Margaux Randjbar: “A new challenge to Padel House!”

During the Cupra Padel Point Tour from Bordeaux, last week, we were able to find Margaux Randjbar , current 29th French player in the ranking.

The person in charge of Padel House, where this first stage was held, looks back on her beginnings within the club and her career as a padel player.

The beginnings of Padel House

Padel House is a center which opened its doors last September. It was four Girondins who noticed that there was a shortage of clubs in Bordeaux and its surroundings , especially on the right bank.

They looked for premises to rent and they found this great opportunity, with this beautiful complex which is more than 2.000m2. It is an infrastructure with five indoor tracks , with over eight meters high which is perfect for tournaments.

A new string to his bow

This is the first time I have managed a padel club. Since the beginning, we can say that there have been ups and downs, especially at the beginning when you have to do everything, manage everything.

At the beginning, I was helped by three work-study students, who also had to be trained. This was not an easy thing, in the sense that the club is open from 9 a.m. to midnight every day of the week and 9 a.m. to 21 p.m. on weekends . In terms of opening, this gives wide opening hours…

It is a very enriching experience , both in the management of the club and in the training of young people. Lots of challenges.

We add to that the approval because initially, we were not affiliated with the FFT. We couldn't do tournaments from the start, we had to wait January to do our first P25 . With tournaments, we had to find a referee, so we went to approach referees.

Since we held our first tournament, we have had great feedback from players, who find the complex fantastic, with very good quality of pitches. They are also happy with the organization.

Rediscover the taste of padel

I first touched a padel racket in 2019. It was at our “competitor", Left Bank, Big Padel. It was during a tournament and it went so well that my partner and I won the tournament.

We did other tournaments afterwards and that's when I found a sport that was so fun and so accessible. I really liked it so I decided to continue. This is why I left to teach padel in the Canary Islands , with other racket sports as well. These were my first experiences as a padel coach.

Then, there was COVID so I came back and started playing padel well in 2021. I now feel like I'm running out of steam a little. You often have to travel quite far, you have to make a professional and financial commitment... And then, always facing the same pairs, every weekend, it's a bit boring.

now I decided to focus a little more on the men's tournaments in the region , to move around less and to still love the sport I practice.

A return to the women's circuit?

I'm wondering. I'm also reaching an age where you want to relax and do other things with your weekends.

I don't necessarily have an answer to give today. I think so. At nearby tournaments, you will see me but I will no longer be running around to play tournaments.

The development of women's padel

The development of women's padel was really, at the beginning, the subject of discussion with the managers of Padel house. I really specified my interest in developing women's padel . I started with tournaments “social” on weekends, especially Sundays.

It worked pretty well. These were no-brainer tournaments, where everyone could come with their own level or their expert level. This allowed me to meet new women, more or less old. This allowed me to learn to play, with others, or even with myself. During these tournaments, I also took the opportunity to coach them a little.

The goal was to have a user-friendly appearance. We had a little aperitif at the end of the tournament together, we debriefed on our personal life so It went well beyond padel . It created a network, and we could see each other outside.

Afterwards, I created a special female group for the courses, which worked very quickly. Every Tuesday evening, at 18 p.m., I have women. It's a beginner level but they want to learn the basics and play games during lessons. They tell me every time that it's difficult for them, that they can't find games, that men don't want to play with them. So they come to take lessons and for the moment, it’s working very well!

To watch the full interview, click here:

Gwenaelle Souyri

It was her brother who one day told her to accompany him to a padel court, since then, Gwenaëlle has never left the court. Except when it comes to going to watch the retransmission of Padel Magazine, World Padel Tour… or Premier Padel…or the French Championships. In short, she is a fan of this sport.