Jorge Martín, MotoGP vice World Champion, in the stands in Doha: “It’s my first time, a great emotion!”

Top padel before World Championship debut. This week Qatar, where the first Premier Padel Major of the season is taking place, is also hosting the first 2024 MotoGP Grand Prix and a star of Moto GP – the highest class of motorcycle road racing events – was spotted today at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex: Jorge Martín.

The Spanish racer, from the Prima Pramac Ducati team, showed up at the Doha venue to watch today’s quarter final matches, particularly those involving Franco Stupaczuk and Martin Di Nenno (3) and Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia (2). In Moto GP, Jorge Martín was 2nd in the riders’ championship last season after an exciting duel with Pecco Bagnaia.

Today he enjoyed a few hours of relax to admire the evolutions with the racquet of the great champions of the discipline, before returning to be a leading actor on the Lusail circuit, some 20 kilometers north of Doha.

We meet him in the player lounge while talking padel and motorbikes with Fernando Belasteguin. ‘Bela a great guy,’ says Jorge of Bela, who returns the compliment. Then he adds: “A problem with my ankle lately prevents me from practicing it, but I really like padel: I’ve never had the chance to go to a tournament, so I’m very happy to be here and witness spectacular matches in person. The similarities between padel and the world of motorcycles? Not many, maybe that you have to work a lot with your hand and wrist and have very good reaction times. As for the players, I really like Martin (Di Nenno)…I know him personally and I was able to play with him, I will enjoy his game. And I am curious to see Arturo (Coello) at work“.