“Roger is interested in padel but he doesn't have enough time to devote to it. Maybe the day he retires from tennis, we can try to bring him to the padel."

These words, we recorded them in 2017 in the mouth of the Croatian Ivan Ljubicic, friend and coach of Roger Federer. Ljubicic himself is a fan of padel, which he practices regularly in Beausoleil, not far from Monaco, where he lives.

In fact, there is one observation that is unanimous: Roger Federer, 41, has all the technical, physical and mental qualities required to become an incredible football player. padel. But also all the assets to be – if he wishes – a future ambassador for this sport [the first to say "the future Hanouna suisse du padel », we ban his url from this site!].

Born to play well padel

Here are five reasons that lead us to imagine that the Swiss star, retiring from tennis in a few days, could retrain in the padel :

► An exceptional athlete.- Thanks to his speed of movement, his smash power, his ball touch and his ease on the volley, Federer seems born to play well on the ball. padel, as we wrote last year. Moreover, the Swiss is a good doubles player: didn't he win Olympic gold in 2008 in Beijing alongside Stan Wawrinka?

► The taste for play and competition.- If "Rodger" continued his tennis career until the age of 41, it is because he knew how to preserve the taste and the pleasure of the game. This is extremely rare in an athlete whose professional career lasts nearly 25 years. . Having fun while playing is the recipe for longevity in tennis… and even more so in padel – playful sport par excellence.

Federer Padel dream or reality
Can Federer invest in the padel like Andy Murray, another former tennis world No.

► Long careers in padel.- The examples of Fernando Belasteguin (9e world at 43), Miguel Lamperti (20e at almost 44) or Carolina Navarro (26e at 46) show it: a professional of padel can stay competitive at the highest level longer than a tennis player. Federer's exceptional longevity in tennis, linked to rare natural qualities and top-notch physical preparation (signed Pierre Paganini), potentially promises him good years in a sport like padel, less demanding because it is played in doubles and less exhausting than tennis.

A Belasteguin / Federer dream team for Wilson?

► Wilson's weight.- Just as he was loyal to his coaches and his physical trainer, Federer was so throughout his career in the Wilson snowshoes. With the retirement of the Swiss, the American equipment manufacturer thus loses its best "salesman" of rackets of all time. Wilson, who bets big on the padel, would surely welcome the creation of a dream team of ambassadors made up of “Bela” and “Rodger”!

► Develop the padel in Swiss.- A reconversion of Roger Federer in the padel can imagine himself as a player, but also as an investor: there is indeed a lot to do in Switzerland to develop the practice. As we wrote it recently, the country currently has only a hundred tracks, but the potential is significant for the years to come. Roger Federer has all the charisma and financial strength needed to support the explosion of padel in Swiss lands.

Of course, fans of Federer and padel would like the Swiss to turn to this discipline and contribute to its global development. But it is naturally up to him to make that decision. And maybe he'll prefer to do... paddleboarding on Lake Zurich, with his children.

After 40 years of tennis, Jérôme falls into the pot of padel in 2018. Since then, he thinks about it every morning while shaving… but never shaves pala in hand! Journalist in Alsace, he has no other ambition than to share his passion with you, whether you speak French, Italian, Spanish or English.

On the same subject

Tags