Malik Joundy, 43 years old, former Moroccan number 1 in table tennis in 2017, fully intends to defend himself at the International Club Cup. Padel at the Inacua Club which also hosts an ATP Tennis Challenger.

"Certainly, we regularly talk about tennis players in the padel, but the padel brings together far beyond” explains Malik to us.

Today in the Moroccan top 30, he tells us about his journey.

“COVID made me become padelist”

“It was thanks to the COVID pandemic that I discovered the padel. In 2020, the only sports authorized in Morocco were basketball and padel at the Oasis. When the restrictions were lifted, I didn't stop playing padel. On the contrary, I increased my frequency despite having sore knees. Today, I play for CAFC (Cercle Amical Français de Casablanca).

Table tennis helped me understand trajectories with spin. It gives me an advantage on certain technical shots like the chiquita where the wrist is used. However, unlike many hard-hitting tennis players, I favor control, lobs, short shots and spin. Plus, being left-handed, I know it’s a sought-after asset.”

Team Morocco padel White House

Comparison between Table Tennis and Padel

“Table tennis is an individual sport, while padel is collective. The first seems more technical to me, the second more tactical requiring collaboration between partners. Doubles in table tennis differs significantly from padel ; In table tennis, players play alternately, which simplifies choices. Additionally, it is not possible to exclude a player in table tennis, as everyone participates equally.

A notable commonality between the two doubles sports is the advantage when a team consists of a left-hander and a right-hander. In both cases, this frees up each player's forehand, providing a strategic advantage. Moreover, although underestimated, the effect plays a crucial role in the padel, just like in table tennis, whether cutting shots, side effects or soft balls. However, the serve in table tennis has greater importance compared to the padel. "

A popular expression linked to padel

“One of the aspects of padel What appeals to me is the possibility of playing outdoors. In table tennis, it's mainly indoors, which is a shame when you enjoy the open air.

The boom observed around padel in Europe and elsewhere is also felt in Morocco. Proof of this is the enthusiasm at CAFC with nearly 450 active players. When I started, the padel was little known with very little land. Now it seems like everyone wants to play it in Morocco. Proof of its growth, the popular Moroccan expression “dsl I have swimming pool” has now become “dsl I have padel »."

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovers the padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since padel is part of his life. You often see him touring France going to cover the major events of padel French.

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