Welcome to Padel Smash Academy. We are all things Padel. Hello everyone. Welcome to another exciting episode of Padel Smash Academy. Today, we're so excited to have the mesmerizing, the incredible, and most importantly, Pan American champion 2023, Andrea Samson. Well, first of all, thank you, Julian. Thank you, Cesar for. Having me here, where are you originally from? I'm originally from Paraguay. Okay. Asion and I lived there for 14 years. Um, and then I was playing tennis over there.
So tennis was your first racket sport? Yeah. And that was in Paraguay? Yeah, because my uncle played Davis Cup for Paraguay. Um, so he would always like travel back and forth, like Miami to Paraguay. He always bring us like little rackets or tennis balls. Um, so like my, my two older brothers play tennis and my parents play tennis and. So it was a tennis family. So was there a Padel down there at all? Or did you even know about it? Or?
So I remember there were like these courts right next to the tennis courts, um, in some clubs, but they were always empty. And like, we would use them for warmup. Like, I didn't know what sport that was because nobody was ever playing there. And. And whenever I had a tennis tournament, I would go there and, and play against the wall, you know, um, but I never knew what it was, um, until I came here. Wow. So you were introduced to Padel here then? Yes. So did you come here?
How did you get to the States here? Was it for, through tennis? Yeah. So I was, uh, 14 and actually my older brother wanted to play tennis, play tennis in the year, in the university. Okay. So he, um. told my parents, like, Hey, I want to do the same thing as my uncle. Like, I want to go to Miami to play tennis. So he came, then my parents came, then my other brother came, and then I came. That's weird. And what was the stepping stone in Tupelo? How, how were you introduced into Tupelo?
Yeah, so I played tennis college and then, um, after college, I needed a break. I was like, I don't want to touch a racket, see a racket, I don't want to. I would still watch tennis, but I didn't want to play it. Um, so I had like a break for like two years and I'm like, I feel like I need to do something, you know, after, after work, like I, I'm always used to having an activity, you know, um, so it was COVID and my brother Rodrigo, uh, which everyone knows him in the Pato community.
Um, he was playing already and he would always invite me. And I was like, no, that's like an old people's sport. You probably thought it was pickle. No, I didn't know about pickleball. Like I don't, but I was like, no, that's an old people's sport. Like, uh, but then it was like, I was bored one day. My friend was over here. Um, and he was like, let's go play. And we're like, okay, let's go try it out. And then I just got hooked. No, let me, I have a question for you.
Um, What happened in tennis? Did you just get burnt out or why did you stop playing too? I mean, that's pretty drastic. It was a combination. Like, I felt like with tennis, I accomplished everything already, you know, like I played juniors, I played high school, I played college, I knew I wasn't gonna go pro, you know, I was already like, retired, basically, I'm a hobby, though, you know, like, yeah, like, I would still play, but I think after college I was a little bit burned out.
It was, it was a lot, you know, so I just needed a break. So, so tell us, I mean, that day that when you step into a Padel court, how was it? Oh, it was at Real. It was, uh, around Christmas, like it was very cold. I remember. Um, and I played with my friend Astrid, which is also from Paraguay. My brother and I don't remember who it was. Um, and we, Oh, it was a group of Paraguayans actually. And we just played and where I was like, Oh, this is going to be easy.
You know, we play tennis, like we're just going to hit every ball really hard and we're going to win the points. And then you're like. Nope. , you see the other person standing right there and like poop. So Yeah. Like rude awakening. Exactly. . Yeah. And I'm like, oh, like you forget that there's literally a wall behind you that she's your friend, you know? Yeah. And I assume all smashes, right? Always smash, smash, smash. Right. So at what point did you take pedal more seriously?
Like you said, Hey, I gotta, I have to take lessons. I have to actually learn how to play Padel versus playing tennis in the Padel court. When did that happen? Yeah, so I just started like playing, um, just like matches, you know, and I was losing everything. Um, I was like, I actually got frustrated and I stopped. Oh, I also got injured. Um, so I stopped for like a few months. Um, and then I was like, I don't know if this is like for me, like I'm losing every match.
Um, but then someone invited me for a tournament. And I played, and then I was like, okay, I feel like if I actually train and if I actually take this seriously, I can get better. And, and I wanted to get better because I, I would, uh, like see my friend that she was already playing better because she was practicing. And I was like, okay, let's do this. Like let's give Padel a second chance. That's okay. And then the rest is history . Wow. So how did you do that at that point?
Did you just start playing? Did you, how did you learn? How did you, because you know, you play tennis. I had to play tennis, same thing with him. And you get into a court and you're kind of playing tennis in the pedal court. And there's a point where you, you, you got to start learning, right? Rather you're YouTubing or, or you take some lessons or something. So what did you do? There's a lot that goes behind that. Um, well, first step was taking lessons. So who was your first coach then?
Who was your first coach? Angel was my first coach. Way to go Angel. Angelito. But then I switched to Nico. Um, yeah, and I mean, it's, you know, they, they have the academy together, so it's, um, the same. Um, but I just started playing like a lot more matches with Nico, you know, so, and.
I just started playing a lot and he helped me like during, like during lessons and during the matches, you know, he would tell me, no, don't go forward, no, stay back, uh, patience, patience, patience, because I, I wanted to hit everything so hard and I still do. Um, so they yell at me sometimes, they're like, just go a little slower.
So how, how long was that transition where you kind of learned Padel, like the back walls, uh, the, the, the aerial shots, different aerial shots, like the Bandeja Vibora. Um, how long did that transition take for you? Yeah. Um, For me, it actually takes a little bit longer than, I think, other girls because I was always a singles player in tennis. Everybody was, I think, you know, nobody plays doubles that much. It's singles, at least for me, it was like singles, singles, singles, you know?
Yeah, but there are some girls like, you know, that play here like in, you know, my level that there were a lot. More like doubles player, so, you know, they're a little bit better at the volley. I would never go up to the volley when I would play because I'm so short. So then they would like, just love me, you know? Um, so I, I even went to college telling my coach, like, don't put me in doubles. Like I didn't have a good volley. Right. Um, oh, baseline. Baseline.
Yeah. It wasn't like the eighties where people came to volley no more, you know, Erna Williams style. Yeah. Beat the crap out of the boss Or possible on kind of, yeah. I would, I would hit everything on the rise, like they would love me. But my uncle actually told me like, if they love you, just hit everything on the rice. So I got really good at hitting like everything on the rice. Good. Here you have to let it pass and hit it off the back wall. Yeah, exactly.
But, uh, I feel like for me, just took a little bit longer, you know, to make the click and, and do the switch, like from tennis to Padel play, um, you know, with another person, because for me, it was like, Oh, I'm a singles player. Like I solve my own problems, you know, I don't need to talk to anyone. Like, like I don't need to get mad at anyone. They don't need to get mad at me, you know, but.
Playing with another part, another person is totally different and, um, it's hard sometimes, you know, like everyone has different personalities, different tempers, someone you have a bad day or they have a bad day, you know, like, um, but I really started liking that, you know, just like. Working that, and I, I still struggle, there's a lot to improve, you know. Like it's a team sport. Exactly. You know, each side has the responsibilities of what they need to do.
Yeah. And you gotta work together. Yeah. And try and motivate each other too. Exactly. It's great when things are great, but when things are bad, you know, you gotta try to stay positive, you know. Exactly. Yeah, and like, you know, I don't, I don't always play with the same partners, you know, so like. You always have to adapt.
Um, it's sometimes you like right now in the Pan American, like I didn't know her, like my partner, I just met her there and we needed to, you know, figure it out kind of thing. So let's, let's talk about now that you mentioned it, the Pan American. So USA for the first time in the history of the Pan American games. won the championship. We made history. So tell us all that experience from the moment you got into the plane, all through winning all the matches and all that.
Yeah. Amazing experience. Honestly, we, um, made a great. First, where was it? Okay. Sorry. Um, it was in Cancun. It was actually supposed to be in Acapulco. But then there, unfortunately, there was a really big hurricane. Um, so it was like three weeks before and we were still waiting, like, you know, what's going to happen? Is it going to be the same dates or is it going to be the same location? Like. Um, so they confirmed Cancun like, kind of like the week before. So that's good.
And tell us a little bit, uh, people are a little bit confused. What is the format of the Pan American? So I know there are different divisions and all that. Can you tell us a little bit how it's, how does that work? Yeah, of course. Um, so the one that we went right now to Cancun is the one, the amateur. Um, so it's from the second to sixth division. Okay. Okay. And how do you become second division? Who decides what division you are?
Uh, the coach based on your level, you know, or history in the Pan Americans or ranking. So second is better than sixth or sixth is better than second. Yes. Okay. The set, the, so basically there was another Pan American, I don't know if you guys watched, uh, like in Venezuela, like a month ago. Yes. Okay, so that's the absoluto, that's the absolute, that's like first division. So those are, that's the best players where Lamperti played and all these guys.
Like all the, all the best from the, from all country, like they can go there, you know? So yes, Chingoto was there, Lamperti was there, Augsburger was there. And this one, what is the difference? So this is like a level down. So that was the best. And this is like second to six. Okay. Okay. Um, so what, which, which level did you play at? So I played second. Second. Okay. Yes, I played second last year. I actually played third with Astrid with, um, and we won third division last year.
So now in each of the divisions, is there categories, like you said, you mentioned amateur. So is there categories in there or it's just division two? No, I mean, any men and women or, or is there a mix or each division? So second division is only women's or it's men's too? So there's men and women and each have second to six. Oh, okay. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Okay. And you can have like. Uh, so USA can have like two teams in second division or they can, they can have three teams in. Fourth Division.
Division, okay. You know, it doesn't, so it's unlimited. You have 10 teams, there's no limit. Can you have 10 teams? I actually dunno if there's a, there might be a limit. Okay. But you can have two or three. Okay. Um, and you know, like we actually had an instance that, uh, USA played against USA in the semis, um, or in the quarter finals, you know, and Yeah, that's unlucky because you wanna Right. You wanna get the furthest, you know, but, um, yeah.
So each division, each country presents, uh, uh, teams for each division. Yes. Right. And then you play only within your division. You don't play third. You don't play. No. So you're playing your division. And then you play what? It's a main draw and then a consolation or how does that work? Yeah. So depending how many teams there are, like for example, Chile didn't have like a second division or Paraguay didn't have a second division. Um, but I play, there were two groups, uh, three teams.
And so I played, we played Mexico first, we won that match. Um, then we played Argentina, we lost that match. So we ended up second in that group. So we played against the first of the other group. Okay. Um, we played Brazil, we lost to them. That was the semis. Um, so that means that you're out. So then we had to play for the third or fourth, uh, position. And you earned points. So USA won by what? Earning the most points. Yes, because the furthest you get, the most points you get.
So like USA in six divisions was, um, I can't, I don't know the exact number, but in women in six divisions, we were in four finals and one semis. Okay. And so you get points only if you win a match or when the division or how, how does that work? And what if you lose, you get no points, I assume. Um, no, it's basically the furthest you get. So that's like, so the more you made it to the final, you get X amount of points. Semi finals, you get less points and all that. Exactly, exactly.
All right. So, so the USA won, did they win any divisions or they made all to the finals? No, we won third division women, fourth division, so sorry, in the women's we won third division, fourth, um, sixth division, I think we lost in fifth, um, and then in second we lost in semis. So, and then it's an overall points. Yes. That's how you become a champion. Exactly. Oh, okay. So then, because we had so many people.
Um, you know, we had great teams and we, you know, in the women, we got to four finals and the men, we got, I can't remember, but we, we got to maybe two finals and one semis. So overall USA was almost in every single final and semis, you know? Um, so that's why we collected a lot of points and I think we ended up with 152 compared to Argentina, which was, um, I think like one forty six, something like that. Yeah. So let me ask one thing that you mentioned that.
So if you present more teams, you will earn more points or not? Um, you have more probability. Yes. Exactly. Okay. So basically the more team players you bring, the more possible is for you to win. Yeah. So you guys won the overall and you won just a few divisions. Yes. Okay. Do the men, how, how do they, the men did the men, um, the, the, the level was really good. Um, so I know in second division, um, I think we lost in the semis, which was Fernando Alarcón and Vinny DeFrancesco.
Um, in third, I think they lost in the final. Um, so they, they did pretty good actually. There were, we had a lot of young players that, you know, they, they all live in Argentina. They train in Argentina and they're fresh out of the oven basically. Um, and they're really good. So they were representing the United States. Yes. So that's another thing, you know, like. All the teams were like, Oh my gosh, USA, you know, like what happened? Like, cause last year I went and it was only two girls.
It was me and Astrid, you know, we were all the only girls that went. And why is that? So what was the difference this year? Um, I think. The coaches, like, actually, like, I know Angel Luifer, you know, they did a really good job in, you know, recruiting and motivating the players to go.
Um, I think last year, it was also like right after the World Championships, there was like another event going on, like, Maybe like people didn't even know how it worked or so there wasn't a lot of like motivation to go. Um, so yeah, it was only Astrid and I for the girls and I think only like six men. Um, yeah, six men went last year and this year, how many, this year we were like, I don't know, you don't know, like 14 girls.
And like, we were a lot, I don't know if you saw the pictures, like we're like 30 people. Wow. That's good. And out of those 30 people, how many were from overseas? So from another country. So, okay. So that's, I like my favorite part because, um, all the other countries, you know, even like, you know, I'm from Paraguay and like the Paraguayan team, we're like. Why are you not playing for Paraguay? Like, why are you playing for the U. S.? You know?
Or, like Like people that I saw last year and they were like, what happened to the U. S.? Like, there are so many people now, but all of you speak Spanish. So like, how does that work? And we're like, well, that's the U. S. You know, we have people like, you know, I'm from Paraguay. We had a Puerto Rico. We had Venezuela, Argentina. You should have said I'm from Miami. We speak down here. Seriously. And we, we had like Ana Maria, she's from Serbia, you know, we had Romania and like, but that's.
That's what I would tell everyone. Like, you know, that's what makes to be American. You know, that's a, that's a beautiful. So, so, so when did you guys find out about that? You guys won because you didn't know until the end. Right. So what was it? How was it? It was funny. Um, we, so we, everybody was counting points. I like, Oh my God, 10 different types of various points. No, we went, no, we didn't. It was so close. No. Yeah. So we knew we were going to be like.
Top three for sure, uh, because Argentina, they were solid, but they were not in like almost every final like we were, you know, so we were like, we know we're really close. So we started like, I remember we had to wait until like the men's division final ended, you know, um, so we went to dinner. While they were, while they started to play. So we all went to dinner and we're all like trying to count points. Like, okay, we got to the final here.
Then we got to the semis there and blah, blah, blah, like started counting. And then Armando sends like a message on the group chat and he's like. It's official USA won. And we're like, is he, is it a joke or is it actually official? You know? And he's like, yes, it's official. And we started like screaming in the restaurant, like we started posting already, like USA champions. And we're like, we haven't even gotten like the trophy yet, but it's official. Imagine if they made a mistake.
Yeah. And then we like went back to the club and, um, You know, we were like USA nice USA were, we were singing like we are the Champ. la was awesome. Awesome. And, and then, you know, the ceremony and then, yeah. Brazil third, Argentina, second USA first. And it was, my God. Now who brought in the most points of the guys or the girls? The girls. Ah, wow. Women power, . Wow. Right there. How many power, how many points did you the girls bring versus the guys, you know?
I mean, that's what I like, what I said, like the, the girls, we were in four final, in six divisions, we were in four finals and one semis, the men were in two, right? I know. I think only one final. Yeah. I don't, I, I, it's awesome. Like I said, like last year we were two girls right now. We were like, at least 14. And how does it work? So you get a big trophy for everybody or you get medals. How's that work? So the ones that got to the final, they get a medal.
Like the champions, um, and the finalists, they get a medal and then the, you, the, the, the country that gets third, second or first, uh, gets a trophy, but then the federation stays with that trophy. So the USPA has our trophy. Oh, so like the World Cup in soccer, you know, they don't let you think, they give you a fake one. So we all took a picture with it, but then we have to give it back. Yeah, you got security, please bring it over.
Yes. So, uh, so how many games did you play and how many points do you think you contributed to the whole 152? I played two matches in the group phase. Then the semis and then for the third and fourth place. So you played what, five matches? So I played four, but there were some people that played like six, you know, because other divisions, like they, like I didn't have to play the quarters. They had to play group phase, quarters, semis, final, you know, we didn't have quarters.
So, so, and what do you think about US level of playing compared to the rest of the countries? Were you guys pretty even? The matches were close. I mean, what was the level or you guys really were much better than everyone else? I think there's a lot to improve. Um, but I mean, you can see, you know, like our girls team is, I think.
Maybe a hundred percent like ex tennis players, you know, um, and which is great, you know, we have great volleys, you know, we're fast, um, you know, we have a, like a lot of tennis skills, you know, but you can see that in other countries, they are a hundred percent Padel players, you know, they were born with it. They've been playing. And since, since they were, yeah. Um, But, you know, like, that's good and bad.
I mean, like, at the end, sometimes you don't even recognize, like, okay, he is a hundred percent, uh, Padel player. So, but you guys don't feel overwhelmed of the level of playing? No, not at all. The matches were pretty, pretty close. Yeah, like, uh, Sophie and I, we lost. To the girls that won the champions, we lost seven, five in the third set. Oh, we were so close. And that was in the group phase.
We, it was a match that we started, it was the second day and it was supposed to start at 8 PM and it rained. And then like, we didn't have enough courts. We started the match at 11 30 PM. We ended at 1 30 PM. Wow. That's a long day. And we had it. We, we were so. Six, four in the first, uh, we had, I think five, four, six, five in the second, we lost in the tie break and then we lost seven, five in the third against the champions. So like we were so close. Yeah. Oh man. Heartbreaker, huh?
So, so now let's talk about Italy. Oh yes. The food delicious, the pizzas, the spaghettis, but let's talk about Italy. Padel. Rome, right? Pizza, pizza, pizza, pasta, and vino, and gelato. What were you doing in Italy? Okay. Crazy story. Um, a friend, Lucy, um, uh, you know, Lucy. She called me one day and she was like, Hey, do you want to go to a trip? Um, as a like sports ambassador to Italy, like to the Vatican in November. And I was like What do you mean? Like, what is that?
Uh, and she was like, well, there's not a lot of details yet, but do you want to go? And I'm like, sure. Cause she couldn't go. Um, so I just said, sure. And she connected me to this guy. Um, Anderson, which is the other sports envoy that went, so he's like, there's this program. It's called the sports envoy program. Basically we go to Vatican for a week and we like give clinics, like do interviews. Clinics of what? To the Vatican? What? To the Pope? What do you mean?
Do they bless the Padel for you? What do you mean? You go to the Vatican to play Padel? I was like that. I had, I had. I had so many questions. Diablo was not allowed to enter into the Vatican. I had so many questions. I was like, am I going to play Padel with the Pope? You know, like, how does that work? Exactly. Um, so it's really cool. Like I didn't know this program existed.
So the U S department of state has like a sports diplomacy program, which is like the Ministerio de Deportes, like, you know, what each country has. Ministry of Sports. Um, so they have this program every year with a bunch of like, um, other sports. Like they do, they've done tennis with like Billie Jean King and, you know, they've done Soccer and like, but this year was the first year they did Padel. Um, but they do only one sport. They do many sports.
They do many sports within the throughout the year. Yeah. Yeah. Throughout the year. And they do it like in all parts of the world. Um, so this year was the first year they did with Padel. And so they partner with the. Embassy of the Vatican this year, the U S embassy and the Vatican. Um, so they were like, Hey, we want to do this program. The Vatican was because Padel is really big in Italy. So they're like, Oh, let's do Padel, you know, like that's going to be fun.
And the U S was like, what is Padel, you know? Um, so, so they contacted Anderson, um, And they were like, okay, you are going, you need to get a girl, you know, to like a guy and a girl. Um, so I talked to him and I was like, sure, I'm in. Um, and then they gave us the details and it's basically like, you know, a week to, it's basically public relations.
Um, you know, between the U S and Italy, but through sports, that's the beauty of it, you know, like they use sports as the, you know, the connection between, um, between people, different languages, different countries, different conditions, because it was very beautiful, like the whole week. Um, but you were playing Padel. Yes. So one day, the first day we went to a Padel club and we were teaching kids, um, with, you know, like different conditions.
Like they were either like they had autism or down syndrome. They were in wheelchairs. Um, yeah. So with disabilities and another school as well from like the more like vulnerable, vulnerable community. Um, so it was. Actually a very good challenge for me. You know, one thing is to teach Padel, but, uh, or just like play a match. But another thing was, you know, to teach four kids that they speak Italian and they were deaf as well. Like some people that were deaf.
So I speak Spanish and a little bit of Italian. So I was just throwing a mix of English, Spanish, Italian, like signs, you know? Um, and it was a lot of. patients that I needed to have, you know, and, you know, there were like cameras there and like the, the, um, Embajador was there, the ambassador, the U. S. ambassador was there.
The kids were there, the parents, um, the media people were there, you know, so it was very fun, uh, honestly, it was very, that was, I think, the highlight of the whole trip, you know, teaching those kids and they were having the, I mean, at the end of the day, you know, sometimes it's not easy to communicate, but you take a Padel and the ball and they have a good idea and they just want to have fun and hit it and you can follow them through a little bit, you know
what I'm saying, and have fun, you know? Yeah, exactly. But it was, like I said, it was a challenge, but it was so beautiful.
Different people like, you know, um, and they just wanted to be there and, you know, connect like that's what I kept saying, like in all the interviews or the questions that they would make, like, it doesn't matter where we come from or what conditions we have or how we play as soon as we step into a court, doesn't even have to play Padel, you know, it could be soccer, tennis, anything, the language of sports. Exactly. And that was the, But that was the message of the whole trip.
You know, we did that the first day. Then we went to schools to also talk to teenagers. Um, it was, you know, um, they were a little bit older, uh, teenagers, just about sports, like my experience and Anderson's experience. Um, I come from tennis, he comes from squash, but we both play Padel now, um, you know, representing the U. S. and we also met the Pope. Oh, does he play?
No, no, no. So every Wednesday, uh, the Pope does an audience when, whenever he's in Rome, um, in the Vatican, he does an audience to like thousands of people. Um, it was my first time in Rome and it was beautiful. So the embassy was the one, you know, that was planning everything. They partner with Atletico Vaticana, which is like. The Vatican's sports ministry, like, um, so they do a lot of other sports like cycling, tennis, basketball, they still have to do.
Um, so they were like, okay, we're going to the audience. We have to go there. It's like, it lasts like three hours, you know, the Pope talks and they translate in every single language and. And then we got to take a picture with him. Um, we had to wait until the last one, but we were there. We shook his hands. We have the pictures. I'll show you the pictures. Did you make him hold the Padel? At least, you know, he didn't hold it. We were holding it.
We were, we got to get, we got to get, we got to see this picture. I, did he bless your Padel? He did. I had a Sharpie there ready for him to sign it, but I was like, Like, what am I going to do with Padel After? I'm not going to use that. I'm just going to frame it there. Oh my God, that's beautiful. Um, that's a beautiful story.
Yeah. So we have, you know, I also thought, you know, Oh my God, I have to wear a dress, like very formal, you know, it's like going to a church, you know, but then the people there, they were like, no, he wants to see, he loves sports. The Pope, he, he's Argentinian, you know, so he loves. He loves soccer. He loves sports. That's why we were there. Yeah. Um, and so we were able to, you know, dress in sports clothes and, and hold our Padel racket right there in front of him.
So we have our picture with our Adidas Padel. Now, did you, uh, get to pick up any other games there with, uh, your, your level players? No, we. So we didn't have time to actually play battle, but, uh, we went to like two schools, uh, to talk about sports. We played a little bit of baseball actually. Um, then we. Went to the audience. We went to the Padel club. We did a bunch of like media interviews as well. So it was pretty excellent.
Now you mentioned Adidas is, uh, are you sponsored by Adidas or? Yes, I am. Oh, you are? Yes. Congratulations. That's great. Thank you. Oh, God. Now, now what do they? I'm an Adi player. Oh, an Adi player. So, yeah, so what pedal do you use? You use the Addy FRO or? The one that Alex Ruiz, uh, plays. The Kontrol. Golden point questions. I should learn the name of my racket. It's something Kontrol. And so they just apply it with your equipment? Is that what they do?
Yes. Okay, okay, great, great, great. Famous polar bears. How was that experience? Famous. Infamous. Um, no, I've, as you know, like the, the Toronto team had a little bit of, uh, struggles, but we, it was a beautiful experience. You know, um, it was kind of like, while I was there, I didn't realize, but after everything was like, after everything ended, I realized that. Wow, like I was so grateful, you know, uh, like I was grateful to having the opportunity to play.
You're doing a great job, you know, bringing, you know, people together, franchises, teams, I mean, it's pretty amazing. Yeah, and it's just getting bigger and bigger right now. So do you see yourself going to the draft and playing next year for the PPL? Well, I applied, so I'm waiting to get drafted from a team. So who do you want to, what team do you want to be on? So let me ask you, so every year you have to do the draft for the PPL?
No. So the players that already played, um, could have the contract renewed if the team wanted to renew them. Okay. Um, I didn't get renewed. So then my best, uh, free agent, yes, free agent. Exactly. Now you have to reapply it again. Yes. Exactly. Any team can choose. Any team can choose. Okay. So which team would you like to play for? If you had a choice. Uh, if I had the choice. Ooh, that's a tough question. Um, what Everybody's listening and watching. So , you see your camera? Go for it.
Go. Orlando. Maybe. The Yankee. Oh my God. Exactly. I just feel like it's gonna be like a very. Fun team, you know, that gangster type with a hat on, we're going to listen some before going into the matches, you know, that's awesome. So 2022 Dubai. Experience there. How was it? Oh my gosh. First match. La creme of battle. Yes. That's it. It doesn't get any higher than that. I mean, first match against Martita Ortega and Bea Gonzalez. Give us a little recap for our viewers.
What, what it means when I said Dubai and all that. So what was Dubai? So that was the world championship. So the World Cup of Padel. Yes, the World Cup of Padel. Yeah. And United States competed and then you play for the, for the women's team. Yes. Um, yeah, there were eight girls that were selected for the team. Uh, so we went to play. And who'd you play with? Well, each match was with different players. You don't have a set partner for the whole thing. Really?
Yeah. Yeah. So who chooses the players? The coach. Okay. The coach. Oh, interesting. Yeah. I mean, they choose the eight players and then each match you can, I mean. But you can still use the same players. Yeah, exactly. Like if you see that these two players have a great chemistry, like you can use them together for all the matches. But if you want to change, you can change. So, so you play with. So first I play with Mariana. I played with Brittany. Uh, I played with Danny and.
I don't know if I'm not remembering. Mariana Taladico, Brittany Dubbins. Yeah. Daniela Ruiz. Daniela Ruiz. Yeah. Mariana was the coach, right? Oh, and sorry, and Nancy. And Nancy. Okay. Um, and that was a very important match against Germany. If we would have won that match, we would have been top eight. Um, and we lost in the third set. It was so, and, and tell us that, you know, one thing is about Americans, the other one is the world cup. Was there a big difference in the level of playing?
Oh, yes. Really? Yeah. What would you say it was a big difference between you guys and everybody else? No, because in. Well, in the World Cup, each country, um, takes their best of the best players. The pros. Yes, the pros. Like I said, first match against Martito Ortega and Bea Gonzalez. So how was that match? Yeah, it was, it was literally, um, I wasn't even supposed to play that match. And then last minute something happened and then, okay, Andrea, you're playing. So excited to play that man.
Yeah, yeah, exactly. And, um. I think we lost the first one. Oh, we lost 6 2, 6 0. So we won two games. Two games. Two games. Okay. So, wait. Well, but let me ask you, I mean I, you know, I'm also a coach. So what do they have that you guys don't have? What is the big difference there? I mean, Bea, you know, she has a re. With her eyes closed, you know, um, Martita, she's so good at defending. Um, so it was also a year ago I was not playing the same level I'm playing right now.
It's a strange experience as well, you know, going there, obviously we were not prepared. Like we had like a relatively new team because it was like. four players that were, you know, more experienced and then four players that we were a little bit younger and we were still relatively new to Padel, you know? Um, so it was, I think, the beginning of a new team right now.
We have a lot of, you know, ex tennis players like me that were, um, that we're just diving into a Padel, uh, like world right in the past. year or two years, you know, so, and then you're playing against like these pros, the top 10 in the world, like literally top, yeah, top one, top 10. Um, so, but I was able to do an ace of second serve to Martita Ortega. Oh my gosh, bro. She was sending a Snapchat message, I'll send you the video so you can show it.
So what do you think about, I mean, what was the big difference? What was the big differentiator? Experience. Experience. Yeah. But did you feel equal to equal on strokes? You know, executions and, and, and. I mean, it's, I feel like we were still playing a little bit more tennis than Pato. You know, it's, it's.
Oh, if you see someone playing a bandeja or a víbora actually better, like you just like wait for it to go to the wall and then you know exactly what to do, you know, like someone that's not really. Confident in their game yet. Like you're like, what do I do? I don't know how to defend. Yeah. And they're going to, they're going to pick up the mistakes right away and they're going to exploit them to the max, you know, they've been playing since they were seven, eight years old.
You know, Padel, Padel, Padel, you know, and I also don't think that they were playing there a hundred percent in the first match, you know, they're, they know that we were like a fan, you know, we were playing against. It's very obvious, I was doing the same thing. Exactly. They sign afterwards. Can you sign here? Yeah. Yeah. No, exactly.
Like they know, and, and it's no, it wasn't only us, like, you know, every single country, like right after they play, especially Spain, um, they know that after the match, you know, they're, and they were so nice. Like they know that you want to take a picture with them, like team picture, individual pictures, you know? So they were super nice. And you know, the, the girls. Spain won, and for the guys, it was Argentina, which was like a major change.
And, and it's just unreal to see them, you know, um, like you watch Warpile Tour and yeah, they play with their partners, but then you see. Like, I think that was the first time like the Superdivas played together. Um, and it was so exciting to see them play. Oh, you actually see them play? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. It's, it's incredible. Oh my. And then I will never forget. So my favorite player is Tapia. Okay. And like, we were having lunch like the first day, I think.
And you know, you see all the players like, Oh, just picking up lunch right there. And I'm like. Oh my gosh. Like Martin Mineno. Oh my God. Like Paquito. Like, oh my gosh. And I'm like, I was just waiting for Tapia. Exactly. And did you got a picture with him? Yes. I got a picture with all of them, except against, uh, except LeBron and Galan, but now I regret it. I had the opportunity, but I was. I wasn't a fan of them right there.
Um, but I, the first time I saw Tapia was actually in the elevator. So I was in the elevator and he was right next to me. And I was like, Oh my gosh, no, I didn't. I, I acted normal there. Andrea. So what, how much is Padel in your life right now? Is it, are you a hundred percent involved into Padel? I mean, you want to be, where, where do you want to take your Padel game? Uh, no, I actually work full time. What do you do? It's a sports, uh, marketing company.
Okay. So, yes, I've always wanted to work in sports. Um, so we're very much involved in it. And I work from home right now, um, so I just always try to fit Padel somewhere in my schedule. Okay. Um. On a daily basis.
Yes. So, I mean, actually last year I was just, Playing, playing, playing, playing every day, but then it came to a point that, you know, like I was getting injured, uh, it was a little bit too much, I was getting tired and then I was going to the matches playing tired and that's not fun because you're not playing at your 100%, you know, and then you lose and then you get frustrated at that.
So I started balancing a little bit more of my schedule, you know, like actually doing like my private lessons, you know, like twice a week. Um, then playing. Not like five matches a week, but only like Two or three, like high quality matches. And then the other days, which I was lacking a lot last year was going to the gym, you know, actually working on, you know, your strength was so like, it's so important. And I wasn't doing that last year. And. I got injured, like my calf, then my abductor.
And like, it was all like in between the world championships and the Pan Americans and like the tournaments here. And I couldn't stop. And I took a break for two weeks of my body was asking for it. And right now it's, you know, I feel so much stronger, faster, more like I'm burned out, like not burned out, basically. Um, because I just balance it a little bit better.
Yeah, that's part of that transition because you're using a lot of muscles that you don't use in tennis, especially when you're defending, you know, and exerts a lot of energy and use a lot of muscles that you typically don't use. And after a while it takes a toll and then working out those muscles, uh, and on top of playing Padel. Helps, you know, and choosing the right games to play, you know, every two times a day, you know. Oh, I was playing like two, even three times a day.
Some people are like, Andrea, how do you do that? You know, like. So, uh, so do you coach as well or, Um, I actually want to, I mean, I started, like I gave a few lessons like, uh, and on the weekends, cause honestly, like I can talk about Padel and play Padel for hours, you know, and for me, it's so much fun, like there were, and especially because there are so many girls and, you know, um, that I see at the clubs and, you know, they, they know me and they're like, Hey, I want to play with you.
Like, Hey, I wouldn't like. And they tell me like, Hey, like, do you coach? And I'm like, no, not yet. But would you want to take a lesson with me? You know? And they're like, yes, of course. Like we need more, you know, like girl coaches. Um, so I love to, that was part of like the Italy trip as well. You know, I was like talking about women's sports and that's actually kind of like what I work in the sports marketing agency as well is just.
You know, being a female player, a female athlete, um, it's so much different. Like, I mean, and right now is like the time that you're seeing it. Like all sports, like just you see every article, like just women's sports, like there's a lot more money and investment and investment going in, in all kinds of sports. So for me just talking and like, you know, inspiring like other girls and like, sure, I'll play with you. You know, like, sure. Like, let's do a clinic. Like for me, it's so much fun.
So yeah. That's great. I love it. Andrea, at the end of the interview, we go into the golden point question. I saw that. I'm a fan. You should probably memorize the study. Indoor, outdoor. So here we go. Do you prefer right or left? Right. Indoor or outdoor? Outdoor. Power or finesse shots? I prefer power, but I'm starting to learn how to play, play with finesse. Gotcha. Uh, favorite Padel club? Oh, that's a tough one. I'll say Real. Real, the home where she first started.
That's, no, that's honestly, I mean, that's where I started. And you know, that's where my people are. Go ahead. Deja o por, by three. Deja. Bandeja or víbora? Víbora, all day. What is your best shot? I would say my víbora, actually. Wow. Yeah. Okay, so, um, What is your worst shot? Oh, my backhand volley, but it's getting better. Much better. Wow. What is your sexy, good looking, papacito player, professional player? We all knew that, right? , uh, your favorite racquet. Adidas. Control.
God. Way you go. Adidas. So, who's your favorite, uh, favorite partner that you love to play with? Oof. Oh, top three. Um, what's up to, uh, can he be like in mixed category or only women? Yeah. Well, whoever you love, that's bias. I mean, I knew that was going to happen. That's it. Uh, that's it. Top three. We got a top three. Oh, um, Ooh. Astrid. Astrid, what's the last name? Get it. Get it. Yeah. Um, and I'll say Sophie, the girl that I played with in the Pan American.
Wow. Yeah. Wow. Okay. So, uh, golden point. Who takes it? It used to be my partner, but now I take it. I have confidence now and I'm like, sure, I'll take it. Who's your favorite coach? Nico. Nico. Here we go. All right. So, uh, Andrea, what's your goal for 2024 in Padel? To hopefully be number one in the U. S. Wow, that's awesome. That's a good challenge. Good, good challenge. All right, Andrea.
So, now, now, tell us three things that we don't know about you, and our viewers and listeners would like to know. Oh, I have Three passports, which, I don't even know if that's legal, but I have to edit that one out. What countries? Paraguay, Germany and the U. S. So you can play Germany. Well, how did that happen? So my grandpa is German, my dad's dad, yeah. And in Paraguay I went to a German high school, I mean, German school up to 7th grade.
Wow. So you can play for all three teams if you want to. I mean, yeah, in Paraguay, for example, they have a lot of like requirements to, sorry, to be on the team. Um, like they have requirements like. Uh, playing a certain amount of tournaments, uh, throughout the year, uh, they start training within the team, like in Paraguay for like three months before the World Cup. Um, so it, I mean, if they let me, sure, but right now I, I wouldn't want to play with them. Do you speak German?
I know a few words. German school. Yeah, but everything was in Spanish, uh, cause in Paraguay. So we have two official languages, Spanish and Guarani. Oh, that's right. Yeah. So my school was German, but. Everything was in Spanish, but we had English class, German class, Guarani, Castellano. Wow. So it was like a mix of everything. Excellent. Gotcha, gotcha. Okay, thank you so much Andrea for coming to Power Smash Academy. We want to wish you all the luck. so much for having me. Thank you.
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