FIP European Padel Championships, not just Spain. Bjorkman captain of Sweden. And in Denmark there’s Laudrup jr

Spain has won ten of the 12 FIP European Padel Championships and also in Cagliari – which from tomorrow until Saturday 27th will host the thirteenth – aims for the gold medal: looking at the list of players who will compete in Italy, it is clear why. There are the two players with the highest FIP ranking: Momo Gonzalez, fresh from winning the FIP Platinum Sardegna in pairs with Edu Alonso, is number 12 in the world, followed by ‘Captain America’ Alex Ruiz, number 14. But they are not the only stars: Alex Arroyo, Javi Rico, José Antonio Diestro, Teo Zapata are all among the top 40 of the FIP ranking, along with two young talents like Javi Leal (who will turn 21 on Sunday the 28th and wants to give himself a present) and especially Pablo Cardona, born in 2004, who reached the quarter-finals in the last two Premier Padel tournaments, in Genoa and Malaga, and is in great shape. There are the Spanish big names, but other national teams also promise to battle: host Italy will field Marco Cassetta, who became the first player in Italy to enter the top 100, but also a player like Giulio Graziotti who achieved great results in the CUPRA FIP Tour in 2024. If Cassetta is number 100, France has Thomas Leygue, not yet 23 years old and number 101, while the leader of Sweden – fourth and last seed – is Daniel Windahl, number 59. But another top player will be on the bench, as the captain is Jonas Bjorkman, who in tennis was even number 4, reaching the semi-finals at Wimbledon and the US Open.

THE OTHER PROTAGONISTS Speaking of national teams coming from Northern Europe, in Denmark there is Mads Laudrup, son of Michael, a legend of Danish football who in Italy wore the jerseys of Lazio and Juventus, as well as those of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Close to the top 100 is Belgian Clement Geens, semi-finalist in the FIP Gold of Saltillo (Mexico) and ready to lead his teammates in Italy; the star of Great Britain is Christian Medina Murphy, who in the last three tournaments played in the CUPRA FIP Tour has always reached at least the quarter-finals. Poland will also be in Cagliari, which last year hosted the last major event for national teams, the European Games in Krakow: among the call-ups, also Wojciech Szczesny, only namesake of the Juventus goalkeeper. Family matters in Portugal, with brothers Miguel and Nuno Deus (two years apart between the first and the second) and with Pedro Araujo, brother of Sofia, who plays in the women’s national team and winner of the P2 in Genoa. But in every competition of any sport discipline, there is always room for surprises: who will be the new names in Cagliari?