Cepero, pre-selected for the World Championship in Portugal

Álvaro Cepero was one of the players pre-selected by Jon García-Ariño to represent Spain in the 2016 World Padel Championship. The Wingpadel player is one of the young faces representing the new wave of Spanish talents. A star of both present and future who hopes to have the opportunity to be among those chosen for the event in Portugal in October.

In an interview published by the Spanish Padel Federation, Chiqui expressed his desire for Spain to win the World Championship. "Everyone wants to win a WPT, but for me, the ultimate is winning a World Championship. That would fulfill me the most sportingly. Right now, I'd settle just for going, and if we could win afterward, that would be the greatest gift," said the player from San Fernando.

Álvaro does not hide his pride in being part of the pre-selected list and dreams of making his debut with the national team this year. It has been his greatest wish since he competed in the Junior Circuit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu4poYFeXpQ

Cheerful and outgoing

Should he go to the World Championship with Spain, he is clear that he will help in every way possible both on and off the court. "What I won't lack is heart. I have a great love for my country. I follow all sports in which Spain has representation in international tournaments very closely."

"Furthermore, my outgoing, cheerful, and fun-loving personality can help the team to be even more united. And when it comes to cheering, if I don't end up playing, I'll be just another fan."

Argentina, a step above

The Wingpadel player sees Argentina as the clear favorite. However, he does not rule out a Spanish victory given the great quality of talent it possesses.

"Matches tend to be very close, and we are quite evenly matched. Still, it's true that they are initially considered more as favorites. They have Bela, Sanyo, and Cristian Gutiérrez, among others. They are perhaps more top players than ours. Despite this, we have a very strong team spirit. They might be stronger individually, but our collective is as powerful, if not more so, than theirs."

"Young players are no longer a surprise"

'Chiqui' considers the generational change happening in the Spanish national team to be good news. García-Ariño put together a list of players, mixing veterans with some younger ones like Cepero himself.

"I think it's great news for padel that there are young people. We are showing the older players that young people are coming on strong, that we are training, and that little by little we are achieving good results. We are no longer a surprise."

"That change was necessary. And not just for me, but for all those players who are also there, to form good raw material for the future. Still, the veterans deserve it just as much, if not more, as they are still the benchmark," he concludes.

A few days ago, Cepero told us how he approaches his WPT matches. Don't miss it.