Today Padel Magazine honors an atypical profile but which over time is becoming more and more common, that of a former squash player converted into the padel. The latter is called Stéphane Penso, 48 years old and from Marseille.

A life devoted to squash

After 30 years of playing squash, he developed a passion for our discipline.

During his career Stéphane was able to rub shoulders with the best players of his generation: Thierry Lincou who lived in Marseille and Grégory Gaultier in Aix (both were world number 2 and world champions), not to mention Renan Lavigne (current coach of the French squash team), Gregoire Marche and Mathieu Castagnet (still World Top 20).

Champions_of_Frances_3 squash steph penso
He had the honor of representing Set Squash Marseille for the team matches, with whom he had the opportunity to win 2 French championship titles.

The call of padel was too strong

His encounter with the 20x10m was due to pure chance.

Penso Lavigne France Squash coach padel

Stéphane Penso and Renan Lavigne, coach of the French squash team

As he was able to evoke during our meeting with him, his first time on a track was through a friend offering him a game of padel in the summer of 2017.

In front of the stifling heat which reigned in Marseilles it was impossible for Stéphane and his friends to shut themselves up to go to tread the parquet floor. This is how the squash player became a “padelero ”.

Unfortunately for him during his second game, a muscle tear in his calf pushed him away for 8 weeks. He takes advantage of this period of convalescence to learn about this new discipline which fascinates him. Streaming matches, material, sport history, technique, tactics, all these elements are sifted through for a total and rapid assimilation of the padel.

He quickly realizes that this sport is made for him; especially because of its strategic side.

Soon a Lincou / Penso pair at padel ?

The meeting with Padel Magazine

This is also due to pure chance.

In a question asked by the magazine on Facebook about the grip of a racquet, Stéphane gets noticed by Julien Bondiacoach of padel in Tenerife and columnist for Padel Magazine.
After an exchange and a few articles written and published, he comes to meet Franck Binisti, founder of the Online Magazine during the Canet-en Roussillon FIP last summer. As a good specialist in racket testing padel, Stéphane participates in the animation between matches with his friends from French Padel Shop: Manu Garcia and Julien Pes.

Stephane Penso English Padel Shop

Well known among pala brands for having done many reviews, Stéphane enjoys all the confidence of French Padel Shop, who sends him the rackets so that he can test them and then give his feelings via articles on Padel Magazine

The Maccabias 2022

As a reminder, the Maccabias or Maccabiah Games are Jewish sporting events organized every 4 years in Israel like the Olympic Games.

It is the 3rd sports organization behind the Olympics and university games. This represents 10 athletes from 000 countries for a total of 80 sports.

Stéphane has already been able to represent France 4 times in squash and so next year he will defend the tricolor colors again, at the padel this time ! And we can say that France is lucky because, in addition to our official tester, it has two players who have already won the Maccabiades in Tennis and who are pade specialists: Robin Haziza et Laurent Bensadoun.
Some rumors suggest that Cyril Hanouna would also make himself available to participate in this great sports festival!

 

Team Padel May

Team Padel Magazine tries to offer you since 2013 the best of padel, but also surveys, analyzes to try to understand the world of padel. From the game to the politics of our sport, Padel Magazine is at your service.

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