The number 8 tennis player in the world, ‘we had fun….even if for me it’s a big mess with the boards!’
Jannik Sinner and Francesco Totti took to the field in the splendid setting of the Foro Italico, but not in tennis on the Centrale but on the Padel courts set up in front of the Sala delle Armi. The two competed together with two of the best Italian interpreters of the discipline, Michele Bruno and Giulio Graziotti, among the squads for the European Olympic Games in Krakow. A party that warmed up the atmosphere in view of the Bnl Italy Major Premier Padel scheduled at the Foro Italico from 9 to 16 July.
“It was an honor to meet Francesco – said Sinner -, we had fun …. even if for me it’s a big mess with the banks!”. “Padel is an important, beautiful, fun sport and has no age -added Totti-. He also helps you get to know a lot of people”. “In Italy we have over 1.2 million practitioners, 7,600 courts, around the world there are 25 million players in 150 countries -explained Luigi Carraro, President of the International Padel Federation-. Today we saw a great event: a player like Totti, the players of our national team and Jannik Sinner…. and our juniors on the sidelines who are in love with this sport”.
The challenge, which involved numerous children and enthusiasts present at the Foro Italico, also became the ideal occasion to launch the Bnl Italy Major Premier Padel, the first combined tournament in the history of the International Padel Federation circuit, with the support of Qatar Sports Investments (QSI). The tournament, one of the four Majors, the ‘Slams’ of padel (the others are held in Doha, at Roland Garros, and in Monterrey, Mexico), is scheduled at the Foro Italico from 8 to 16 July.
For the record, Totti and Graziotti beat Bruno and Sinner (replaced after three games because he had to go to training) 12-10 in the tiebreak after leading 9-6 and saving a match point at 9-10. “Francesco was an extraordinary champion in football, today he proved to be the strongest in padel,” added Carraro. “There’s a big difference between seeing it on television and seeing it live – explained Totti-. For tennis players padel is more complicated because they are used to not letting the ball pass. But maybe have Sinner’s arm”.
Source-www.adnkronos.com