Verónica Virseda discovers padel by chance… she becomes world champion!

Currently ranked 10th in the world and 2022 world champion with the Spanish national team, Verónica Virseda looks back on her exceptional career, the challenges she has faced, her values, and her personal development. A candid conversation led by Ben, alias benaqui7, who discovered padel through her.

Virseda “bipolar”?

Verónica defines herself as a "bipolar" person: cheerful and outgoing in real life, but very serious on the padel court. "It's not that I'm closed off or distant, it's just that I want to be focused. And that focus can come across as cold." Off the court, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, joking, and laughing at herself and others.

In her daily life, she becomes serious when it comes to commitment, responsibility and rigor in his work , but also when it gives advice to people she loves . “I always try to be constructive.”

Perseverance as a driving force

Verónica's greatest quality is, without hesitation, perseverance . “We all start out struggling. Perseverance is about continuing to move forward, especially when things are going badly.” She believes it’s this ability to persist despite obstacles that has brought her to where she is today.

Its main flaw? Its character : she admits to being too hard on herself, and sometimes even on others. "Before, I had trouble saying things calmly. I could be abrupt. Today, I'm trying to change, to speak to myself more kindly, to learn to respect myself."

Three objects, three landmarks

Among the objects that are important to her, she cites:

His racket obviously
A bracelet with the name of his dog Telma , whom she loves deeply
A cross-shaped pendant , because she is a believer and attaches importance to her faith

Verónica Virseda discovers padel by chance... she becomes world champion!

A turbulent… and sporty childhood

As a child, she describes herself as "uncontrollable": "Nobody controlled me, I was full of character. I broke my tennis rackets. My parents had a hard time with me."

Before padel, she hesitated between the tennis and football She finally chose tennis, due to a lack of girls' football clubs. "I was always the last one chosen in boys' matches. There weren't enough girls in my school to create a team." This discouragement led her to pursue an individual discipline.

From rejection to return: his relationship with tennis

After quitting tennis at 18, Verónica "wanted to hear about it again." Today, she enjoys watching it again, especially the women's tour. "I love Sabalenka. I've always admired Serena, Venus, Sharapova." She also follows Roland Garros , and admits that she might even play again for fun, proof that she has made peace with this sport.

A new passion: padel by chance

It is by chance that she discovered padel. She was 19 or 20 years old, studying, and no longer playing any sports, except running or going to the gym. One day, her father asked her if he was missing someone to make a doubles, and she accepted. "That's how it all started."

Very quickly, she finds the desire to train, to progress , then play a few small tournaments. She realizes that she has potential. She federates, moves to Madrid to train, in particular with Máximo Castellote (first category player in Spain), and gradually reached the top level.

Serious beginnings, but a heart attack

In 2014, she began playing more professionally. In 2015, as she prepared to play a full season with Valeria Pavón , she undergoes a serious heart problem . "I had a very strong arrhythmia, with my heart rate going up to 230-240."

Doctors are worried: they fear a sudden death and advise him to stop playing sports. Finally, after further examinations and a ablation , experts say there is no danger. "I was scared, it was a very stressful time. But I decided to continue."

From selfish tennis to collaborative padel

The transition from tennis, an individual sport, to padel, a pair sport, was not easy. Verónica admits to having had a mentality that is too self-centered . “I had a hard time accepting my partner’s mistakes… and my own too.”

With the help of psychologists, she learned to showing empathy , to put ego aside and become a better teammate. “I’m in the process of transforming. It’s not perfect yet, but I’m working on it.”

A career in constant progression

Here are the main highlights of his achievements:

2017-2019 : Spanish champion by independent teams with the Madrid selection
2019 : European Champion in Rome with Marta Talaván
2022 : World champion in Dubai with the Spanish selection
2025 : Winner of the Hexagon Cup, competition directed by Kun Agüero

Verónica insists: "It wasn't all easy. I lost a lot at the beginning, like everyone else. It takes time to learn, to adapt, to find your place."

The 2022 world champion title, an unforgettable moment

She still remembers it as if it were yesterday. "We knew the selection would be between two pairs. We had beaten the other team in a head-to-head match. When the coach called us, I felt a huge responsibility "Representing your country is a huge pressure."

But that pressure turned into motivation. "We took full advantage. We won. And for me, that's the most intense moment of my career »

What comes next?

At 33 years old (born July 1, 1992), Verónica is not yet considering the end. "I see myself playing until I'm 38 or 40. There are players who continue and are criticized, but if you love what you do, why stop?" For this, she is counting on physical and mental preparation , but also on good management of its resources. “You have to know how to invest and prepare for your future.”

And after my career? Maybe coaching, teaching, or something else. "For now, I just want to keep playing as long as possible."

Franck Binisti

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.