We had the chance to interview Melissa Martin, who looks back on his first full-time season in Spain, his change of coach and his goals for 2021.

A change of coach after a particular year

Padel Magazine : Mélissa, 2020, first year in Madrid for you, a year necessarily complicated with the pandemic, but still positive?

Melissa Martin: “This year was special for everyone, and what is certain is that I did not imagine this first year for me in Madrid like that!

First point, my partner at the start of the season, Meli Garcia, who had suffered a sprain from the first tournament in Marbella, had to stop the competition after the three tournaments in Madrid. I was very disappointed because I got along very well with her and we had a lot of ambition together. So I juggled the partners quite quickly, but despite everything I learned a lot about myself thanks to it.

The results were also not at the rendezvous, and this is explained by these uncertainties of partners certainly, but above all a lack of competitions and also of physics, which I lacked almost all the year because of problems of health which prevented me from being at 100%. And it is clear that without it the rest cannot follow.

Despite everything, I am happy to have fought to train and to have given everything in competition. I know that people in general think that we players of the World Padel Tour Above all, we were lucky to be able to continue to compete and train almost all the time.

But it was far from obvious throughout the year, and I know how hard all these players have had to fight on a daily basis in order to be able to do what they love. So even though we are aware of how lucky we were, I just wanted to get the message across that it was not as rosy as people might imagine.

Melissa martin smash world padel tour

Padel Magazine : In terms of play, what has this year brought you in Spain?

Melissa Martin: “I was very happy to be able to play and train on a daily basis on the“ land ”of padel… It's really nice to live in a country that breathes padel ! Despite everything, I was not fully satisfied with my progress, hence my decision to change trainers a month ago.

Even if I would necessarily have liked to progress more, I think I have gained consistency and patience. Training with players over padel how tennis makes you work on that constancy and patience. But suddenly I still have to find this balance with my offensive side that I have also been able to leave a little too much aside this year ...

So that will be the goal next season: to play the game that suits me best, geared towards my strengths! “

Prepare for 2021

Padel Magazine : Do you already have a partner for next year?

Melissa Martin: "I don't have a regular player yet. I am still in discussion, but the most important for me at the beginning of the year, whatever my future partner, is to prepare myself as much as possible, to work very hard to give everything I can for the coming year !"

Mélissa Martin forehand volley

Padel Magazine : What does all this pre-season work actually consist of? Are you going to do it with your new coach Neki Berwig?

“Exactly, all this work I planned to do with my new coach, Neki, as well as a big physical preparation planned in parallel with my coach Jorge Rodriguez.

Concretely, that means working a lot to already gain confidence in my game. Gain a lot in volume before then knowing how to use my strengths as it should!

Neki is a great coach for me, she is very involved and has a huge desire to help me improve. So I trust him completely, just like my physical trainer! ”

Melissa Martin Neki Berwig

Xan is a fan of padel. But also rugby! And his posts are just as punchy. Physical trainer of several padel, he unearths atypical posts or deals with topical subjects. It also gives you some tips to develop your physique for the padel. Clearly, he imposes his offensive style as on the field of padel !

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