In the morning he was on court playing, and in the afternoon he was in the front row for the semifinals of the Oysho Milano Premier Padel P1. Claudio Marchisio’s connection with padel is clear — right after the semifinal between Sanchez/Josemaria and Araujo/Ustero, he shared his passion for the sport just before greeting Paulo Dybala, also in the stands to watch the matches. “I play every time I can — it’s a sport I really love. In fact, this morning I was on court with some friends for a small tournament”, he said.
From the Cupra-organized morning challenge to the Allianz Cloud, where he came to learn from the best: “I really like Lebron, but honestly I admire all the stars of this sport. This is such a great chance to watch them up close. They’re amazing — I’ll try to steal a few tricks”, he joked. Footballers’ love for padel is well known, and according to Marchisio, it’s no coincidence: “Former footballers fall in love with this sport because we’re used to playing in tight spaces, reacting quickly and moving fast. Even when the ball comes at 160 km/h, it feels natural to us. It’s a big advantage — as Albertini said, we’re used to thinking ahead, predicting where the ball will go and where to place it. That helps a lot, especially against former tennis players. They have more technique, but we read the play earlier. It’s a nice balance”.
Who are the best footballers at padel? “No doubt, Luca Ceccarelli is the best. But I have to say, with Luca Toni and Del Piero I’ve played some great matches — with Alex we make a good pair, we can compete. But what’s even more exciting is seeing the new generation of padel players coming up. There are some very promising young players, and I hope that soon we Italians can make our mark in tournaments like these”. Big names from football like Arjen Robben and Ben Arfa, who’ve debuted in professional circuits, could also help grow the sport: “Yes, I think their involvement can really help the movement develop. Padel is already growing fast internationally — you can see it here. I hope it keeps improving and takes inspiration from those who’ve built winning models in this sport. It has so much to give — and in Italy, I see a lot of positive signs”.