Centurion, the super-coach "What an experience for Cattaneo and Sinicropi!"

Sitting on the sidelines can be advantage to understand the game better. But it can also be a difficult experience because you "suffer" in the same way as the players, but not able to unleash the emotions generated by the match. One of the characteristics of padel and indeed something that makes it a team sport is the constant presence of the coach during meets. 

From the benches, the coaches observe and try – during side changes – to intervene to turn around a bad match. Among the group of coaches there is Mariano Amat working with the strongest duo in the world, Ale Galan and Juan Lebron, then  Rodrigo Ovide at the side of the n. 2 duo Navarro/Di Nenno. But then we have another Argentine who in his own country was an icon having headed the Argentina national team and today is now working with the Italian couple Sinicropi and Cattaneo: Lucas Centurion.

The (foreseeable) defeat against the n. 3 duo Lima/Stupaczuk hasn't affected the morale of the South American coach at all, who still sees some positive aspects. "Playing against two champions like Lima and Stupaczuk – explains Centurion – was an incredible experience for the boys. We're talking about two of the best players in the world, seeded at n.3: we knew it was going to be really difficult, but we can still understand a lot from games like this".

"The potential of Sinicropi and Cattaneo is difficult to define now, because we are still working and we still need some time to finish the work that we've started. One needs to train day in day out, and we are doing this well and so important results will come".

"I'm from Argentina – he continues – and I am very happy to learn that the Village Paddle in Modena has opened a branch of the Academy (Academia Seba Mocoroa of Buenos Aires) where I come from. This is one of the most important in Argentina. This means that all of my fellow countrymen who want to establish themselves in Europe now have somewhere where they feel at home and where they can train".

Centurion is witnessing the veritable boom of padel in Italy and he comments on this precisely on the day when many young Italians pacifically invaded the Foro Italico to cheer the heroes of the padel courts."This boom of padel in Italy really surprises me. I was in Italy in 2019, and I already saw some potential, but never could I have imagined to see what is happening now. We are dealing with an explosion of enthusiasm that can bring really important results, also at the highest level in the near future. Meanwhile, it is fundamental that we continue building many courts so that young girls and boys can familiarise themselves with this discipline".

"We still need a little time to reach the level of Spain or Argentina. It needs hard work, both physical and technical, but the positive thing is to see so many young children – some very young indeed – starting to play this game. In the space of three or four years and training constantly, they will be able to comprehend their own potential and understand if they can become professional players".

In padel, the role of the coach is fundamental. Not only in training, but also during matches. This is the opposite from tennis because here 'coaching' is fundamental and completely legal. With a good coach at your side, you can have clear explanations on what is happening, what strategies should be followed to turn a match around and to win.

"Coaches that observe from the sidelines can very often see the situation a little more clearer than their own players, because inside the court, it is complicated to self evaluate one's game or to understand objectively how the match is progress. It is important for us coaches to use the correct words to communicate to the athletes what is not working and why. Furthermore, we try to intervene on the tactics of the game whenever possible. Yes, we partly play the role of psychologist: when morale starts to sink, the objective is to surface once more in the least time possible. But all this work and effort that we do at all levels is well worth it when we participate in tournaments like the Majors of the Premier Padel".