Didier Deschamps, the former captain of the French football team and current coach of the blues, has become a true follower of padel. To the point, where he plays there regularly in the south of France. “His sport” is also taking a decisive turn in its development.
After Monte Carlo Padel Master, we met him to find out more about the links he had with this sport.
"I play padel mainly in the south-east of France. It's a sport that I try to practice whenever I have the opportunity. Unfortunately with all my professional activities, it is not always obvious. But in reality, I discovered this sport and exchanged my first balls in 2009!
And then I remember that I also made rounds on the side of Cassis.
As in football, the padel remains a team sport. You have to know how to exchange with your partner and try to analyze the positions of the opponents to adapt. In the end, I think there are a lot more similarities in the padel you might think.
So it is true that the football player that I am finds himself perfectly in this sport which is also less physically demanding. When I say hard, I mainly mean contact. Admittedly, you can have nasty surprises with racquets that telescope, a strong smash that comes straight at you, but contact in football can be harder and more dangerous than in football. padel. "
“First I started tennis at the Center de Formation de Nantes. But football took over. And I had to get totally involved in it. So inevitably when you have some tennis basics, there are skills to play tennis. padel. This is the good news: you can quickly have fun with this sport.
I know that in Spain the padel is a highly developed sport. We see a few personalities getting involved as well. the padel has many assets in its game. Besides, I have never closed the door to embark on a project padel. But to be honest, if I do it, I want to do it all the way. And for the moment, I have a lot of work to invest myself in something else.
At Monte Carlo Padel Master, I had the chance to meet incredible professional players who showed us what the padel. I was also able to participate in a small tournament set up by Fabrice Pastor.
In the end, the padel is my sport. But I really practice it in leisure, with friends. It's an important moment of relaxation for me and it allows me to keep in shape!”