Gaël Monfils is passionate about padel. They have been practicing this sport for years, especially in Switzerland. During a second interview at Central Padel Lyon, he explains to us his attraction to the net. Him, the baseline player. And you will see that padel can be an exercise for tennis players!

Who knew you were a volleyball player?

Yes! I surprise myself (laughs). It must be said that in padel, it's a sport where you don't have a choice. You have to go to the net. And it's true that in tennis, I don't necessarily have the game or the opportunities to go there. So, padel is a sport that can have a positive impact on my tennis to the extent that the opportunities to go on the volley in tennis are fewer than in padel.

Can we say that you are in tennis training here?

I think that padel is a fun form of training for tennis, because there are nevertheless many points in common between these two sports: the bounce, the ball, the technique, some placements at the net. It's a good way to change the air. But this sport is a big thrill, especially when you play with Robin Haziza!

Isn't this a first in padel?

I already play padel in Switzerland. I would like to get more involved, but there is also the professional tennis career. You can't do everything at full speed either. But padel is a good, intelligent way to have fun while staying in the tennis circle in a way by working on your volley, your footwork, etc.

We have already talked about it. But we felt breathless after the last game ...

Well, with Robin, I played a lot. And I can tell you that there are times when you need a little time before you can start again. The rallies last much longer and at the same time our opponents are a few meters away from us. So, you have to be very dynamic on your legs at all times to avoid being caught. One of the differences between padel and tennis is the waiting time between points and the duration of these points. The points last longer and at the same time, you have less time between points to chain together. Sometimes, it's almost immediate. But I like it! At least, it's chained together and we can have good sessions.

Monfils: “Padel is a physical sport”

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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