It may be the off-season, but Tadej Pogačar is still winning. After arguably one of the greatest seasons of all time, Pogi took part in a padel tournament. It was organized by his agent, Alex Carrera. The games took place in Rovato, Italy. Padel is a fast-paced racquet sport played on an enclosed court with walls. Players use solid paddles to hit a perforated ball, combining elements of tennis and squash. It’s similar to pickleball. Except padel is played on an enclosed court with walls, uses a smaller, less bouncy ball, and requires rackets with perforated holes.
In the rider’s tournament, the Tour de France champion was paired with Felix Grossschartner. Together, they would go onto win. In the semifinals, the two UAE-Emirates teammates defeated Antonio Tiberi and Edoardo Zambanini, who are also teammates at Bahrain-Victorious. In the final, they won over Lorenzo Milesi and Alberto Bruttomesso (Movistar/Bahrain-Victorious).
That’s a paddlin’
Pogi even had a custom racket with his signature logo that stylizes his initials.
Pogačar recently signed an $11 million contract extension with UAE Team Emirates, featuring a massive $270 million CAD buyout clause. This deal solidifies Pogačar’s position as one of cycling’s elite riders. For his agent, Carrera, the significance goes beyond money alone. “To stay at the top, you need to be with the best team,” Carrera said in an interview with Marca, emphasizing the team’s exceptional resources and close-knit environment. “Trust is everything. When unexpected challenges arise, that relationship makes finding a solution much easier.”
Time to get back to work
“It was really fun, but I’ll stick to cycling,” he said after the win. Pogačar has just returned from a vacation with his partner Urška Žigart in the Seychelles. Now that he’s done playin’ around, it’s time to get to business. The Slovenian is set to start training again in Spain with his UAE Emirates teammates at a camp in Alicante.
Check out some great footage of the champ from Wielerflits, below:
Padel Pogačar: Man of many talents 🎾 pic.twitter.com/Sjl89TDev5
— WielerFlits.nl (@WielerFlits) November 22, 2024
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