Iker Pajares Bernabeu Question & Answer

Earliest sporting memory:
Watching Borja Golan defeating Gregory Gaultier in the final of the European Championship in 2016 & becoming the first ever Spaniard to win the title.

Sports watched:
Tennis & swimming. If I had to choose one, I’d say swimming.

Sports played:
Only squash

Why a life in sport, or if it hadn’t happened, what would you have done instead?
I was born to be an athlete. Sport makes me happy & healthy, so what better than turning your happiness into a paid job? I can safely say that if I didn’t play squash, I’d be competing in other sports.

Toughest part of your sporting life:
The toughest part of my sporting life is travelling & food.

Travelling makes you really tired & I have serious problems with food when I`m not at home. It’s hard to maintain your normal eating habits & that’s why I always try to stay in an apartment instead of a hotel to have the possibility of cooking my own meals.

Most memorable sporting moment:
Winning all my PSA World Tour titles. There is a story behind every title. I can’t choose one, I’d say all of them.

Worst sporting moment:
I had one of the worst weeks of my life in Mumbai where I was playing a PSA tournament. My teammate & I had terrible stomach ache & a high fever during the tournament. The food made us very sick.

Sporting heroes:
Rafael Nadal & Nick Matthew.

Favourite venue & why:
I love playing in Malaysia. It’s my favourite country & I had unforgettable experiences there. The food & the country are so nice so it makes me feel like home.

The Barcelona Open is also one of my favourite venues. Playing in front of my team & family give me extra motivation.

Sporting event you would pay the most to see:
I’d have paid a lot of money to see Rafael Nadal winning his first ever Roland Garros in 2005.

Question asked most often by the public:
Unfortunately, “What is squash?”

And the answer:
I basically explain what squash is. The rules, system, events…

Greatest change you would like to see in the running of your sport:
It would be amazing for squash to be in the Olympics & to have the opportunity to show the world how hard & entertaining our sport is.

How well is squash covered in the media?
It’s improving so fast. SquashTV is doing an unbelievable job. The new technologies are really helping to make this sport much better covered by TV & make it exciting to watch.

Sporting motto:
“Don’t burn your opportunities for a temporary comfort”

Who would you most like to invite to dinner & why?
I’d love to invite the legend Nicol David. She is a ten as a person & as a player. I’d be all night learning from her & asking & asking… Would she marry me.