Who I am today is the result of four defining chapters of my life. Those stages traced the path that led me to become one of the few Italian strength coaches working in Madrid in the world of padel, inside one of the most prestigious environments for developing professional players.
But first of all, I'm Sardinian. Born in Nuoro, raised in a land that isn't just an island but a world of its own: rich in history, ancient traditions, deep culture and breathtaking landscapes. Sardinia taught me the value of silence, of inner strength, of a nature that dominates and perfumes everything. That's where I learned the meaning of identity, respect and resilience. And I carry all of it with me, every day — on court, at work, in life.
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The roots: between science, passion and humanity
Where it all began
My path in sport began at the University of Urbino, where I chose Sport Science as the natural extension of my ambitions. It wasn't a random choice: even then I felt a deep need to grow in this world, not only as an athlete or a technician, but as someone able to understand sport in all its nuances. My thirst for knowledge pushed me to graduate quickly, aiming to go beyond Italy's borders.
Then came the first real leap into the unknown: Erasmus in France, at the STAPS university in Caen. There I discovered a different way of thinking about and teaching sport. But I didn't stop: I moved on to Brussels, where I lived for two years completing another piece of my education at ULB. Years almost entirely devoted to study, but also to meaningful work experience.
I worked as a sports educator with people with Down syndrome, blindness and other disabilities. In that setting sport wasn't competition or performance, but a tool for wellbeing, connection and dignity. Every session became a chance to build trust, encourage independence and create small, concrete changes in people's lives. That period shaped me deeply — not only professionally, but as a person.
Travelling to really learn
The world as a gym
Once my academic path was over, I felt the need to explore, but this time not only to study: I was looking for inner, professional and personal growth. My first stop was a holiday resort near Rome, as a fitness instructor and entertainer. There I learned to live among people, to speak to them without filters, to engage large groups. A first great lesson in leadership, humility and adaptability.
Then came Africa. Six months in Kenya, in Watamu, as a personal trainer at a luxury resort visited by tourists from all over the world. Every week was a reset: different clients, languages and needs. There I learned to be flexible, to really listen. But the real impact was human: seeing the reality of the developing world changed me forever, and I spent part of my time volunteering at local orphanages. Back in Sardinia, I worked at a 5-star resort in the south of the island: VIP clients, very high standards, fluent English and French. My first real test.
Rome: the reset and the start in padel
Choosing one single path
I chose Rome to specialise in high-level sports performance. I enrolled in the third federal level of Olympic weightlifting: it wasn't just study, it was a rebirth, the moment I decided to put myself back on the line and start again from scratch. I finished with the title of Sport Specialist, which immediately opened new doors.
I joined the Villa Pamphili Padel Club, one of the first centres in Italy to truly believe in padel, even before the boom. It was 2019: few people knew the sport, nobody knew whether it would become a mass phenomenon. I saw potential, passion, and a different way of thinking about sport: accessible, engaging, inclusive. That's where my career in padel began, and it hasn't stopped growing since.
In those years I began coaching some of the strongest Italian players — Alessandro Tinti, Michele Bruno, Luca Mezzetti — and many others who were then second or third tier and are now firmly at the top. The Federation involved me in the Under-18 training camps, and Technogym selected me as a speaker at the first Italian EXPO dedicated to padel, in Milan.
Madrid: the leap and my present
Where I am today
Moving to Madrid was perhaps the hardest and bravest moment of my life. On one side the rational voice telling me to stay in Rome, where I had built a name and a solid network; on the other a deeper push telling me I had to look for new challenges. Spain was a dream I'd carried since I was a kid: every experience I'd had — the travelling, the padel, the languages — felt as if life had placed them there to prepare me for this leap.
Even though I'd been working remotely with online clients since 2018, I wanted a concrete role in padel in Spain. Through contacts and opportunities I grabbed on the fly, I joined one of the most respected academies. It wasn't easy: new bureaucracy, new language, new cultural codes. But day after day I learned to adapt. Today I coach professionals, travel for work, run training courses for other coaches and follow athletes all over the world thanks to the app I've developed. I speak four languages and I keep building an international network.
This is me. Plain and simple. Riccardo Piras, a boy born in Nuoro and raised to explore. A Sardinian out in the world, with one certainty: that every step, even the most uncertain one, can take you exactly where you were meant to be.