Present in Paris for the  4PADEL Football Cup Robert Pirès has once again shown that padel holds a significant place in his daily life. Associated with  Gregory Sertic  Playing for the Marseille team, the former French international looked back on his discovery of padel, his development in France and his complementarity with his partner.

 “Canal+ should organize a tournament” 

Before talking about his own game,  Robert Pires  first brings up padel within the editorial staff of  Canal + where several consultants already seem to be firmly committed to the discipline.

Although he hasn't played against everyone yet, a  name stands out naturally  : that of his partner for the day,  Gregory Sertic .

“I want to say my partner today, Greg Sertic. For some time now, we've formed a small duo, we play in a few tournaments. Today, that allows us to be here in Paris.”

Pirès also mentions other Canal+ players with whom he has already shared the track, while acknowledging that it would require a  real confrontation  to settle the matter for everyone.

“We should organize a Canal+ tournament. It could be fun to find out who is really the best.”

An idea that would surely be successful, given how increasingly popular padel is becoming among...  former players, consultants and sports enthusiasts .

Nighttime padel court with players in blue shirts; an illuminated lattice tower rises in the background.

U a discovery as early as 2006 in Spain 

Robert Pirès is one of the former footballers who discovered padel very early on. Long before... current explosion  of sport in France, he played there for the first time in  2006 upon his arrival at  Villarreal .

“I discovered padel in 2006. At that time, I signed with Villarreal e"I'm discovering this discipline that I didn't know about."

The former Arsenal player particularly remembers a  impressive complex  near his home.

“Where I lived, there was already a complex with 22 padel courts, which was huge.”

After this initial discovery, he put the discipline aside for a while. But since moving to  Ibiza  Six years ago, padel was  back to his daily routine .

“Now that I’ve been living in Ibiza for six years, we play a lot here. I’m learning a lot, I’m taking some lessons with the Spanish.”

 “Canal+ played an important role” 

For Robert Pirès, the explosion of padel in France doesn't really surprise him. He even believes that  The increased media coverage of the discipline has greatly contributed to its development.  thanks to  Canal + broadcaster of major international tournaments.

“What’s important is that if people discover or watch padel, it’s thanks to Canal+. Canal+ acquired the rights and now broadcasts all the tournaments that take place around the world.”

Seeing the  best players competing on the professional circuit Pirès also measures the gap that exists  between amateurs, even former high-level athletes, and specialists in the discipline.

“You can look at the best players, they are simply exceptional. Of course, it's their job, but when you see them in real life, they are far from their level.”

But this difference doesn't detract from the enjoyment. On the contrary,  she nurtures the desire to progress .

“There’s been a real explosion in the number of padel courts in France, and that’s great because it gives us something other than football to do. It’s a sport I really enjoy.”

Two men in blue sports jerseys posing with trophies on a nighttime padel court, smiling after a win.

 Similarities with football 

Former attacking midfielder Robert Pirès finds in padel many of the sensations he experienced on the football pitch. For him, the similarities are numerous:  movement, anticipation, game awareness, rapid information gathering .

“The similarity between the football player and what I could feel on a pitch, today on a padel court, is the movement, the anticipation, sometimes the vision.”

Padel requires quick reactions, reading trajectories, and taking the  good decision in a fraction of a second Qualities that former footballers know well.

“You have to move fast, you have to see things quickly, you have to make a decision fairly quickly. Sometimes it's instantaneous.”

To the point of finding ourselves, at times,  certain sensations very similar to football .

“When I play padel, with short movements, really with interval efforts, I sometimes feel like I’m on a football pitch.”

Night view of the Eiffel Tower illuminated in gold, with a fenced outdoor tennis court and players in the foreground.

 With Sertic, a true complementarity 

At the 4PADEL Football Cup, Robert Pirès formed the Marseille pair with  Gregory Sertic An association that works well, particularly thanks to a clear division of roles.

“With Greg, we form the Marseille team today, but we also form the Canal+ team, we say it, we claim it.”

On the track, Sertic occupies the left side, with a  more offensive profile .

Pirès, on the other hand, positions himself on the right side, in a more defensive role, with a weapon he uses a lot:  the lob .

“I play on the right side, mostly as a defender. I try to get everything back. I use a lot of a weapon called the lob, something I learned a lot about and am still learning in Spain, in Ibiza.”

A complementary skill set that allowed them to reach the semi-finals, then to climb all the way to the final, where the  Marseilles pair  was ultimately defeated by the Lyon team composed of  Steed Malbranque and Sylvain Wiltord .

But beyond the result, Robert Pirès emphasizes above all the difficulty of finding  the right partner for padel .

“It’s not easy to find a partner with whom you can have a strong connection. In any case, between Greg and me, things are going well.”

Through this 4PADEL Football Cup, Robert Pirès confirmed one thing: padel is not just a leisure activity for the  former footballers It is also a field where the spirit of competition, automatic reflexes and the pleasure of the game remain very much present.

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