Malik Joundy, 43 years old, former Moroccan number 1 in table tennis in 2017, fully intends to defend himself at the International Club Cup. Padel at the Inacua Club which also hosts an ATP Tennis Challenger.

"Of course, we regularly talk about tennis players in padel, but padel brings together much more than” explains Malik to us.

Today in the Moroccan top 30, he tells us about his journey.

“COVID made me become a padel player”

“It was thanks to the COVID pandemic that I discovered padel. In 2020, the only sports allowed in Morocco were basketball and padel at the Oasis. When the restrictions were lifted, I didn't stop playing padel. On the contrary, I increased my frequency despite sore knees. Today, I play at CAFC (Cercle Amical Français de Casablanca).

Table tennis helped me understand trajectories with spin. It gives me an advantage on certain technical shots like the chiquita where the wrist is used. However, unlike many hard-hitting tennis players, I favor control, lobs, short shots and spin. Plus, being left-handed, I know it’s a sought-after asset.”

Team Morocco padel Casablanca

Comparison between Table Tennis and Padel

“Table tennis is an individual sport, while padel is a team sport. The former seems more technical to me, the latter more tactical, requiring collaboration between partners. Doubles in table tennis differs considerably from padel; in table tennis, players play alternately, which simplifies the choices. In addition, it is not possible to exclude a player in table tennis, because all participate equally.

A notable commonality between the two doubles sports is the advantage when a team is composed of a left-hander and a right-hander. In both cases, this frees up each player's forehand, providing a strategic advantage. Furthermore, although underestimated, spin plays a crucial role in padel, just as it does in table tennis, whether it is slice shots, side effects or soft balls. However, the serve in table tennis is of greater importance compared to padel.”

A popular expression related to padel

“One of the aspects of padel that appeals to me is the possibility of playing outdoors. In table tennis, it is mainly indoors, which is a shame when you enjoy the open air.

The boom observed around padel in Europe and elsewhere is also felt in Morocco. Proof of this is the craze at CAFC with nearly 450 active players. When I started, padel was little known with very few courts. Now, it seems that everyone wants to play it in Morocco. Proof of its growth, the popular Moroccan expression “sorry I have swimming pool” has now become “sorry I have padel”.

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.

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