Just like in Polynesia, padel is booming in Guadeloupe. Indeed, the practice of our sport is growing rapidly in Guadeloupe and on the neighboring island of Saint-Martin. The proof in figures: in one year, we went from around ten ranked players at the beginning of 2022 to more than 140 at present, or 110 men and 34 women. However, the ranked players are only the tree that hides the forest: the number of players is much greater, the majority not yet competing.
But in fact, the establishment of competitions has largely contributed to the development of padel, whether in Guadeloupe or in Saint-Martin. In 2022, a women's team and a men's team participated in the French championships in Toulouse (see below). And qualifications will still be organized this year to send the best representatives of these French Caribbean lands to mainland France.
The only downside for now: there is no padel teacher on site yet, which limits the players' progress. Despite this, the average level is excellent and continues to improve.
Where to play in Guadeloupe and Saint-Martin
In terms of infrastructure, there is currently a club in Guadeloupe, located in the heart of the Tennis League complex, in Gosier, with two courts. In Saint-Martin, there is also a club, with a single pitch. However, on the Dutch side of the island, there is another club which is in full development, with four pitches and a school for young people. Competitions are regularly organized there, including an international senior tournament (ISPT).
Additional land will see the light of day in a few months in Basse-Terre, the capital of Guadeloupe, subsidized by theNational Sports Agency and his 500 track plan for 2024.
Competitions are on the rise
After five tournaments organized since the end of October, either in Gosier or in Saint-Martin, one tournament per month will take place until next August. The categories range from the P100 to the P1000 (for the Guadeloupe championship in June), via the P250.
The next meeting will take place on March 18 and 19, before the Guadeloupe championships scheduled for the second half of June.
Here is an overview in pictures of the last mixed tournament organized in Le Gosier:
Remembering Toulouse 2022
We end this trip to Guadeloupe with a focus in images on the pairs that participated in the 2022 French championships in Toulouse: Lafouresse / Chenard for the ladies, Perez / Paul for the gentlemen.
And to follow the padel in Guadeloupe, it's also happening on Instagram
After 40 years of tennis, Jérôme fell into the padel pot in 2018. Since then, he thinks about it every morning while shaving… but never shaves with a pala in hand! A journalist in Alsace, his only ambition is to share his passion with you, whether you speak French, Italian, Spanish or English.
The name of the clubs on the Dutch side of St. Maarten are SXM Padel Club, with the largest padel pro shop selection in the Caribbean and Belair Fitness center with the only singles padel tennis court in the whole Caribbean. Both courtes were supplied by SXM Padel Group with courts manufactured by Padel 10 out of Spain.
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Since you are talking about padel in Guadeloupe, but also in Saint Martin, why not recall the existence and development of Padel in Martinique? It would also be good to see if padel is developing elsewhere in the Caribbean, particularly in England and the United States...