Only at 21 years, paul cardona has established himself as one of the most promising young faces in world padel. Born in Mérida in 2004, the player now occupies the 17th place in the world ranking and does not hide his ambition: “In five or ten years, I want to be number one.” he explains in Sports.

Paquito Navarro, the spark of a career

Cardona's trajectory took a turn last year thanks to Paquito Navarro, who offered him a place alongside him. This experience immediately propelled him to the top of the rankings and gave him new visibility: "Paquito changed my life. Thanks to him, people started to know me and talk about me.".

The explosive adventure with Leo Augsburger

After Navarro, Cardona joined forces with Leo AugsburgTogether, they formed one of the most feared pairs on the circuit, nicknamed "Carburger", capable of beating the top three teams in the world. Their separation, decided by the Argentinian, left no hard feelings: "Leo told me things to my face, he chose to play with Martín Di Nenno. I respected him and we maintain an excellent relationship.".

A new stage with Gonzalo Alfonso

After a short stint with Juan Tello, Cardona now starts a new adventure with Gonzalo Alfonso, with whom he had already played in the Pro Padel League U.S.. "With Gonza, I feel like I can beat anyone. My goal is clear: to return to the top eight pairs and qualify for the Master Final.".

An intact ambition

Despite his meteoric rise, Cardona keeps a cool head: "I've never felt like I've already succeeded. When you win, you want more. When you're number one, you want to stay there." Aware of the sacrifices associated with a professional player's career – constant travel, separation from family – he nevertheless says he feels privileged: "If I weren't happy living from what I love, I would be selfish."

World number one goal

Cardona belongs to a generation where associations are constantly changing, but his horizon remains unchanged: to become world number one. Like his deep voice, which is as striking as his explosive playing, the Spaniard is already establishing himself as one of the great talents of tomorrow on the international circuit.

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.

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