Juan Tello (Cruz del Eje, 31 years old) breathes a sigh of relief and with renewed confidence after being crowned FIP Platinum champion from Paredes (Portugal) last weekend with his partner Maxi Arce. This tournament, which represents the fourth step in importance within the professional circuit – behind the Majors that distribute 2,000 points, the P1 of 1,000 and the P2 of 600 – gave them 300 points for the ranking after winning the final in straight sets against Maxi Sánchez Blasco and Daniel ‘Sanyo’ Gutiérrez.
Such a harvest is not a minor detail: this victory places the ‘Cat’ virtually within the qualification zone for the Premier Finals in Barcelona, the great event that at the end of the year will bring together the 16 best players of the season. With this objective between eyebrows, the Córdoba setback packs its bags again, but with a destination that marks a real novelty on its calendar. In A strategic decision, Tello and Arce chose not to play the P2 in Valladolid to register for the FIP Gold in the Ivory Coast which will be played this weekend.
Portugal’s 300 FIP Platinum points put Tello in the Finals zone.
In the prelude to his flight to the African continent, Tello spoke hand in hand with MARCA to analyze his present, his adaptation to this new stage and the reasons behind this surprising change of route. “My goal is to play the Finals no matter what and that requires playing FIP, so I will go and add points wherever I need to”he explains with complete candor. Regarding the need to ‘go down’ to the FIP circuit to protect his status in the face of an increasingly tight ranking, he confesses: “I was the only one who did not play, who did not think about playing any FIP. But I think that seeing how things are, I have to start moving…”
Ask. This year you have had good results in higher category tournaments, but perhaps having a great week you ended up going to the quarterfinals and semis. Does winning, even a FIP Platinum, have a special flavor?
Juan Tello. Logically, the final feeling is different, but in the end what matters are the points for the ranking. We went to Portugal with the hunger to win, taking advantage of the fact that Maxi (Arce) is in Europe these weeks and we decided to try to score points together. Today the circuit is very even, the calendar is very divided in terms of prizes and tournaments, and a Platinum gives a lot of points and we are needing it to be closer in the Race competition.
Juan Tello went through MARCA after winning the FIP Platinum de Paredes.
Q. How did you feel about the game?
JT. The truth is that very good. We expected a slow court from what we saw, but when we played the first game it was very fast. It was very hot, it was very heavy, but as we played and gained a few minutes on the court, we adapted. Winning the title with Maxi by our side gives us extra confidence: winning always makes you lift your head a little and take the next tournament with more confidence and security, so the truth is that it was spectacular for us. Now we have another tournament (NdR: FIP Gold in Ivory Coast) to continue adding hours on the track with Maxi, which is what we need.
Q. You have already played six tournaments together with Maxi Arce and there is a peculiarity: they have not lost to lower-ranked couples. What point do you think they can improve in the couple to fight against those who are currently ranked higher?
JT. We know that Maxi lives in Argentina and any new commitment requires more from me personally since I have to adapt to having a left-handed person at my side. We need to train to adapt: Maxi’s natural stroke goes the other way and I am getting rid of those vices of playing with a right-handed partner as we train. Now we are on a European tour and he stayed here, so we take full advantage of this time. I need it a lot and I think the work is showing: every tactic and plan we make we carry out to the letter and it bears fruit. The key today is to take advantage of the fact that he is here, add hours, advance quickly and gain confidence in our game base before he returns to Argentina with his family.
Tello and Arce won their first title as a couple in Portugal.
Q. After the stage with Álex Ruiz you had several changes of partner: Bela, Jofre, Libaak, Di Nenno… Throughout that period, did you come to doubt whether Juan Tello was capable of competing face to face with the best again?
JT. There is always doubt and distrust about whether you continue at that level to fight with those above. But the day-to-day work and confidence were not lost; That’s why I continue to compete with any couple. Today the circuit is increasingly stronger, the matches are more even and you have to adapt, which favors padel itself. For me the most important thing was having my team and my family by my side, because with so many changes of teammates you get a little disoriented. It’s like you don’t identify with anything. And I think it happens to many players: you change your partner, your playing profile, your coach all the time and you no longer know what to do or where to play or anything. So one of the keys for us together with Seba (Nerone), together with the entire team, was to think about myself, continue training, continue being prepared, and not lose that confidence, because if you start to distrust yourself, you enter a circle in which you change waiting for another teammate to return it to you, and that does not happen and change again and so on… Today I have a lot of confidence and I try to absorb the hunger and intensity that Maxi has, which is transmitted and infects you.
Q: This week the P2 in Valladolid is being played, but they decided to play the FIP Gold in the Ivory Coast. How did you make that decision, living in Madrid and having Valladolid so close, to choose to travel to Africa? And what does it generate for you?
JT. The first thing that generates me is the discomfort of being away from the family because we had planned to spend the week together there. But the player has to adapt and the system leads you to this. You have to play Premier tournaments and also FIP to earn points. Honestly, I was the only one who wasn’t planning on playing any FIP, but seeing how things are going, I finally convinced myself that I have to move. It’s just that I have no other choice. I want to enter the Finals no matter what and that requires playing FIP tournaments because if not the options of closing the gap with the top 16 is very difficult: if you come out of the eight seeds, in the first round of a P2 you can meet anyone and that is a risk. Say you win two very tough games, make the quarterfinals and score 90 points. And winning a Gold gives 150. It’s unfortunate because you spend less time at home, but the ranking is very tight and improving each position is worth gold for contracts and to stay among the 16. Is it ideal? No, I don’t see that, obviously. But what I’m telling you is that today I think about myself, I think about my ranking, I think about my contracts, I think about everything that comes with being within the 16. We talked about it with Maxi (Arce), this opportunity came up to go to the Ivory Coast and that’s it, we didn’t give it a second thought. I reneged for a long time and today, to be honest, I have to adapt to what it is: if I have to play another FIP Gold or FIP Silver to try to get into the Finals because we are all tight, I am going to do it.
Q. A little bit of what Nerone said: what happened to them in the Asunción P2 where they lost 7-6 in the third against Galán and Chingotto in the quarterfinals, adding 90 points…
JT. Sure, you make the quarterfinals and a great game but it hardly adds anything to you. It is very good to play at a good level against the best couples, but one wants to rise in the ranking to position oneself better and obtain better sponsors. And for that you have to grab points. They are reviewing it for next year, but I honestly think about what will improve me and I am moving forward with the decision.
Q. And in the World Cup do you see yourself among Argentina’s eight-man squad?
JT. I think so. I’m hungry for the World Cup, I already missed one due to good news (NdR: the week of the 2024 World Cup coincided with the birth of his second child), and obviously I would like to be in this one. I work to be more competitive and I think about both the circuit and the National Team. We want to be with Maxi, it is a topic that we talk about and we look for that place. I hope we can both go together, or at least one of us.
El Gato is confident of being part of Argentina’s squad for the World Cup.
