First Turkish player on the international stage of Padel, Dilara Yurtkuran answers our questions and allows us to know more about her career, her vision of padel and its ambitions.

“My mission to represent my country in the best possible way”

Padel Magazine : You are the first player of padel Turkish to participate in an international tournament. First of all, congratulations, can you introduce yourself to our readers?

Dilara Yurtkuran: ”Thank you, I was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey, where I started playing tennis from a young age, until I became one of the best players in Turkey. I have been part of the national team for 5 consecutive years and have participated in professional tournaments. When I was 18, I started receiving scholarship offers from American universities and I took my chance. I played tennis in college for 4 years and got a bachelor's degree in marketing from the University of North Carolina Greensboro.

After university, I continued to play professional tennis, which brought me to Sweden. This is where I discovered the padel for the first time and that I realized this was my new path.
I am now 30 years old, and after living in Sweden for 5 years, I recently moved to Denmark with my partner Alexander Torssell, who is my biggest support on and off the court. “

Padel Magazine : What does it mean to you to be the first player in padel Turkish on the international scene? 

Dilara Yurtkuran " Even though I have been far from Turkey and have lived in different countries for the past 11 years, I feel that it is my mission to represent my country in the best possible way and to be the best player that I can. can be. I am proud and lucky to be the first player of padel Turkish woman on the international circuit and I know this is just the start. I think there will be a lot of other Turkish players to represent our flag. “

Padel Magazine : ”You play with Sara Annvik, a Swedish player. You did an excellent result at the APT Padel Tour of Kungsbackka, with a quarter-final. What is your take on your performance? “

Dilara Yurtkuran: ”It was only our second tournament with Sara and I think we did a good job in reaching the quarter-finals and fighting against good players. The best part of this tournament has been seeing where we stack up against more experienced players. This has us gave hope and motivation to keep working hard and be better. "

“Bring the culture of this sport to Turkey”

Padel Magazine : How do you judge the evolution of padel in Turkey ? Do you think things are moving fast or not fast enough?

Dilara Yurtkuran: ”It is certain that the padel will evolve quite quickly in Turkey, especially in the big cities to begin with. A few courts have already been installed in different cities but there are much remains to be done to bring the culture of this sport and spread it in the right way. I would like to participate in projects and help develop programs of padel using my connections and experience to set up good coaches, short and educational programs, and build a solid foundation. "

“Participate in all stages of the APT in 2022”

Padel Magazine : What are your plans for the future ? Do you have personal goals to achieve?

Dilara Yurtkuran: ”My goal is to improve my game in all areas and to continue to participate more often in high level tournaments. The first stop will be Spain in November, where I will be doing an intensive training camp for a month and a half.
As'APT is my favorite circuit, with their professional environment and the way they take care of us throughout the event,  I can't wait to take part in all the events in 2022, wherever they are in the world.

That is why I am looking for a permanent partner to train and compete with, as well as sponsors who will support me in my journey.
On the other hand, I am developing my young company called Padel& Travel Denmark, which focuses on training and workshops padel in Sweden and Denmark, as well as on trips from padel from Scandinavia to hot places.

I therefore look forward to all the projects and tournaments of padel exciting waiting for me, both in Scandinavia and in Turkey. "

Nasser Hoverini

Passionate about football, I discovered the padel in 2019. Since then, it's been crazy love with this sport to the point of abandoning my favorite sport.

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