although the results helped sustain the union, all that time they were number one in the world.
Closer in time, Federico Chingotto played for eight years alongside Juan Tello until two seasons ago. But times are accelerating and today, among the top 8 couples in the ranking, the oldest couples have not even completed a year and a half of history together. In the love analogy that Di Nenno posed, loves last less and less.
“The player begins to feel desperation, that time is passing and the chemistry or results do not appear”, explains Federico Chingotto, about how he speeds up the calendar. “Sometimes people don’t understand that in three or four tournaments the pairs change, but it is a sport where feelings and confidence improve, or collapse, very quickly.” The native of Olavarría explains a little about that “chemistry” that he considers indispensable: “At this level, we all have the blows [desarrollados]”So it’s more about chemistry with each other, generating that trust, knowing how to compete together at certain moments, understanding each other on the court.”
As in so many other projects in life, the results set the course, in the situation that does not win it is difficult to stay together. But sometimes even that is not enough. Federico’s current partner, the Spanish Alejandro Galán, separated less than three months ago from Juan Lebron, with whom he had led the world ranking for three years and were in second place. They won 32 titles together, but personal disagreements prevailed in the end. Lebron’s temperament on the court and the internal wear and tear that no one will know well, made it so that beyond the success, the chemistry faded.
“The truth is that when Ale called me [Galán] “It surprised me,” says Federico and explains how invitations are usually made. “Generally the one above [del ranking] He calls the one below, and those below wait for the opportunity. For that we all work very hard, waiting for a call to come. Or growing up, slowly getting on top.” Although sometimes the consultation is not so direct.
“Although we all know each other, sometimes intermediaries are sought to test the waters,” explains Martín Di Nenno, “when there is trust the call may be direct, but other times we test to see if the situation is viable or not.” And his partner, Franco, joins in: “That’s true, but when you leave your partner you do it personally. The important thing is that you end the relationship and show your face. “Say why you don’t want to play anymore, make your reasons clear.”
In the case of Franco and Martín it was a union that was widely expected in the environment. When they were teenagers they were the best Argentine duo, to the point of earning the nickname of the “superkids.” Now, not so young (28 Franco and 27 Martín), they have been together since the beginning of 2023, but the talk started four months before. How did you handle it with your partners at the time?
Martín was with Coki Nieto and Franco with Pablo Lima, what happens when months before you already know that the end is approaching? “I think that the sooner you can say it, the better, more than anything so that the other person can also look for another partner.”clarifies Martín. “It’s like cheating, you see?” Franco laughs and explains: “It’s true that it’s better to say it up front… but it also happens a lot that when you say it before, the other person prefers to break up now.”
In the end, both Coki and Pablo were informed in advance and both chose to finish 2022 as they were and then, in 2023, give rise to the reunion of the “super not so kids.”
“Sometimes it is also difficult to handle it, so to speak, to do it well,” Fede Chingotto adds to the topic. “Because if you tell your partner, “I’m going to call someone else…” what if the other person says no? And your partner tells you, “well, then I’m leaving”, you’re left alone. In general, the player will do the quiet movement first, so as to have two vines in his hands and have a good grip.”
Because it is becoming clear that the declarations of love that the teams make in pairs after each victory are forgotten when the victories end or when love ends. And in the end the most trite phrase, paddle tennis is…
“Each physical training is individual, you go to the nutritionist alone, you go to the psychologist alone. You try to prepare yourself as best as possible and then unite it with the other,” explains Federico. “Even some training sessions on the court are done alone with your coach, which is not bad either,” adds the bearer of the nickname Super Mouse, due to his high speed on the court but not such a high height. “Because afterwards we spend a lot of time together, in tournaments or training on the court, and it’s good that everyone has their space, so that love is constant and there is not so much wear and tear on the couple.”
This love that is cared for is also seen later in competition, when it can become an individual sport again, and that is where the chemistry has to emerge. Chingotto details: “it becomes individual when they make you two for one. They throw them at you [las pelotas] all to you, your partner is not being able to touch even one. And there it is in who you have next to you, how he encourages you and tries to get into the game too. In those moments the team appears and that chemistry that can be achieved.”
So how long does it take to meet a partner and expect it to work? In the case of Chingotto with Galán, they have played four tournaments where they won two and reached finals in the other two. “But it’s not logical!”, clarifies Federico and assures: “we have been training together for three months and only now are we beginning to understand each of us, a little, how the other plays.”
And when fate is so generous, how do you make the decision that time is up? “Almost no couple separates from one day to the next,” says Di Nenno, “It is a process, certain issues accumulate that make you believe that it is better to play with another person. For us it is normal, or well… it is a bit what we have to do. We want to last with our partner for a long time, but then the circumstances are different… over time people will understand it a little more.”
And Franco adds: “They may not like separations, but even the public realizes it when they watch a game and see that the connection with their partner is not working. That always collide against the same thing. If changing benefits both, you have to be generous and supportive, perhaps the change is better for both of you… and happy for all four,” the Chaco native smiles. In the end it seems that yes, they are like boyfriends, but that they love each other much more when they win padel tournaments.
