"Winning the World Championship was our goal"

It's been a few days, but Felix Gonzalez can't appeal the smile with which he goes to this interview. A Paddle World Championship are major words, and our student achieved it last weekend in Castellón after starring in an extraordinary tournament with his partner, the Sevillian Juan 'Coco' Zamora. This success joins the Spanish Championship they recently conquered, which makes Felix one of the great promises of the national paddle. However, he remains calm, and cannot even avoid talking about these achievements with a certain blush.

How did your classmates react to knowing they have a whole world champion in class?

All right, they gave me all the congratulations, both they and the teachers.

Did you expect such a good result at the start of the tournament?

Well, we had just won the championship of Spain and the Master, and it is true that our goal was to win the World Championship.

Did you know your rivals?

Yes, we already knew some of them, although others were from outside Spain, but most of them were.

And how did the competition take place?

All the couples we faced were Spanish, because foreigners (there were representatives of 18 nationalities) had been eliminated before. They were more or less easy matches until the semis, which was already a little tougher, and the final the same.

How do you remember the final?

We won the first set and did not look comfortable, but not difficult ... it was halfway, let's say. But in the second set we managed to get on top of 5-3, and I was calmer.

You achieved both victory. How was that moment?

We celebrated a lot, we started screaming, we released the shovel, we hugged each other ... Then we went to celebrate it, we had dinner and then they gave us the trophy. We were there with the selection ... there was a lot of people.

Your partner, 'Coco' Zamora, is from Seville. How did it come up with the possibility of making a team?

I already knew him from more tournaments, I had played against him many times and I loved how he played. He also liked how I played, so we both wanted to get together, and so we did.

Will you continue together next season?

No, because I now go to the children's category and he will be a second year fry. But I know who I'm going to play with.

You used to play football too ...

Yes, I always played football, it was my parents who played paddle. But one day I told my father that I wanted to play with him, I think it was here at the Sanfer. I got a little, I liked it, I started training and until today. That was when I was six years old. I also played tennis, but since my parents played paddle tennis, I wanted to try it, I loved it and I started to combine paddle tennis and soccer, until in the end I opted for paddle tennis because I had to travel almost every weekend.

And how do you have to travel so much?

I wear it very well, I love it.

And what about combining it with studies?

I train paddle every day in the afternoon, and when I finish training I go home and study. I have a lot of time to study.

So your plans go through continuing with the paddle for the future.

Yes.

Felix flatly answers this last question, without hesitation, and says goodbye, always with a smile on his face, before running to the Physical Education class, where his classmates are waiting for him. We wish you every success and good luck.