Josemaria and Sanchez: “How did we do it? We studied them and worked with the team”

How many times didn’t things go as they imagined? How many times did they watch their matches again, wondering how to beat Gemma and Delfi, who were at the top of the world? And what’s the secret to doing it? Simple — and they explain it themselves.

Paula says: “We came from matches decided by small details. We worked a lot on this match against Gemma and Delfi, with the whole team. The only secret is to work hard, watch your matches again, study, and train with the coaches – and just like they study us, we study them. I think today we showed a very high level, we played a great match, and I speak for Ari too: we are very happy with what we achieved, because finishing with this kind of result against Gemma and Delfi is not easy at all. We are proud to have played a world final at this level.”

It was a match with nine breaks, but Ari explains there’s a reason for that — and for her slow start and the few unforced errors made by the new world champions:
“On this court, it’s not easy to hold serve. It’s true I started a bit tense, more rigid, but then I found my rhythm. I think we played a very good tactical match to beat Gemma and Delfi with this result. You have to stay focused for two hours or however long the match lasts, and I think we did it today: even when we were behind, especially in the first set, we kept fighting and followed the game plan we prepared with the team. I think that was the key: never abandoning the tactic even when things didn’t go well. Also, we made very few unforced errors, and that’s fundamental to win against Gemma and Delfi: you need consistency all match long, and today we had it.”

The two consecutive Premier Padel tournaments they won (Milano and NewGiza) and the FIP World Cup Pairstitle have silenced criticism and those who thought the pair was nearing the end in the fight for world leadership against Triay and Brea.

Paula says: “It’s hard to always stay on top in professional sport, but we’ve been fighting at the highest level for five years now, with great consistency, and that’s not easy. This year, until the P1 Premier Padel in Madrid, we had a difficult period, with our game and our confidence, but our main quality is to keep fighting and believing. In these five years we’ve had many tough moments, but we never left the ship. In hard times, we got even closer, worked, and thought about what to improve.” Paula looks at Ari, who smiles and nods — it’s time to celebrate, without any controversy: “This world title is very important: we’ve been playing well for some tournaments now, showing on court the Ari and Paula that people like, and that we like too. This World Championship is a great result, it gives a lot of points, but most of all, it makes us happy.” Then Ari talks about the match and their rivalry: “We played an amazing match. Beating Gemma and Delfi, who we hadn’t beaten since Brussels, many months ago, is special. We kept working and believing, even if people said we were finished, even if they criticized us. But that’s part of professional sport – and it’s fine, because there’s only one way to respond: on the court. For some tournaments now, we’ve been playing well, raising our level, being ourselves again. Winning this title is important also because we’re fighting for number one in the FIP Ranking, and we’ll keep fighting until the math says it’s impossible. I’m very happy with our level, the way we’re playing, and enjoying every match, finding our identity again.”