Paquito is on fire, “The best gift”. Tonight against the world No. 1s

When Paquito Navarro plays and wins on the Centrale court, there's no need to choose a playlist. The song is a must: Gala's Freed from Desire. It all started three years ago, when the padel champions first stepped into the Foro Italico and the Roman crowd fell in love with the cheerful guy from Seville who celebrated by turning his racket into a guitar. Freed from Desire instantly became Paquito is on fire. “A song dedicated to me is the greatest gift I’ve ever received on a padel court”.

Paquito returns to Rome knowing he’s never truly alone—not just with his partner, Brazilian Lucas Bergamini—but with a crowd always ready to lift him up when times get tough. And yesterday, there were some rough patches in the match against Edu Alonso and Jairo Bautista, which ended with a dominant third set but had seen the second slip away after a long, nearly one-hour first set settled by a tiebreak.

A few “guitar riffs” with the racket after key points, a sigh of relief at the win, and Paquito’s thoughts immediately turn to tonight’s quarterfinals against world No. 1s Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia—winners here two years ago and again just days ago at the P1 in Buenos Aires, in a final that Paquito hadn’t played since the 2023 Paris Major.

Last night, Navarro showed up for the post-match interview holding a yellow sign from one of his many fans, reading: “Préstame tu guitarra así la toco” – “Lend me your guitar so I can play it”. Paquito is ready to play again, hoping this won’t be his last song in Rome this year. But even if it is, it will still have been beautiful—just like three years ago, when from nothing, he became “on fire”.