USA’s Jared Finkelstein believes this weekend’s inaugural Anglo American Padel Cup in London will be a thrilling test between two nations at similar stages of padel development.
The Anglo American Padel Cup is a Ryder Cup-style match-up between Great Britain and America, with 64 players competing in men’s and women’s Open and age-group categories, taking place at The Padel Hub in Whetstone, North London on 10-11 October.
There’s been plenty of hype leading up to the event, as is usually the case whenever America are involved in a sporting contest, and there’s no-one better than the irrepressible Finkelstein to amp up the pre-show trans-Atlantic rivalry.
“There will be pride at stake for players from both countries,” he tells The Padel Paper. “It will be on a different level than when we [the USA] goes to the Pan American or World Championships, because there we don’t have a chance. For us, this is the big one.
“Great Britain and America are the perfect teams to play each other at this point because we’re at similar stages of padel development in our countries. This wouldn’t be as cool if it were USA v Argentina. We know how that story ends, but we don’t know who’s going to win this competition.”
Great Britain’s men’s Open team will feature Rafa Vega, Cameron Dollimore, Alfonso Patacho and Nick Hatchett, while the women will be spearheaded by Ellie Tait, Laura Jackson, Victoria Nicholas and Alice Keddie.
The USA men’s Open team includes Josh Silverstein, Matt Hansen, Kevin Ye and Andrew Herring, with the Open women represented by Ana Marija Zubori, Dhanielly Quevedo, Antonella Santeusanio, Annica Cooper van Sarrenburg.
Finkelstein has won multiple titles on the US amateur padel circuit, is a Bullpadel ambassador and one of the most recognisable faces on Miami’s thriving padel scene. You’d have to travel a long way to find a more dedicated padel player than Jared.
“I’m going to London to compete, not for the champagne and buffets!” he joked, before explaining what attracted him to cross the pond for the inaugural tournament.
“In padel land, everything is a start-up, and this event is no exception. It is going to create a lot of interest and there’s a chance that next year all the top players will want to get involved because they’ve seen how cool it was — so let’s see where this thing goes!”
Finkelstein, originally from New Jersey, worked on Wall Street for 15 years before moving to Florida where he now has his own wealth management practice. Despite ample opportunity, he has never been tempted to invest in padel.
“I put lines in the sand,” he said. “Padel is my happy place. It’s where I want to have fun and build community. I’ve shied away from ownership or opportunities because it can cease to become pure fun. It becomes a grey area.
“I want it to be totally positive. It’s added so much to my personal life and the way I view life in general that you can’t put a price tag on that.”
Having played a lot of competitive tennis, he was first invited to play padel by a business associate. He had lived in Miami six months at that point, but had never heard of this upstart sport.
“I looked at the court and thought it was too small and the game would require no athletic ability,” he remembers. “I hit the ball for the first time and literally my heart exploded! It was immediate. I had the most fun I’ve ever had and I knew my life had changed forever.”
A padel odyssey began in that moment five years ago and its latest chapter will take place this Friday and Saturday in Whetstone, North London. Let’s see how the story unfolds…
