In the show  "On the track with..."  (Format  4PADEL ), Tom Gergaud, a football influencer who has "converted" to padel, joins the court set up at  4Padel , within  the Collectionneur Hotel in Paris , for a complete sequence mixing  interview ,  quick questions ,  diagonal in points  et  technical challenges At the helm, Jules Marie conducts the interview before handing the floor to the challenge against Le Chiquiteur.

Tom Gergaud, football creator… and “converted” to padel

Tom Gergaud introduces himself simply:  My name is Tom, I'm 27 years old, I'm a social media content creator specializing in football, but I'm also getting a bit more involved in padel. He elaborates on his career path:  It's been about ten years  "that he creates content about football, while padel"  It will be almost two years  ».

His first contact with the  paddle  Yet it was anything but love at first sight. Tom describes the scene precisely:  It was during the 2022 World Cup in Doha "I was offered the chance to play padel. I played." And he adds, without hesitation:  I hated it  »

The explanation is immediate. Tom recalls his past as a player:  My background is in tennis.  then confirms his level:  Yes, I had competed.  " and "  15  "in the rankings. In padel, it wasn't the pace that surprised him, but the glass walls: "  I was having trouble with the windows. I didn't understand anything. . " Result : "  I was hitting it and it was going into the windows.  " and "  it annoyed me  He summarizes:  I was losing all the points  ", so "  My first experience with padel was awful.  ».

The shift happens quickly. Tom recounts:  By the third or fourth one, I understood the trick. "And then everything unfolds:  I stopped everything. I stopped playing tennis.  before concluding:  I thought to myself, okay, I'll go for it.  ».

Why padel “caught” him

Tom puts very concrete words to what is holding him back:  I generally like racket sports.  " and especially, "  It's friendly  ". He emphasizes the social dimension: “  You are with four people  "And even if they are not close relatives:  The people you're going to play with, you know you're going to have fun  ».

He is clear on his own rhythm:  I don't take classes  " and "  I play three times a week  "With a phrase that perfectly captures the spirit of the episode:  It's pure fun!  ».

A “30-day” goal has become a method

Regarding his progress, Tom explains his approach to the challenge:  I set myself goals every month He recounts his first public challenge:  Goal: 30 days to win a padel tournament  ", and he announces the result:  That I won  ».

When asked about the category, he clarified:  It was a P25  which he himself describes:  It was beginner's work.  Since then, he has announced a trajectory:  I won some P100  ", and aims for the next step: "  The goal is to be on P250  »

Tom admits to a practice "among friends":  I don't have a partner  ","  Most of the time, they're friends.  He also explains why:  I don't want to play with someone I don't know.  ", because "  It's cool to win when you're with your friend.  And he adds, with a sly smile:  Besides, you're also getting into arguments with him, that's nice too  ", before a sentence that perfectly sums up the freedom of amateur padel: "  We can insult each other, there's no problem  ».

Tom utters a very telling phrase:  I'd rather play padel than do real filming. ." Then he summarizes the collective addiction: "  Once you get into padel, it's hard to get out.  »

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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