Diego Garcia and Teri Groll: from tennis to padel, a shared journey towards victory

Winners of the P1000 4Padel Strasbourg end of May, Diego Garcia and Teri Groll They share much more than just sporting success. Aged 34 and 33 respectively, the two players discovered padel in 2016 while they were still fully committed to tennis. Former tennis instructor Having transitioned to logistics, Diego Garcia gradually found his way on the tracks.

For her part, Teri Groll, today padel coach in Casablanca Padel in Kingersheim has also made the transition from teaching tennis. In this interview, the two partners reflect on their their journey, their beginnings in the discipline and the stages which led them to this recent victory.

“We are proud of ourselves”

To begin, let's go back to your victory in Strasbourg, on the last P1000 at the 4PadelA few days after this title, what is the main thing that remains in your mind now?

It's not easy, apart from this very difficult final. We are proud of ourselves But it's not like we won the French championships for ourselves. We played pretty well all weekend.

The final wasn't easy, because of their playing style and the fact that they were both left-handed. So, We're glad we got through it. We're thinking about what comes next, especially the sequence of events; that's the most important thing.

“We’ve already beaten these kinds of players.”

Is this victory in the final against the number 1 seed one of the best of your journey together?

We've already beaten stronger players a few years ago, players who were ranked higher. Players in the top 10, We've beaten these kinds of players before. But it's true that, given that they are two good players who play very well and have been playing well in recent months, It was a good victory. .

“The sensations weren’t always there”

Finally, regarding Strasbourg, do you two, as a pair, feel that you really played your best padel?

I think we've felt more comfortable before. We have little training Right now. I had taken a bit of a break because I became a dad. I'm still getting back into it. The sensations weren't always there , especially physically, with significant physical declines during each stage.

But it's true that Diego and I, as many people know, even the other players, since we started playing padel, are the players who train the least and have trained the least in padel. We are two former tennis players So, it's true that we have this ability to compensate in quite a few areas.

Since we don't train much, we compensate well in certain areas. We've had periods, in fact, whether in our professional lives or otherwise, where we've each had our own set of challenges. Sometimes one of us would be in better shape, the other not.

It's been a few years since we've really been in such good form, let's say. But now, we're doing well, we're coming back. I think we've definitely played better than this. Besides, as Diego said, he's been a dad since January, so it's already great to be able to play like this so recently.

“We’ve known each other for over 20 years”

Could you tell me how long you've been playing together and, more importantly, how your partnership came about?

It goes back a very long way. To make a long story short, we're from the same generation in tennis. We played each other very early, very young, at 12-13 years old, the first times. We've known each other for over 20 years We became friends very young, as soon as we met playing tennis.

We've remained best friends for over 20 years. Diego is from Lyon and I'm from Alsace, from Mulhouse. He moved there later in 2016. We ended up in the same club where we had a padel court. We started playing together at the same time.

We've been together ever since. It all started by chance. Our tennis club president at the time was the first in the department to install an outdoor padel court. He kind of had a feeling it was coming.

From 2016 to December 2024, Diego and I always played a few P1000 tournaments a year, but very few. Sometimes we weren't able to play for 4 to 6 months. It's true that we're a bit atypical. We are a little different from the others We've been best friends for 20 years, it's true that it helps. That's also why we play together, clearly.

“He pulls off some pretty exceptional moves for us.”

Can you describe your teammate in 3 words on the field?

We started out in the first two or three years with Diego on the left and me on the right. After that, it was because I've had problems with my elbow and shoulder for many years; so I started on the right. Diego was the one who hit.

After that, we switched places a little. Even though I'm 1.90m and Diego is 1.72m, he's known for being more of a attacker and a butcher I'm someone who can, sometimes maybe a little less powerful, but makes fewer mistakes.

Diego has a lot of aggression for a right-sided player, sometimes even a bit too much. So, that's clearly his strength. We won't go into too much detail, I won't give away all the details. But, well, it's rare. For me, it's really the hand he can have from time to time.

He pulls off some pretty exceptional moves. And he's able to find areas we wouldn't even think to try, but he manages to find them. Since he's started weight training again, the quality of his smashes has improved a lot, too. He's able to finish points much more often than he was a few months ago.

“That’s true friendship.”

What is your secret to staying together when today, many couples at your level or above change partners more than regularly?

We play together because it's friendship, first and foremost. After that, it's true that we don't have a huge difference in skill level. If we had a crazy difference in skill level, we might not play together anymore. I have two children too. He's the godfather of one of my children. I'm the godfather of his little girl. That's what friendship is all about.

We changed partners once, a few years ago, because Diego had moved back to his parents' place in Lyon. We had to switch a few players because for the regional championships, we had to stay with two players from the same region. But otherwise, we've never changed partners.

We play together for the sake of friendship, because we share the same goals in that regard. We've been asked a lot to play with other people, but we're not particularly interested in that. We don't want to. We don't have the same goals either. We prefer to lose in the quarter-finals together rather than go for a title with someone we don't get along with.

“We like to take the net”

How will you define your gaming identity?

We are unpredictable. I was discussing this with someone not too long ago who told me, when you're playing against someone, you have to flip a coin before the match and see how they're going to be. He said it all depends on them. Diego and I, it's true, have a good hand.

We like to do good things, so we also need to learn to focus a bit, to do simple things. But then, because of our tennis background, we still have a tendency to move quickly forward. We like to take the net.

Our strength is that we're quite aggressive, although we're also much more patient at the net now. Our goal is to put pressure on the net early, I'd say.

“We need to keep up with the pace”

If we have to talk about the Padel French people in general, what do you like most about the development of the circuit right now and conversely, what bothers you?

In our region already, it's a region that is starting to develop a little In Strasbourg, it's already a bit more developed, but here in Mulhouse, we only have Casa Padel which opened a year and a half ago. Otherwise, we have 4 Padel, but originally, there were only two tracks.

Now they've moved to four indoor lanes. So, there are very few tournaments here. That's really our biggest weakness. We hardly ever travel for tournaments, except if they're very local or in the Lyon area.

That's why we're not seen very much either. It's true that we have our personal and professional lives. I would say that what's good is that padel has developed enormously, whether in tournaments, level, or players.

There are a huge number of players now, unlike a few years ago. Today, there are 10 times more tournaments. Personally, I'd say that's the hardest part. When we started, honestly, I think there were 2 or 3 tournaments a month.

When you look at it now, there are sometimes 4 or 5 per weekend. For players a bit like us, who don't play much, you have to keep up the pace .

“The goal is also to try and play well now.”

Regarding the rest of the season following this victory, what are your future objectives?

So, it's quite rare, but yes, We have a program scheduled until mid-July. The regional championships are in two weeks. Before that, we're doing a P1000 in Metz, a bit to prepare. And in mid-July, we have another P1000 near Strasbourg in Reichstett.

We've won it there for two years now, so we're going back. And for the moment, that's all we have planned. The goal is also to try and play well now So, a P1000, we'd really like to make that.

The qualification, as mentioned, for the French championships That, that's, let's say, the big goal To be able to compete in the French championships in September and October. For the next P1000 races, we want to go all the way to achieve a better ranking again, to get closer to 50th place.

“Diego, who gave me a crutch”

Perhaps you could share an anecdote about a memorable moment you experienced together on a padel court?

There was one that wasn't bad, it was Diego, who put me on crutches at the time, and we had to stop the tournament. That one was pretty good. We played really well on a P1000. It was a few years ago. We were in the semi-finals. I can't remember who it was.

We had won the first set and We collided on a lob. And since he was He was stronger than me, he put a crutch in my thigh It was outside, in the evening, and it was very cold and impossible to move. We had to stop. It must be our only, truly unfortunate experience. I was in pain for a few weeks afterward.

“We’re still very close-knit, too.”

Finally, if you had to summarize your duo in one sentence, what would it be?

It's because everyone knows in advance what they're going to do, how the other person is too, mentally, what they need. We're very unpredictable, and I'd say that's one of our strengths. We're also very close-knit.

That's why we're together, even if one of us isn't playing as well, or the other is making mistakes, we'll always support each other. We're a bit unpredictable, but very close-knit. We know each other inside out Sometimes, when you see other players playing together, they blame each other for a lot of things; they're each on their own.

We know each other, we know we're not going to blame each other for things or anything, we don't care. When we know ourselves so well, it can sometimes be our weakness, but it is also our greatest strength.

Hugo Depere Tomas

Since discovering padel in Andorra almost 10 years ago, it has shaped my life with tournaments, new rackets, and new friends. I love watching pro tournaments and drawing inspiration from them, and if I had to pick a role model, it would be Juan Lebrón. Oh, I have a feeling I'm going to make some friends! ;)