FIP European Padel Championships, Momo Gonzalez: “Taking the court with Spain’s jersey in Cagliari is like a gift”

Jerónimo “Momo” Gonzalez, ranked number 12 in the FIP ranking, who some call ‘Houdini’ for his unique ability to invent incredible shots that seem like pure illusionism, is Spain’s leading player, the great favorite in the men’s draw at the FIP European Padel Championships, but also an example of humility for the younger players: “Taking the court with the national team’s ‘camiseta’ in these European Championships, here in Cagliari, is not only an honor for me, but a real gift. Pressure because we are favorites? We don’t think about it and are focused on doing our best for our country. Our goal is to win these European Championships, we don’t hide that, and pressure is part of a professional player’s life”.

Momo has just changed partners, choosing Edu Alonso, born in 2001, with whom he won the FIP Platinum Sardegna: “Things went well right away. And to think that before taking the court here in Cagliari – Gonzalez reveals – we hadn’t practiced even once, but sometimes the on-court feeling can be immediate. Now we’ll have the opportunity to get to know each other better, to train together and to follow a growth project that can allow us to be competitive at the highest level”. Spain is still ahead of everyone in the world, along with Argentina, in terms of technical expression, NextGen, and more, but something is changing according to Momo: “Spain had a few years’ advantage over many countries and was able to build an interesting project – reflects the Spanish international – But even here and in the international tournament circuit, I am noticing how several countries, also thanks to the fact that the best coaches are moving a lot around the world, are able to produce five or six interesting players that give the idea of how everything is growing overall. It’s a factor that can only benefit padel. Then, whether it takes one or ten years to reach the highest level, I can’t say, but it’s really happening”.