What if padel was more than just a racket sport? For many, it becomes a real outlet, a breath of fresh air in sometimes difficult periods. professional ou personnel.
We know it, complicated periods happen to everyone. Whether you're a top athlete or an employee in a traditional company, you can lose confidence, feel exhausted, or simply no longer find pleasure in your daily life. In these moments, the need to breathe, to change air, becomes vital.
Get out of the routine, move, breathe
This is precisely where padel comes into playThis sport, both physical and friendly, can smile again, relaunch a personal dynamic, or even awaken buried confidence. Without claiming to be a miracle solution, it offers one essential thing: a moment for oneself, and with others.
Padel is not a sport like any other. Its collective dimension, its lightness, his famous “3rd half”, are all reasons why it's so popular. It's about the pleasure of playing without pressure, of sharing without judgment. And for someone going through a difficult phase, these moments can be precious.
The weight of one's professional environment... and that of social networks
A few days ago, a kind article published here mentioned precisely this idea. However, some comments seemed to imply that one shouldn't play padel when one is feeling unwell. As if feeling unwell should be accompanied by withdrawal, a distancing.
But that's precisely the opposite which is often beneficial. Step outside the box, surround oneself, move : so many small actions which, taken together, help to get back on track. For high-profile athletes, the weight of social media can be particularly violent. Padel, in this context, becomes a neutral space, where one can simply become a player again, and share a game with a friend, far from the hustle and bustle.
To come back to professional football player Andy Delort : he is clearly not going through the best period of his career, his team Montpellier currently occupying last place in Ligue 1. But isn't that exactly not in these difficult times what you need to know change of scenery, instead of staying withdrawn into oneself, brooding over a complicated professional situation ?
Moreover, he is neither the first nor the last to attempt this experiment, in the hope of find a better balance, both physical and mental. How many football players are turning to padel?, even when their team is going through a difficult time?
And what about high-level athletes, often criticized for free, whether in the press or, even worse, on social networks... For them, padel represents a breath of fresh air, a way of play sports as a couple, as a team, with a friend, far from the hustle and bustle of daily life.
A perfect cocktail to rebuild, regain confidence, and why not… come back stronger.
A game with friends instead of a session with the shrink?
Let's say it bluntly – and with a touch of irony: A good padel session with friends is sometimes worth more than therapy.. And if we have fun, sweat, laugh... isn't that an excellent starting point for feeling better?
Of course, some will see this as a form of naivety, or a somewhat light-hearted way of approaching serious subjects. But if you're reading these lines, you know that This magazine does not claim to be perfect.. He wants to be above all human, caring, and positive.
So yes, there will undoubtedly still be some awkwardness, perhaps turns of phrase that could have been chosen more carefully. But the intention is still the same: highlight what padel can offer that is good, especially when you are going through a less obvious period.

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.