Mediolanum Padel Cup, with the Paduans Volpin and Varini the Venetian NextGen dreams

There are dreams that pass through a padel racket, bouncing between the glass of the home court. And there are some so beautiful, that you can't even imagine them. Young, talented, Venetian and full of hope, against the superstars of padel. It really happens at the Fip Silver Mediolanum Padel Cup in Treviso, a tournament of the International Padel Federation underway at the Padel Club X4 in Villorba. A unique opportunity in the hope that, as it grows, it will become usual.

From the young Alessandro Volpin to Letizia Dell'Agnese, up to the "veterans" Riccardo Chiaradia and Sebastiano Giustolisi, the club is in a frenzy for the debut on the international padel stage. Volpin himself, 20 years old in August, talks about the emotion of playing such an important tournament so close to home: «For me, who am from Padua, it is fantastic to have a chance like this so close to my family. It is the top tournament that was missing in Veneto: finally we are also in the international circuit of the Fip. Of course, you feel a bit more pressure because with friends and family who come to cheer for you, you feel the duty to do something more to make them proud. But I am ready and after the champions arriving here I dream of one day facing Mike Yanguas (number 7 in the world ranking, ed.), my model player».

Riccardo Menon, a 25-year-old from Treviso, says: «It's an incredibly high-level tournament and having a friendly crowd in the stands is something that doesn't happen often. I live five minutes from here so you can imagine how it feels to think that the big names of world padel will be here». With very strong opponents arriving, the goal is to gain precious ranking points but above all to enjoy a unique moment. «My partner Thomas Saiani and I will give it our all to move forward. Of course it will be tough, but in the meantime we'll have fun».

Younger than him, and perhaps even more excited, is Beatrice Varini, 19, from Padua. Already in the women's main draw (starting tomorrow), Beatrice has already played on international courts with an experience at the Fip Promises of Amsterdam Under 18, but the one in Treviso is her first "grown-up" tournament, as she defines it. «I'm practically at home. I live forty minutes from here and for me it's a wonderful opportunity to grow. Seeing the strongest players in the world here will be a sight that will last. Then you learn a lot, even just by observing». Bea, as everyone calls her at the Padel X4 Club where she also feels at home, has something in common with her great idol, the Spanish Beatriz "Bea" Gonzalez, one of the strongest players on the planet. She takes inspiration from her «because she's intelligent, she does simple but very effective things and always has the right mentality».

At Bea's home club, she will have the chance to meet again the girls from the Italian national team arriving on Friday - the European vice-champions and world bronze medalists Giorgia Marchetti, Chiara Pappacena, Carlotta Casali and Martina Parmigiani - but also two of the greatest Italian talents with a future in the national team that Beatrice knows well, Giulia Dal Pozzo and Aurora Buscaino: she shared the field with Aurora at the Italian Under 18 Championships two years ago, where they found themselves playing in the final against Dal Pozzo and Valentina Varazi. "They won, I had only been playing for three months and they were already very strong. But these are matches that teach you a lot, because you see what it means to have experience. Now that I'm older and have more experience, it would be nice to meet them again: maybe this time I'd win." she concludes smiling.