For two years,  Sophie Gilbert  gives lessons in  paddle  au  Tennis Country Club La Baule . Less than ten minutes walk from the sea and fine sand, the sports Association  matters  315 members  to padel. The structure offers  four outdoor courts , emerged from the ground in  October 2023 .

 Wednesday 7 may , the weather is still cool but the sun is already present at  The Baule . And the  outdoor padel courts  are already taken by the players.  12 hrs , Sophie Gilbert, the  padel coach  of the club, has just finished a course.

The padel courts are recent, they were inaugurated in  October 2023 .

"I love my job and with the incredible setting of the club, I feel like I'm on vacation every day.“, she smiles.

Classified  3/6 in tennis , Sophie Gilbert was  19th French  to padel. In  2016 , it is formed within the  French tennis federation  with  Patrick Fouquet  et  Brice Bernard ,  pioneers of French padel .

The friendly atmosphere of padel

And unlike tennis, the atmosphere   is more  friendly  at padel:

"Some students have become friends that I meet up with for drinks. There's a really good atmosphere."

After living in  Paris  and past  20 years as a coach at the Tennis Club de Tours , Sophie Gilbert arrives in  Loire Atlantique  :

"After several years of giving lessons in another padel club in La Baule, I arrived two years ago at the Tennis Country Club La Baule“, she assures.

Padel lessons for young people

Sophie Gilbert proposes a  padel school  for  jeunes  :

"We have 24 young people, some of whom are discovering the sport through padel."

And compared to the  private structures , an  annual subscription  is available. While adding access to people  external  at the club:
"Holidaymakers coming to La Baule can take lessons and reserve a court."

During the summer ,  internships in Lisbon  au  Portugal  are offered to members:

"We're leaving for four days. The participants are supervised by Portuguese teachers and myself. We have three hours of classes from 3 a.m. to 10 p.m., then we have lunch at the club and in the afternoon we visit the city."

At the Tennis Country Club La Baule,  40% of the 315 members  are  women .

 Stephanie Chapuis  is part of it:

"I followed Sophie when she changed clubs. I play padel three times a week. It's a really fun sport, and you meet new people. My husband also plays here. We're now a whole group of friends. I played basketball for fifteen years, but the atmosphere is really different at padel."

40 years of life dedicated to tennis

 Sophie Gilbert  spent his whole life on a  tennis court  :

"I started playing tennis at the age of six and have played tennis for 40 years; it's truly my passion. By the age of 14, I knew I wanted to become a tennis teacher, despite my parents' reluctance."

And the fact of moving to the  paddle  allowed him to give a  new impetus  to his career:

"It gave me new energy. Padel is much more tactical, less frustrating, and more accessible than tennis. In tennis, on a court, you fight against yourself."

Sophie Gilbert still finds time to watch  padel matches  despite his busy schedule:

"I love  Federico Chingotto  (Argentine player and 3rd in the world, editor's note). I also watch the French women:  Alix Collombon  et  Léa Godallier . I also look at the French women: Alix Collombon and Léa Godallier.”

More about https://padel-labaule.fr/ and Tennis Country Club La Baule.

Henri Pasquet

Passionate about soccer and tennis since I was a kid, I've been playing ping-pong for three years at a club in Nantes. More recently, I discovered padel! Basketball, rugby, golf, and motorsports: yet more new sports that I follow regularly. On the cultural side, since I love giving my opinion, I write film and video game reviews on my Instagram page, Silence ça Mix.

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