Padel, Game, and Strategy: Stories and Advice from Marcelo Capitani
30 years as a professional padel player and 25 as a coach: Marcelo Capitani was number 20 in the world, more than 10-time Grand Slam champion, Italian champion in 2020 and 2021 and European champion (with the Italian national team) in 2019. Current Italian number 1 in the FITP rankings in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. A long and exciting sporting career, which at 46 years of age has not yet stopped and which today also sees him as selector and coach of the Italian Under National Team.
Exclusively for the FLOKY Community, he tells us his love story with padel and shares some advice for anyone who wants to get into this increasingly popular sport.
You’ve been playing padel for thirty years. How did you get into this sport? What’s your story?
I was born with a racket in my hand. I started playing tennis at 4: my parents had a tennis court in Santa Fe, Argentina, where I was born. At 15, I discovered padel and fell in love with it, becoming the Argentine Junior No. 1 at that age. At 17, I turned professional in Argentina: they still played with wooden rackets. I reached the quarterfinals a couple of times. At 27, I moved to Spain, played 13 seasons with the World Padel Tour, and became world No. 20. I played with internationally renowned athletes, like Paquito Navarro and Sanyo Gutierrez. I’ve had a very long career, and I also owe this to my teammates on the court: padel is a team sport, you have to find the right partner, and I was lucky. Today, I’m in Italy and I’m very happy that padel is spreading here too. I’d like to be able to bring it to the level it deserves: we have all the cards in hand to close the gap with Argentina and Spain, currently at the forefront of this sport. The future of our sport lies in the young people, and the Federation is doing a great job with them. If the young people are on the pitch, the sport is vital and has a future.
How did it feel to win your first match? And your first major competition?
Wearing the blue jersey was a tremendous feeling. I had so much satisfaction playing for the senior national team and representing Italy in two European Championships: we were champions in one (in Rome in 2019) and runners-up in the other (in Spain in 2021): a truly incredible feeling, unlike anything I’ve experienced in my career. When you wear the national team jersey, you’re not playing for yourself, but for all of Italy. You know that all of Italy is watching. Many highly visible former players, like Francesco Totti, Daniele De Rossi, Dario Marcolin, as well as well-known figures like Gianluca Vacchi, are in love with padel and cheer for the national team. They send videos of support, and this gives us energy.
You’ve been a padel instructor and coach for 25 years. What does coaching and bringing more and more people to this sport mean to you?
I try to motivate people to train and play, because padel is a very fun sport, but it also has a strong strategic component. It might not seem like it at first, but once you start to develop, once you really get into the sport, it becomes increasingly difficult to understand technique and tactics. Padel requires a level of preparation that was unthinkable just a few years ago. It’s becoming an elite sport, increasingly professional, with ever-increasing sponsorships and prize money.
How does your training week go?
I’m 46 years old and I play professionally on the Italian tour: nutrition is essential for me and must be taken care of to the max. As for actual training, I spend 1-2 days in the gym with my athletic trainer, and during the rest of the day I do specific exercises to prevent injuries and increase flexibility, endurance, and elasticity. I’m so happy to have discovered FLOKY socks; since I started using them, I’ve never wanted to take them off. They give me 20-30% more stability in my foot, which has a huge impact on my performance. Not having them now would be like using a racket without a grip: something would be missing. When I participate in a tournament, before I even start, I prepare 4-5 pairs of FLOKY socks in different colors, one for each match, and I hope to be able to use them all because that means I’ll reach the final!
Your favorite moment in training and in the match.
My favorite moment during the week is when I wake up, have breakfast, and wait to go to the gym to train. It gives me the peace of mind of knowing I’m doing things right, that I’m preparing properly for the competition this weekend. During a match, my favorite moment is when the first set ends because then I feel truly involved in the match, I observe what happens and understand what I need to change. In that moment, I feel like I’m doing what I love and I try to do it to the best of my ability.
And after a match, after training? How do you recover?
I stretch, eat well, and am already thinking about the next race. But without neglecting rest, which is very important.
In addition to physical training, is there also mental training in your preparation to keep you energized?
Prima di una partita provo sempre a visualizzare a livello mentale tutto il suo svolgimento: come inizierà, come si svilupperà, come sarà il confronto con gli avversari. Penso alle cose che mi piacerebbe che succedessero. Visualizzandole riesco a renderle reali e diventa più facile realizzarle. È una cosa che insegnano anche nel tennis e nel calcio: prendersi un momento quando si è più carichi e motivati per visualizzare come si vuole che vada la partita.
In a match, how do you overcome critical moments?
In those moments, I try to observe what’s happening, to understand together with my teammate what we can change to reverse the situation. It’s not easy, because the opponent knows: if they’re ahead in the points, it’s because they’re playing better than you. Sometimes you don’t have to change anything; the others just play better and there’s nothing you can do about it. But other times, you have to know how to change plans, understand what’s happening, what the mood is, and what can be done differently to improve the result.
What advice would you give to someone who plays padel?
Padel has become a popular sport for those who need to let off steam after a long day at the office, but you should avoid hitting the court right after work without warming up. Joint and muscle mobilization is very important, especially in winter! My advice to everyone is to give this sport a try, because it’s great fun, but don’t neglect physical preparation. This means staying hydrated and never skipping a warm-up, to improve performance and, above all, avoid injuries.
Have you ever been tempted to hang up your racket? What motivated you to keep going?
Of course, loads of times! Especially when I was traveling alone by car to play on the World Padel Tour: I’d travel 900-1000 km to play in Seville, Barcelona, or Madrid. When I lost and returned home alone, I was often tempted to give up. When you’re overwhelmed by frustration, it’s easy to lose motivation. Then I thought: even top players lose! So I kept working and persisting, doing what I loved. My advice to anyone facing these doubts is to never give up, to accept that moments like these will inevitably happen, and instead to think and believe that even losing matches is part of growth and, in fact, is essential to becoming more experienced and better players.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I really enjoy playing tennis, reading books, and watching Formula 1. I have a real passion for Formula 1: I like studying car engineering, even though I don’t understand anything about it. Another passion is playing soccer. But the truth is, I also like to lounge on the couch, relax, and watch Netflix.
