Diabetes in padel tennis, with Álex Ruiz

Today is World Diabetes Day. To highlight this day, we wanted to share with you the day-to-day life of one of the best padel players in the world who suffers from this disease - Alex Ruiz. In the video, the player himself tells us how he manages his situation. His testimony goes a long way in normalising the illness, not only in his life, but also how others in elite sports can manage.

“Being diabetic does not limit you at all”, says the top 10 ranked player on the World Padel Tour ranking. For Álex Ruiz, his illness has not been an impediment to fulfilling his dream and being one of the best international padel players. He explains that if one is in control "to the letter, there is no impediment to doing any kind of activity in your life." He highlights the need to be responsible and disciplined in caring for oneself.

Diabetes forces the Spanish player to repeat two activities day after day, whether or not he practises sport. First of all, he has to control blood sugar levels. And in the second, but directly linked to the first, to administer the doses of insulin that the body needs to correct the glycemic imbalances that the diabetes generates.

Match days: The routine

The behaviour of the body is not the same when resting compared to performing an intense activity such as padel. That is why Álex Ruiz is much more meticulous in his relationship with diabetes when he jumps on court. Match days are the most important in terms of control. "About three hours before the game I usually control my sugar. I see a little how the trend is going," says the man from Malaga. "An hour and a half before the match I still check," he adds, and says that he does it "about two or three times" more before taking the court. It is important to know if the glucose levels are stable, rising or falling to interpret what can happen when the match starts.

Monitoring allows you to anticipate possible hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia and correct the situation, if necessary, with a dose of insulin or sugar intake. In fact, Ruiz has a sensor that is placed on his arm and reveals the blood glucose level every five minutes. It is connected to his mobile and through an application all the controls carried out and the evolution of the different parameters can be consulted. "In the middle of the game, as you can see, I'm almost always tied up with my mobile," he says. And he adds that "at each break" he takes the opportunity to see how much blood glucose he has.

Diabetes is an uncomfortable partner, but, as Álex Ruiz says, not limiting. With control, prudence and discipline it is compatible with sports and any other activity for that matter. This is how the Andalusian player demonstrates it in each match and he tells us about it in this video on the occasion of World Diabetes Day. He will continue to do so for many years to come and we at adidas will have the pleasure of accompanying him on his journey.