At 23, Mike Yanguas is already aiming for the top.
The world No. 7 set a clear goal in an interview with MARCA on June 29, 2026: to become the world No. 1 in padel.
Franco Stupaczuk’s partner, however, is reluctant to make big promises.
In his view, that status isn’t earned in interviews. It’s earned on the court.
“I think I have what it takes to be number one, but I have to prove it out there on the track, not off the track with words.”
Mike Yanguas, in an interview with MARCA
A clear, yet realistic, goal
Yanguas knows what needs to be done.
Ahead of him, two pairs are leading the field: Arturo Coello and Agustín Tapia, and Federico Chingotto and Alejandro Galán.
Strong, but “ not unbeatable ,” the Andalusian adds.
His season has been a mix of very good and disappointing performances.
A string of semifinal appearances, a final in Cairo, but also early exits in Rome and Paraguay.
Yanguas admits it: he still lacks consistency over four or five tournaments in a row.
With Stupaczuk, the project is still in its early stages.
“The more in sync you are with your partner, the better you play.”
he points out, aware that the first two pairs have been playing together for much longer.
“To be number one, you have to be a little obsessive.”
Yanguas pinpoints what sets the best apart from the rest. It’s not just technique. It’s the mindset.
“You have to train like a number one to try to become one.”
he said, focusing first on the physical work. His assessment of the two top pairs is clear: in his view, they are “very obsessive pairs.”
Ambition, analysis, and the drive to give it their all in every game from start to finish.
That’s the standard he wants to achieve.
Yanguas knows he has “ a lot of room for improvement ,” but he embraces the dream.
With the 2026 World Cup in sight, and the hurdle of 2024
Yanguas’s other dream has a name: world champion.
The 2026 event brings back a painful memory—that of the 2024 defeat, which he still hasn’t gotten over.
“We were leading 6-3, we let the second set slip away even though we had plenty of chances, and in the third set we were well ahead.”
he recalls. A lapse in concentration, he says, which he now attributes to the learning process.
Until then, the immediate goal remains simple: to finally win a title.
After that final in Cairo, the duo is looking to find consistency.
The next real-world test is happening right now.
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