Padel is enjoying a boom among high-level athletes from other sports, particularly team sports. Indeed, as we saw in our previous article (Padel attracts top athletes), footballers, rugby players, handball players, basketball players are increasingly taking up padel.

But why are they interested in this practice?

At first, some high-level athletes are taking advantage of the enthusiasm surrounding padel, boosted in recent years by its media coverage, particularly brought by stars: Kylian Mbappé, Antoine Dupont, Thomas Ramos, Riyad Mahrez, Jonathan Clauss...

Athletes from team sports who have adopted padel

Handball is no exception to this phenomenon. Valentin Porte, right back of Montpellier Handball explained to us a year ago: “What I particularly appreciate about padel is its collective aspect. Even though there are only two of us per team, the communicating and mutual aid are essential, just like in handball.” Another example, Manon Marcarie former French Interleague handball champion and French rugby union vice-champion, has chosen to retrain in padel and is now establishing herself as a promising figure in French padel, now 17th best French player. 

Then, like retired footballers, whose presence on the padel courts has become common, it attracts many retired athletes who practice it in order to maintain a high physical level while having fun: Samir Nasri, Jérémy Ménez, Sylvain Wiltord (now padel coach), Sidney Govou, Robert Pirès, Eric Abidal, Zidane, Laure Boulleau, Patrice Evra, Eden Hazard and many others. They regularly organize meetings and recently participated in the tournament MK Best Padel which was held at Padel Beauchamp Football Club (95), last December.

MK-Best-Padel-Riyadh-Mahrez-Robert-Pires-Samir-Nasri-Eric-Abidal

There are many examples of former football professionals who are now playing padel: Hatem Ben Arfa, former player of the French team (38 years old, 15 caps, 2 goals), licensed with the Paris Country Club, occupies 764th place in the French ranking. Didier Deschamps has had a plot of land built on his property.

According to the former professional footballer Ludovic Giuly What I like about padel: “is that you can play with everyone. From a 10-year-old kid to grandpa… It’s very fun and friendly. You can play it outside or inside. There’s cardio, thinking and technique. And it’s easier to have fun than tennis, even if you don’t have great technique,” ​​he admitted in Le Figaro in June.

Zinedine Zidane had also explained in Padel Magazine, in November 2021: “I think it's mainly because it's very easy to start playing. Plus, you can play with an older person, with a child... It's a very accessible sport. You may or may not like it, but I'm a total fan! For me, who's almost 50, being on a football pitch is getting more and more complicated. So to play with friends, with family, padel is perfect!”  

Patrick Vieira

To Patrick Vieira, former French international footballer, “it’s very easy to switch from football to padel, especially since the pitch is quite small which allows you to cover the ground quickly, to play more easily: everything is there to have fun. There are a lot of similarities in footwork with football.” , in his interview for Forest Hill.

Retirees from other sports are experiencing the same fervor for padel. Yoann Huget, a former French rugby union international, recently made headlines by embarking on this sporting adventure, just like Thierry Omeyer, former goalkeeper of the French handball team, or even Boris Diaw, William Servat  et Vincent Clerc previously.

What really appeals to athletes from team sports in padel is the importance of teamwork, strategy and communication, elements present in all of these sports.

Investments

Padel investments Cristiano Ronaldo Zlatan Ibrahimovic Zinedine Zidane

Others have chosen to invest in padel. This is the case, for example, of Zinedine Zidane with these centers Z5 which combine 5-a-side football and padel, Cristiano Ronaldo and its investments in the Lisbon Racket Center and “City of Padel" in Lisbon, Zlatan Ibrahimovic with his frankness "Padel Zenter”, Luka Modric who invested in Club of Padel The Tablasou, Francesco Totti, Virgil van Dijk, Jamie Vardy, João Félix or, Robert Lewandowski to name but a few. The latter has also entered the Hexagon Cup where he manages his own team, the RL9 Padel Team.

There are many examples: Anthony Lopes and its structures all in Padel with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Johan Bergeron, Nicolas Douchez in Bordeaux (Big padel), T&T Padel, founded by the famous Tony Parker and Teddy Riner, who organized the Human Padel Open (whose Director was none other than Robin Haziza, captain of the French women's team) in Toulouse for two consecutive years.

And the clubs in all this?

Many clubs have now adopted padel. Indeed, beyond the individual practice of professional athletes in their free time, several (team sports) clubs are now choosing to use padel as part of their training.

Team sports clubs that have adopted padel

Examples: During an early season training camp in Portugal, OM coach Rudi Garcia had organized a few years ago with his staff a small tournament with the Marseille players, to strengthen the cohesion of the group. The club of OL has also organized padel sessions to work on endurance and cardio in recent seasons. Also in France, the Nancy Handball also started playing padel last January.

Gregory Sertic, a former professional footballer, explains the importance of playing padel within the training program of professional footballers for Padel Magazine: “I quickly realized the importance of padel in football training. Coaches like Unai Emery (current Aston Villa manager in the Premier League) have incorporated it into their programs to improve players' footwork and change of direction. Playing padel with my midfield teammates has strengthened our bond and communication on the pitch. Padel is not only a physical exercise, it is also an effective way to strengthen team bonds and develop better coordination. I am convinced that padel can be an excellent means of rehabilitation after an injury.”

The same applies to Yoann Huget (rugby player): “Footwork is quite effective in padel, and it could be useful in rugby training,” he said in Padel Magazine.

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