The Joy of Padel podcast with Roby Gattiker

In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Roby Gattiker, the longest-reigning world champion in padel history. Roby shared his journey from being a young tennis enthusiast in Argentina to becoming a legendary padel player. He reflected on his first world championship win in 1992 and the unique mindset that propelled him to success. We discussed the dynamics of successful partnerships, the evolution of padel, and the crucial role of communication on the court. Roby also shared insights into the differences between Argentinian and Spanish styles of play and the future of padel on a global scale. As he continues to contribute to the sport through academies and exhibitions, Roby emphasized the importance of honoring padel’s history and legacy.

To find out more about Roby Gattiker:

• Find or follow Roby on Instagram: @Gattikerroby
• More about the Roby Gattiker Padel Centre in Argentina

Check out this epic semi-final in 1994 (Díaz-Sanz Vs Lasaigues-Gattiker):

To listen to the show:

To listen to The Joy of Padel podcast, you can use the embedded player above, or go find it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or any number of other podcasting services listed here.

Send in your questions or reactions:

Please send me your questions — as an audio file if you’d like — to nminterdial@gmail.com. Otherwise, below, you’ll find the show notes and, of course, you are invited to comment. If you liked the podcast, please take a moment to review and/or rate it! ¡VAMOS!

Further resources for The Joy of Padel:

Argentine padel | men's padel | padel academies | padel anticipation | padel champion | Padel Coaching | padel communication | padel court positioning | padel equipment | padel Evolution | padel footwork | padel growth | padel history | padel in United States | padel legacy | padel Mental Game | padel Partnerships | padel player development | padel power game | padel serve rules | padel Strategy | padel Technique | padel vs tennis | padel world championships | Roby Gattiker | women's padel

This transcription comes courtesy of Flowsend.ai, an AI service for podcasters.

Minter Dial: Roby Gattiker, I am thrilled. I mean, good lord, I am so thrilled to have you on my show. The Joy of Padel. You’ve been, I mean, you are the man who’s been the longest world champion in padel in the history of the sport. You’re there from the beginning, from the roots in Argentina. Let’s say in your own words, Roby, how would you like to describe who is Roby Gattiker?

Roby Gattiker: First, it’s a big pleasure to me to be here, and I want to ask you, sorry, because it takes for so long to meet you. Because of me.

Minter Dial: No, don’t worry.

Roby Gattiker: Now we are here and.

Minter Dial: Exactly.

Roby Gattiker: And, well, Roby Gattiker is a normal person who loves sports is my life. I started when I was so young, playing tennis when I was four years old, and I never stopped in my whole life. I’m still playing now. I’m 56, and I’m still loving, I’m still playing everyday padel and tennis also, and I’m still competing and training and live about this. And of course, I love many other things, like my family, my friends, travel. But my most important thing is sports, and that’s why I’m still playing. And without this, I cannot live.

Minter Dial: And you still have the beautiful smile, right? So, I mean, there’s so many things I’d like to talk to you about. Let’s start with one thing, which is the first time you became world champion. Can you go back to that moment and tell us how it felt? And maybe what do you think was the secret sauce to actually being world champion?

Roby Gattiker: Well, the first one, it was in 1992 with Alejandro Lasaigues We were a big couple there, because the whole year, in the whole year, we didn’t lose. We didn’t lose any match. So, it was like, normally that we’re going to win the world championship. It was the beginning of the padel, so it was great. It was in Sebiya. I was there with my whole family, my dad, my brother, my mother, and too many people. But, you know, sometimes is when you are in the, how do you say, top of the mountain, in the top of the mountain, you don’t realize that you are winning something so important. Sometimes it’s not so good. That had happened to me in that case, in 1992, that it was great. But the thing then, after that, I realized what important it was. And then I started to enjoy every other workup. But about your question, the sauce. In my case, it was that also because in tennis, I was a really good tennis player, but I was so nervous all the time. I wanted to show to everyone that I was so good. And it was. Each match was almost the life. Was that important? So it’s death or life. Something so important. In padel, in the beginning, maybe the ways that I wanted to be number one in the world, tennis. So, in padel, I said, okay. I didn’t give the, how do you say the importance or I, or the thing that was so, for me, was like playing. So, so natural. So, it was a pleasure to play, and I felt no nervous anytime. So, that was the. Maybe the source of that, you think? I don’t know. If I explain English, it’s very good.

Minter Dial: It makes me wonder whether that is part of Roby’s journey. In other words, going from the stress of the pressure of playing tennis and bada being bad performing, and then Roby then moves to padel and doesn’t think of it in the same way. Or is it actually a function of the sport, as in padel, tends to bring out more fun than tennis. And even if you look at the top players today, they still smile. There’s a big battle, but they still smile, they still congratulate each other. There’s something more human, in my opinion, to the sport than just tennis, of course.

Roby Gattiker: And also, we have to say that it’s a couple. You are not alone in the court. You have always a partner. That’s important because a couple is different, both going the same way and. But also what you say is more fun. I said, always this thing, tennis, the people from Poland going to hate me. But tennis is the best sport in the world, because it’s amazing that the way that they play the players, if you see Russia, Alcaraz or Rafael coach, they are doing amazing things. Impossible thing for anyone, because it is amazing. But the people doesn’t realize, don’t realize too much what they are doing, because it’s amazing. In padel, it’s a great sport, but it’s also a game. That’s why in the beginning, it’s just a game. It’s like other games. So, the people, from the beginning, they play the first day and they have fun. In tennis, to have fun, you have to play same level. You have to play a good level also, because if not, it’s a little boring. To serve the ball all the time is a big chord. It’s different. This palace game in the beginning, that everybody have fun, is completely sociable. It’s amazing. And then it started to be a great sport and amazing to play and also to watch, because it’s amazing points that maybe in tennis, it’s harder to reach a ball 200 play. But in padel, there are amazing points that people realize that is.

Minter Dial: Wow.

Roby Gattiker: So, I think that’s why padel is easy to enjoy and to maintain the smile while you’re playing, even in the.

Minter Dial: Boxing matches that they sometimes have to go through.

Roby Gattiker: But, um.

Minter Dial: All right, let’s talk about the fact that you’ve been world champion eleven times. That’s the most that any player ever has. And, um. And you had several partners. Christian Gutierrez, of course, was one of your major partners. What is it that makes for success? Because there’s technical ability, there’s being inform, there’s your complementarity. How do you describe the key to success in a partnership?

Roby Gattiker: Well, in a partnership, well, the first thing is it’s a mix of everything. No, but is in padel, the couples is really. The partner is really, really important. You have to be like, like, it’s hard to say like your wife or because you’re traveling all the time and you have to feel really, really comfortable with him and to take from him the best. And your partner also with you and in the court and out of the court, because out the court, because you’re sharing all the time, a lot of time, with your partner. So, with Alejandro Lasaigues, we were being playing for about eight or nine years together, but before that, we played five years together, tennis, and we’d been a perfect couple because we understand each other with a view or without talking. It was special. And with Christian Gutierrez, for example, we were so happy. We enjoyed every match. We didn’t. I know. I knew the way to treat him because he was. Everybody says, hey, he’s not training. He’s eating too much. And I said, he’s happy. He’s going to play so good. I’m happy with him. So, it’s a mix of those things. And in my case, to be that long, winning world championships and many tournaments is because I enjoy every day, every match. For me to compete, to be playing is, like, blessed. It’s something amazing that sometimes the people don’t realize that you are in the top of the world in your sport, playing. And for me, I enjoy every point, every match. That’s why I keep training. I keep playing, and, of course, enjoying, because if you are too nervous and you want it too much, it’s so hard for me, it’s to enjoy and to enjoy with your partner.

Minter Dial: There’s a Socrates. He said, the love of victory kills the love of wisdom or the love of learning. And if you want it too much all the time to win, then you forget to learn, you forget to enjoy when you play with your partner. So, let me, when I’ve looked at many of your old matches and they’re still available on YouTube, it seems to me that you played left and right. Would you consider yourself more a player of the left?

Roby Gattiker: No, no, never. I think sometimes in the beginning, we used to play, I always been on the right side, but we used to change after two players. They were great. One of them was a partner of me, Javier Maquirriain and Guptao Maquirriain. They start to do this the ways, like we call Australian, because in Chinese Australia is to keep the. The place. But sometimes we split, we change the side. And also, if you see YouTube, maybe you saw much with Alejandro Sanz, that we were both from the right side. So, I said, okay, I play on the other side. But the thing is, in the beginning, everybody knew how to play from both sides. That I say always to the players, try to learn both sides. Then if you want, if you feel more comfortable in this side, play here, but try to play on both sides. But, yeah, in the beginning we split a little. Not all the time.

Minter Dial: Well, what’s interesting about that is that you obviously have times where you need to switch. The lob goes over, you play on that side, you switch over, and then you’re playing the other side. And the other thing I think that’s interesting in saying you should learn how to play both sides is that when you’re playing on one side, you understand better what your other partner is going through. That’s a shot he has to play El Rolo. That’s where he should be doing this. And that’s where the issue is that, and you understand the issues that are going on in the other side, you have more empathy for that player.

Roby Gattiker: Of course. Of course you understand if you want to ask him something to do, if you. If you know that it’s possible to do on that side, because sometimes you say play down the line all the time, because this guy, and sometimes it’s impossible because if you don’t, you are not in the right position. Or so if you know to play that side, you know that you can do that or not. Also, you are right in that it’s so important to play both sides.

Minter Dial: So, being Argentinian, obviously you guys have dominated in the men’s or world championships ever since it began winning. I think it’s at least eleven of the 16 championships or something like that. The Argentinians, I’ve always thought, have had a different style of padel than the Spanish. I always thought that the Argentinian style was slower, more relaxed, more build it up. That’s what I interpreted as the Argentinian style of padel. Do you think there is such a thing as an Argentinian style? Or is that just my imagination?

Roby Gattiker: No. Yes, of course, because we begin first in Argentina. No, the big competition first began first in Argentina. And we start to play with wood rockets. So, it was not that aggressive. It was aggressive, but completely different. So, I said always that Argentinian players. That one. Wow, that could be a Minecraft.

Minter Dial: That was my first racket in the seventies.

Roby Gattiker: Wow. I said always that Argentinian players play better padel than Spain players. But, uh. Try to understand me. Play better padel. But the strength sometimes is best. It’s better than to play better, because it’s like me, I can. I’m still playing like off the glass, all the hits, all the strokes or everything. But then if comes some. Someone who hits the smash 50 km faster than you, it’s over. But yes, it’s a different way that we play. padel is slower, a little like smarter, but sometimes it’s not enough.

Minter Dial: I agree with you, especially in today’s panel. What about the importance of communication, Roby? It’s something I really strive to understand. Better idea of communicating on the court. But how do you gauge the importance of communication?

Roby Gattiker: We’ve been talking before. It’s one of the most important thing. The communication with your partner and also with your coach. Now, the coach is simple, because sometimes in a couple in par, especially players think that the problem is the partner, not him. So, with a first person is easier, because sometimes they did different things that we don’t see when we are playing. No, but the communication is one of the most important things. I have an example for me. Not now, because he lost a lot of confidence, but LeBron, he was best player for so long. But the communication. He doesn’t use a good way of communication. So, it’s hard to play with him. So, he’s great. But if you don’t have the best of your partner, you cannot win in padel, because he’s a big couple. It’s always better to play two players: seven and seven, that one ten and one four. It’s for sure two seven is going to win easy. So, you have to be good. And to get the best from your partner for that, you have to communicate all the time, to enjoy… How do you say animar? I don’t know how to say. Come on, come on, all the time.

Minter Dial: Encourage, encourage.

Roby Gattiker: Encourage, encourage. Exactly. Encourage your partner. Partner. So, the communication is all even with your science, not just to talk, just to the way you move, everything is so important. Not just the way you say come on, or let’s go to do something, is your science with your. With your body.

Minter Dial: So, what about when your partner makes a mistake? How do you. What sort of goes through your mind in how to manage the mistakes?

Roby Gattiker: Nothing. It’s part of the game. The mistake is part of the only way that I am not happy with my partner. If he’s not trying the best, he’s just doing something wrong because he’s not trying or he’s pissed off or something like that. But a mistake is normal. You are playing against other two players that play so good also. Or maybe you’re tired or anything. It’s the mistake is part of the game. The thing is how to do this mistake. If you’re not giving your best or you are playing a ball in an important point, you are playing a dormilona for the people. But in my case, only if the player don’t show that he’s trained the best. I don’t care because it’s part of the game.

Minter Dial: Yeah, sometimes you’ll get a partner who might make a. Like what I would call una fantasia, like a dormilona, you know? But it’s not the right time to do it. Even if they do it and it wins. The problem is it was not the right way to do it.

Roby Gattiker: Exactly. It’s not the right. The right moment because he could lose that point also. And some player wants to show to the people that they are doing those things. And also it’s the way to. Sometimes to do something great is the way to finish a point immediately to say stop, because it’s harder to play with a tactic all the time. Sometimes you say, I, in my case, I play so easy because it’s like a game you did for me, but with Alejandro Lasaigues, we said, okay, let’s play lobs down the line, down I go to the net and I could do many, many things, but I keep the tactic for maybe 3 hours, 2 hours. And sometimes I do something different, but to keep the tactic is harder than everything. So, there’s not many players now that they play with tactic. Like some players. Yes, like Chingo to or. But if not, they play amazing, but they. They have no tactic. And tactic in politics, one of the most important things. And to keep the tactic is so hard. They are everywhere. I say, if your coach says, listen, play love there. And the first you play a love and you lose the ball and say is enough. No, because, no, you have to keep calm and playing and playing all the time. It’s a long term.

Minter Dial: It’s so true. I mean, because we get bored, we say, oh, I’ve been playing seven lobs. Ah, I must change now. Another one. Pop it up. So, yeah, what about when you’re not playing well, you’re on the court and things aren’t going well for you. How do you reestablish what goes through your mind when you’re like, shit, this isn’t what I wanted. This isn’t what we wanted. How do you get back?

Roby Gattiker: Yeah. It’s in every sport that sometimes you’re not feeling the right way or you don’t have the feeling. So, you have. If I. You have to have another, like, how do you say, to play more secure, to have a second way to play, you know, because just if you’re not, you know, feeling, how do you say. Even in Spanish, I’m thinking, because sometimes you are. You feel so good and.

Minter Dial: Yeah, magic. Everything works.

Roby Gattiker: So, you can play like this, but we’re not in that day. You have to play so calm, marching, everything so loves. Lower until you get confidence again. But not to play, to keep playing like when you have a great timing.

Minter Dial: Yeah. My little trick is I tend to think if I’m not doing well, then something is wrong in the basic level. And so what? I tend to zero in on two things. My footwork. What am I doing wrong with my footwork? And then watching the ball, those things.

Roby Gattiker: I forgot to say that, but you told me those things are the most important thing that you have to know to put it here, because sometimes that is the big problem. You’re not moving your foot, and also you’re not watching the bollocks the right way. So, you should try first on this and then to play sometimes a little slower. But those, those things are the most important thing because you are the same player. But if you’re not moving the right way and you’re not watching the ball, that’s the one of the biggest problems. Exactly. You know better than me.

Minter Dial: Wait, listen, Roby, I’ve watched you play, and that is obviously completely, ridiculously wrong. So, you’ve been. You still play. And as we get older, I’m 60, so I’m just a few years older. I started playing in 1974. padel. Now I’m 60. You’re 56. Playing as we get older, how do you adapt? How do you still play? Well, because you’re obviously going to play with some young whippersnappers who want to beat Mister Gattiker? How are you adapting your game? What are the things that go through your mind to help you still play at the best level for you?

Roby Gattiker: Well, the first thing is that I’m so lucky because I’m still moving. Not like I’m 18 years old, but I keep moving a lot. I am joining a lot. I don’t have any. Bless. I don’t have any, how do you say? Injuries.

Minter Dial: Injuries, yeah.

Roby Gattiker: But in padel, I’m still playing also tennis. And in tennis, the difference so big in padel, to read the ball before the movement that you do before is so important. So, the position in the court is really, really important. And also where you’re going to play the ball think so fast. And that’s. I think that helps me a lot because I move. My position is always, it’s not nice that I’m telling that, but my position is always in the right position. I read before maybe other players, not all, but many players. And also, I know everybody says, do you have a mirror in your neck? Or. Because I know where they are, the opponents, where they are. So, I play the hardball, and that helps me a lot. Of course, when we get older, we lose some speed, also some strength, but if you keep training, you can manage that. But the position is one of the most important things. Of course.

Minter Dial: Yeah.

Roby Gattiker: Anticipating, we say, I moved. We moved before in Tennessee. We move. We run after the ball and running all the time. In both subjects, you move. So, everybody says, hey, you don’t move and you’re in the ball. Yeah, I move, but I move before when I’m hitting ball, I’m in the right place.

Minter Dial: Yeah, I know when I’m in a good state is when I’m watching the ball off their racket. I see the racket shape. I see already where it’s going. Immediately start thinking shape, spin depth, and where it’s going to end. So, obviously you’re still playing. You still obviously know a lot of the top players in the world. Do you watch pro padel for entertainment still, Roby?

Roby Gattiker: Not at all. Not a lot. I’m sorry, but I watch sometimes because I want to see how they are playing some new things. I’m not like a fan because people get addicted with padel, so they watch every match. But sometimes I watch and I enjoy a lot because I love the sport and, and it’s in. I know a lot of padel and tennis, and I’m a little hard sometimes because I say, wow, this, this player, this player. So, I watch a lot. I like to enjoy these players but also not to criticize, how do you say? Critic card. To criticize, criticize, criticize, but to see the real world that they are playing. Yeah, but I would. But I would not. Every time I would.

Minter Dial: So, I mean, you have surely observed how the game has changed. I thinking back to 19, I think it was 1994 where they changed the rule about the serve.

Roby Gattiker: Exactly.

Minter Dial: Because before then you had to stay behind.

Roby Gattiker: Right.

Minter Dial: Which is like pickleball today, then the game has changed the courts. Of course, in Argentina, you went through a massive boom and then a big slide down. But in terms of the game itself, on the men’s side, it seems that power is basically taking over. How do you describe the shift? And do you think it’s a good thing or a bad thing?

Roby Gattiker: Well, the thing is, when we change the rules, it was because it was natural for everyone. You had in the beginning to explain, no, no, you cannot go to the net till third ball, but everybody going to hate me again. It’s not a bad rule because I think in padel is the only bad rule. Still the bad rule, the service. Because you say you have to serve under your wasteland. It’s like a trick because you never know where you’re hitting ball. And the taller guys, when they are 30, 40 and they are serving, they go like this t shirt over the shorts. Shorts. So, if you are playing for important, big, important, important things and they are cheating you because they are serving so high. And for the judge, it’s so hard to say now out. So, it was not bad or the only thing is to change serves and say only one serve. But if not, it’s the only rule that I don’t like just for that. But the question that you asked me is it changed a lot of the strength they are. They hit because also they change everything. The goods, grass rackets. Imagine that racket that you showed me. It was like 10 mm, maximum eight. And now we are playing 38, 36 or so. It’s complete. Look at this.

Minter Dial: I have the same.

Roby Gattiker: And it changed many things. Shoes to jump. Because in the beginning, in Palai, we used to jump a lot and you don’t have something to afford. So, it changed everything. By the soul of the game, still the same.

Minter Dial: Well, I certainly would agree with you, Roby. When I think of the women’s game, I feel like that remains much more true to the origin of the sport. 14 points is the average number of shots in a point. Whereas in the men’s game, especially when the court is fast, like in Valladolid, it was just now. I mean, every other ball is being kicked out. The points are five or six shots on average. And that doesn’t feel like padel. That feels closer to tennis.

Roby Gattiker: Yeah, closer of tennis in a hardcore because. Yeah, and everybody, a lot of people is telling me that, that they prefer to see good ladies like in tennis before because they played like the old way, smarter and they have to win the point after many, many balls. Yeah. In Bashar it was. I saw only one match, it was so fast and every smash was so easy. Not so easy, but imagine Tapia. Yeah. That’s why Chingotto in those matches, he plays so good, but he’s in under. Yeah, el es pequeño. And he cannot hit every ball like, like they do. So, it’s true. Sometimes it’s easier to see and nicer to see ladies playing because they are playing so good. And this is the old way. I said one thing in this case, and I’m thinking that men, they don’t know how to finish a point. Many, many times when it’s an easy ball from here they. I said you have to play there. And they play there because they need to hit strength so hard. And when they have an easy ball without a smash, without something, they don’t know where to play. So, that’s why many times they still play an amazing point. But in that case, I said if I was there for sure I win the point in that point, not with my smash, but of course playing, they play in that case, they play the wrong way. But of course it’s part of the game also that they are getting stronger and better and better in that way. Maybe sometimes it’s going to come like when in tennis was servers and then appears the returns like Agassi, Courier that they have a great serve, but they return amazing. Maybe it’s.

Minter Dial: A going forward. Roby, I don’t know if you’ll be in Doha, but we have the world championships coming up and it’s going to be, as usual, Argentina and Spain in the final. Do you have a prediction on that? Are you interested in the ongoing world championships?

Roby Gattiker: No, of course I’m interested because I want Argentinian win, but I don’t know yet the teams, I don’t know because there were so many problems here. It says he’s going to go, he’s going to play Belasteguin, he’s soldier and we need. No, I don’t know who’s going to play yet. But if Velazquez plays for me is completely normal and he has a great experience playing and also to help the partners and but in this case, Spain is going to be hard. It’s going to be hard because they are playing so good. So, good. I don’t know yet.

Minter Dial: One thing that’s very interesting is that, I mean, all the players, it’s mixed, you know, Chingalan Coello and Tapia, you have Spain and Argentina on both sides.

Roby Gattiker: And it’s funny now, Di Nenno, LeBron.

Minter Dial: Yeah.

Roby Gattiker: So, everybody says mix it. Exactly. I don’t know. I don’t know. It’s going to be tough. It’s going to be tough.

Minter Dial: If you were. If you were, let’s say, you were the manager or the coach, how do you. How would you go about making the chemistry of the teams? What are the. What’s the process that goes into saying Bela, now, Bela, you should play with a young guy, Sanjoy, you should play with Tapia. How do you form the right chemistry.

Roby Gattiker: In that choice now, first, you have to see how they are playing at that time, also how they feel with the right partner. Because it’s not just because you are a little older than a young player, you feel the right way or the young player feels, because sometimes to play with Bella is hard because of the name. And so you have to see when you are there, the hardest thing in the beginning is to show, to choice the right players. But then when you’re practicing, you see the couples and everything, and the confidence, how they feel. And that could be so nice. The big problem is, what you say is, I think it’s solely against Spain, because before they both going to win. Not that easy, but they’re going to win for sure. So, you are not. Maybe you can try in semi finals, quarter finals, but it’s not the same match. It’s not the same match because it’s going to be too tough against Spain or against Argentina.

Minter Dial: Well, I am certainly looking forward to November the second in Doha, where I will be. So, what about going forward? Last question for you, Roby. In terms of the world of padel, obviously, you have the South Americans, we have some Brazilians, Portuguese, Italians building up. But how is it going to be that we have United States getting to the finals? When and how are we going to get any other countries finally in the top two? One.

Roby Gattiker: For sure. For sure. It’s going to be that. It’s going to happen. It’s going to happen because we need some time, but we need some time in United States, but it’s going to be. But it’s coming from Portugal, Italy, Netherlands, France. The standard place. So, good. So, good. They need. The thing is, everybody wants to play premiere it’s not like in tennis. In tennis, you play in the beginning. A lot of tournaments in your country then start to play futures, then. Da da da. So, they have to play a lot before they premiere, but they’re playing much better. So, much better in the United States is growing a lot. And there are a lot of ex tennis players, racket players, squash players, that they start to play good. And it’s going to happen. I don’t know how long it’s going to take, but for sure in maybe not the next World cup, but the next. Next is going to be completely different. Completely different.

Minter Dial: Well, I’m hoping so.

Roby Gattiker: Roby, I want to tell you something before we go. One of the bad things in Pader is that you asked me, you’re going to be in the Ohio. No. And nobody invite the old players, great players like Alejandro Lasaigues and Alejandro Sanz. People who made this sport that big, you know, they don’t care a lot. Also, the players, the players is like, they don’t care. And, you know, the history and the sport is one of the most important things. Imagine, I always put an example in tennis. In tennis, like Boris Becker, John McEnroe, they are always invited to all the Grand Slam with a VIP pass, everything. And in parallel, they don’t care too much about that. So, I don’t care personally, because I don’t feel that I. But for the sport, it’s not good. You know, you have to have a mirror to see and the history of the sport and everything, and then don’t care too much about that. So, that is one of the things that I want to transmit you to the organizer, because also organizers, organizers, they don’t know nothing about padel. Many times they wanted to feel the owners of the pal because they put money, but they have to. I don’t know how to say, but to see about the history of the battle, the way that they star and the players who make this big. So, I don’t care about me. I’m not talking about me, but I said it is something important to the sport.

Minter Dial: I think that is such a very pertinent point, Roby. I mean, I think there’s been great, have managed to consolidate between the world padel tour and the FIP and everything. However, it does seem that it’s a money sort of led story, and the number of people who want to be on my show, who are getting into it because they’re investing, because they started the club and they’re excited, but they don’t have respect for the history of the game. And if they don’t have respect. I’ve had Enrique Corcuera Junior on my show. Excuse me. I’ve had my father who played on the very first court with Enrique Corcuera and Viviana and Henry Kissinger. So, my entire family has been playing since the seventies, and we are very much trying to promote the history and to remember where we come from. So, if I have someone’s ear in the Qatari group, I will certainly be pushing down that message. And so, Roby, just the last question. You’re still involved in padel. Tell us about what you’re actually doing and the business you are, because you obviously have the Roby Gattiker line. You’re sponsored by Cork. Tell us a little bit more about what Roby’s doing. Where can people go?

Roby Gattiker: I have some clubs in Argentina with my name, Roby Gattiker Center. I have some academies. But the thing for me is to give to the pal that the pal give, gives to me. So, I’m trying to go to the states, put academies there to show the people how it works. Of course, I keep playing because I love to compete. And I’m now, I was for one year, not so good. Many problems and some injuries I never had. But someone hit me with a tennis racket in my elbow and it was hard for me that now I’m getting better again, but I’m still playing. But the most important thing for me is building some academies in the states and also doing some things with clubs in ozone states and in Europe. And in Europe. So, I’m playing some exhibitions and clinics. So, always everything about padel. All the time with padel. Do you have an agent here? I built many, many clubs, many, many courts. I have an entrepreneur build like about 250 goods right now. And that’s all.

Minter Dial: So, do you have an agent or how do, how would someone get in contact with you if they wanted to hire you, bring you in?

Roby Gattiker: That’s the bad thing. I am an agent of other players and other people sometimes, but I don’t have an agent. And sometimes the people think, no, Gattiker, or he is not playing anymore or he’s too much or he charge a lot, or I, they don’t know. I need an agent, but I don’t use that. I will try to, but I don’t have an agent. I move by myself.

Minter Dial: All right. And where can people find, find out more about you, Roby, and what you commercialize your services and everything work? What sort of do people, you would send them to your Instagram, to a website? What would you prefer them to do Instagram.

Roby Gattiker: I don’t use a lot. Everybody says also Cork and everyone says you have to use more your Instagram. But I think I’m the old way, you know that. I think why do people care if I’m training on if I. But I know now is the way that was the way to work to be. It’s hard so, but I’m getting better in that, so I will improve. I’m doing some do some things in my Instagrams. I’m going to give some tricks every week, some. How do you say that you speak Spanish better than my English. Anecdote, anecdotes, anecdotes, anecdotes. So, some anecdotes in my Instagram. That is @GattikerRoby. So, I’m moving. I’m moving.

Minter Dial: Good for you, Roby. Well, listen, it’s been a pleasure having you on. I love your energy. So, good to see your smile. So, excited to hear about your stories of the past and I’m ever hopeful that you and I will get on a court and practice. So, Robbie, thank you so much for coming on. Looking forward to staying in touch and good luck with everything.

Roby Gattiker: Thank you. Thank you very much. Thanks for waiting for that long. It was so bad for me.

Minter Dial: I’m just excited to be a great.

Roby Gattiker: Person and I hope that we’re going to be in a group pretty soon. Thank you very, very much.

Minter Dial: Thank you.