Dominants. There is no other adjective to describe the 2023 of Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia. Four wins in a row on the Premier Padel 2023 circuit (Rome, Madrid, Mendoza and Paris) and a superiority that has rarely been in danger. Coello, number 1 in the FIP ranking, and Tapia, have one last mission in this incredible year: to win in Milan as well, taking the crown from Ale Galan and Juan Lebron, who lifted the trophy last year at the Allianz Cloud.
Coello has another mission, an individual one: by qualifying at least to the semi-finals, he would have the certainty of ending 2023 at the top of the world rankings. “But until we are number 1 as a pair, I won’t be able to celebrate” – says the young Coello, who will turn 22 in March –. However, I’m very happy with my season and with Agustin. And it’s also nice to have the cheers of our opponents, like when Di Nenno came to hug me when he got the news that I was going to be number one: a healthy competition that makes this sport grow. I hope to be number 1 again next year: then if it should be others, it will be fine too”.
On the other hand, one of the two ‘Superpibes’, Franco Stupaczuk, who last year was paired with Pablo Lima – who announced his retirement from competition a few weeks ago – and was out in the round of 16 due to physical problems he suffered in the previous stage of the Milan Premier Padel P1, the one played in Mexico, is hoping to do better than 2022. “This is a crazy place and this P1 is absolutely at the level of a Major – ‘Stupa’ said –. We need points, so we try to take the best from each tournament and give our best everywhere”.
For his new teammate, Martin Di Nenno, however, it will be a first time at the Allianz Cloud, after a forfeit in 2022. Di Nenno and Stupaczuk will try to steal Galan and Lebron’s throne: “When they are at their best they are difficult to play against, they are the best pair in the world. We, for our part, will try to find solutions and win”. 2023 was the last year for legends like Pablo Lima and Juan Martin Diaz, and also Fernando Belasteguin also is 44 years old: “Coello played with Bela, Agustin (Tapia) with Diaz, Stupa with Lima, I had the privilege of facing them: it was a privilege to have shared the court with these legendary players. It is thanks to them that padel is evolving more and more”.