Patrik Wozniacki, the brother of former world number one Caroline Wozniacki is embarking on the padel. Sporty, passionate and with a very interesting international vision, he gives us his opinion on the development of padel.

Patrik Wozniacki is also and above all a former Danish professional football player with more than 100 matches to his credit, players' agent, commentator for the TV2 channel. Founder of Padel Geek, he gives us his opinion on the evolution of padel in Scandinavia but also on the institutions of padel.

  • Patrick, how did you fall into the padel  ?

 I started playing padel thanks to my football friends. Sometimes a player was missing and I was offered to join them. But it was when I quit soccer that I really got into padel. I took classes and became a big fan of the sport.

And then there was this particular interest in snowshoes. padel. They come in different shapes and the feel can be really different from racket to racket. This is how I got started in padelgeek.com April 2019.

  • Can you give us some figures on the development of Denmark and its neighbors?

 This year has been amazing for the padel in Denmark. We have tripled the number of padel in 2019. We had about 2019. At the end of 91, we had XNUMX. The padel has only just started in Denmark, but I am sure that we will follow our Swedish neighbors where the padel has exploded for several years. There are more than 300 fields of padel and each year, this country multiplies its installations.

Norway is also slowly taking a taste of the padel like Denmark. More generally, it is Scandinavia that is being affected by the padel. Therefore, we have also launched a branch Padel Geek at Denmarkbut also Sweden.

  • You know the world of tennis very well. Can you compare it with the world of padel ?

 They are two completely different worlds. At least financially. We cannot compare WPT with WTA / ATP.

What may also be surprising is that live commentary is only done in Spanish on the professional circuit. I think it's a drag. The official language should be English. Spanish is a big problem even if I understand that it is still a mainly Spanish-speaking sport today. But the padel is becoming more and more international.

When we see these 9000 people present during the Master of World Padel Tour in Barcelona last December, on the other hand, it is very motivating and you can feel the emulation behind this sport.

In contrast, the problems that we see in tennis between the WTA / ATP circuit and the ITF cannot be compared with what we can see between the FIP / WPT and the EPA. What we see in the padel is certainly unique in sport in general. (editor's note. referring in particular to the two European padel in 2019 on the same week)

Some people from these institutions padel should be replaced by more professional people for the sake of the padel. But I'm afraid it will take time.

  • Tennis and padel, sports that can help each other?

 Tennis can help the padel to grow for several reasons. First, tennis players seem to bring reflexes, gestures, reactions to the padel. We see many tennis players testing themselves at the padel and become good. Many tennis players know how to volley for example. Easier to get started in padel.

Then, we see more and more celebrities from the world of tennis getting into the padel. Obviously, this is beneficial for the padel. It gives him good publicity.

Professional tennis players can become ambassadors for the sport. I can't see the padel on the other hand bring as much to tennis.

  • Caroline Wozniacki, soon on the slopes of padel ?

 Caroline plays padel. She also loves this sport. She doesn't practice it often yet since she still plays tennis and that might not help her. But sometimes with her friends she can hit the ball in the padel. She must have played a dozen times I imagine.

But since she should withdraw from the circuit after the Australian Open, I'm sure she could play much more often in the near future.

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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