Instagram interview with Patrick tauma, former coach of tennis player Naomi Osaka and player of the France team of padel, who has his tennis academy in Miami, where he has lived for 16 years.

  • Regarding his collaboration with Naomi Osaka

I met Naomi and her sister Marie in an academy where they were invited. At the time they were not strong enough to be part of this academy so I proposed to their father to take them both in my academy for free in quotes, in exchange for a contract. Their father was very interested, I was lucky to have three other players who I coached at the same time and who paid me. I trained the Osaka sisters for a year and Naomi became the best junior, in front of Bencic, which all the sponsors tore off. She even beat Bencic (6/2 6/3). I trained him morning and evening.

After a year, her parents told me "we're going to sign the contract but you have to find us money". For 48 hours, agents, sponsors came, Wilson made them a proposal. They all rushed on her for 2-3 days, offered her money. And then finally his father told me “we don't sign a contract”. So I asked them to leave.

We are still a bit in touch but her father tries to block all communication between her and me so that I do not reveal the truth. I spent $ 4000 or $ 5000 a month on fields, fitness, sparings, physiotherapy, etc. In the end, the parents made me glimpse a signature of a contract that never took place, they told me that I was part of the family, I may have been naive, I was passionate, I knew that I had a nugget in my hands, I dreamed that it was number one in the world. Christophe Jean, who trained her two years before me, experienced the same thing.

They called me after his victory at the Australian Open, they said to me “Patrick we will not give you money but you have all our love, on the other hand you forget us…”. I hope that one day she will get back in touch with me because I have very good memories of Naomi.

  • Regarding his discovery of padel

I knew the padel in 1993, some would call me the dinosaur of padel ! In 1993 I decided to take my State Tennis Certificate. I was at the UCPA in Lacanau to take one of the tests and two players: Franck and Bernard Frances, French number one padel came to see me to introduce me to padel. I did not know this sport, it did not interest me. I ended up giving it a try and loved it. One thing leading to another, they introduced me to Claude Baigts, president of the federation of padel at the time, and they invited me to events with the best French, Laurent Imbert, Brice Bernard, Alexis Salles etc.

  • His experience as a padel

At the very beginning, there were mainly players who had no tennis history. Often people played very well in defense, but not very well on the fly.

At the time, it was the Argentine rule: return-fly. We weren't allowed to serve and volley, it was a much more defensive game. The padel had been created to make a sport with more exchanges, less aggressive, with more defense. It made it possible to learn to play with the walls, to work on defense.

I prefer of course the game forward, the volley, but the old rule made me feel good.

Franck and Bernard Frances had a good level, which allowed them to play against the best Spanish. I also went to Spain to do tournaments, thanks to Claude Baigts in particular.

  • Regarding the evolution of competition in padel

Today it is much easier for tennis players. Before we could get away without having played tennis, but now you have to be very strong on the fly, with big reflexes.

Players who have been very good at tennis are used to training hard, a technique, a discipline they had when they were young in tennis, which they are now transposing to padel, that's what allows them to perform so quickly.

Everything is going faster. You have to trust your partner, and feel that there is not too much difference in level between the two players. At the time there were few players who played well so there was sometimes a big difference in level in a pair.

Before we were a small nucleus of players so we had to be united. Today there are so many good players that it is much easier to change partners.

  • Regarding the beginnings of padel in Ile de France

Having a lot of fun as a player, I decided to promote the padel. In 1994-1995, I was in Paris and I bought a plot of padel removable, for demonstrations. The Paris Country Club immediately loved the idea, they gave me a location, we set up the court there with my father, my brother and some friends. I was there every day to do exhibitions, initiations.

Everyone was fully into tennis, I was a pioneer. I then put my court at Stade Français, but I felt a little lonely, at the time there was not too much enthusiasm. I contacted all the clubs in Ile de France, I offered my court for free but people were not interested. It was too early, people were not ready.

Then, in 1998, Claude Baigts put a court in Rueuil-Malmaison. It offered clubs of padel free at town halls, in exchange for advertising space.

  • The rise of padel in the United States and particularly in Florida

It has been about 15 years since the padel is known in Miami and Ford Lauderdale, with Nalé Grinda, precursor of padel in the United States, which set up a club in Wynwood with 8 tracks. We have a plan to do covered courses, near Boca Raton, Florida.

In Florida, there is a strong South American community, which plays a lot. We are trying to interest the Americans but it will go up. All the clubs are full, now we have to find investors to create clubs.

We don't want to make clubs purely padel but to make “racket clubs”, where we will put padel and pickleball, which is a sport that is very popular in the USA. The objective is to introduce the padel pickleball players.

  • On the administrative functioning of padel to USA

It is not yet as structured as in France. It's more internal tournaments, in clubs. We are more on private competitions. For example, Nalé organizes tournaments where he brings players who are among the best in the world to his club.

 

Find the + / Internet users' questions / INSIDE in the podcast here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsFjAG17vYo

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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