We thought that P25 padel tournaments were mainly for sweating it out with friends on a Sunday morning... Thanks to Andy Delort, they have just earned their stripes... and a good number of clicks on social media.

Because yes, the mustachioed warrior – supposed to bite his lip and rest at home before returning to the Montpellier Hérault football pitches – ultimately signed a sensational comeback… on the padel courts. And not to hit the ball softly. No, sir went Win a tennis tournament Padel Club de la Vière. The other players? A little surprised to be taken off by a Ligue 1 center forward who was "ill," but hey, padel isn't at the Olympics yet.

Convalescent… but in great shape on the volleys

While Montpellier is quietly sliding towards Ligue 2, some executives have clearly found the right plan for release the pressure : get back into padel health.

Coach Zoumana Camara had been clear in his press conference: Delort is doubtful, he was sick at the beginning of the week. "He didn't go out to train for two days." Hm... Sick? Maybe. But with a racket in hand and well-fitting shorts, we've known sick players who looked less sprightly.

It was journalist Tiffany Henne who let the cat out of the bag, sharing the day's performance: Andy Delort, P25 champion! So obviously, it's not Roland-Garros, but it's a shame when your club is drowning in Ligue 1 and you're supposed to be recovering in the warmth, under a blanket with a hot toddy.

A locker room that gets people talking... but not on the pitch

Téji Savanier had already recently made a name for himself by talking about his salary during the French Cup (in the style of "Confidences sur canapé"), so all that was missing was a moonwalking Delort on the padel courts to set the networks alight.

Result: Montpellier supporters are closer to a nervous breakdown than a waveThe team is bottom of the table, the young players are left to their own devices, and the "old hands" seem to have dropped out of the rescue plan.

Andy Delort tests a new method: padel + victory in P25 = maintenance of Montpellier HSC

And Monfils in all this?

This is not the first time that an athlete who is supposed to be “resting” has found refuge on the padel courts. Remember Gaël Monfils, in February 2017. While the French tennis team was facing Japan in the Davis Cup, the Parisian was taking a trip to Padel Central in Lyon. In a pair with Robin Haziza, he reached the semi-finals of the Lyon Open padel, while being… officially excluded from the selection.

Monfils: YES to padel and NO Davis Cup

At the time, Yannick Noah reacted with humor:
“Let him have fun, but don't get hurt.”

A wish granted. Well, almost: Monfils and Haziza narrowly escape serious accidents during the tournament. The parallel with Delort is too tempting even if the case is obviously quite different. In the fight for survival, this It is not necessarily a Bandeja smash that will save Montpellier.

Monfils was hitting the bandejas during the Davis Cup, Delort distributes volleys in the middle of the race to maintain.

Padel: the new therapy for stars or a luxury escape for athletes in search of competition?
One thing is sure: amateur tournaments are likely to be much more scrutinized than some Ligue 1 matches.

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.

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