He is known for his NBA career, his titles with the San Antonio Spurs, and his status as a French sports icon. But for several years now,  Tony Parker  cultivates another passion: the  paddle .

Discreet but consistent on the track, the former French national team playmaker has once again taken to the sport in recent days on the sidelines of...  Forest Hill of the Aquaboulevard , in Paris. A sporting and friendly event that confirms his commitment to the discipline.

A trio that's 100% sport and entertainment

For this Paris session, Tony Parker wasn't alone. He initially played with his usual partner, Alexis Lefebvre. Facing them was another well-known figure in French sport: Robert Pirès, a former French international who notably played for Arsenal FC.

The duo was completed by David Marouani, a singer-songwriter who is also a padel enthusiast. This mix of genres perfectly illustrates the growing appeal of this sport to personalities from diverse backgrounds.

Padel, the ideal playing field for former champions

Although Tony Parker retired from the NBA in 2019, his taste for competition and adrenaline remains undiminished. We were able to contact him during the Human Padel Open, the former stage of the World Padel Tour in Toulouse, of which he was one of the promoters.

More physically accessible than basketball or football, but tactically demanding, padel allows you to rediscover  team spirit, reflexes and game awareness , in a more relaxed atmosphere.

Seeing figures like Tony Parker or Robert Pirès on the Parisian courts is no small thing. Their presence helps to boost the visibility of padel in France, at a time when the sport is experiencing constant growth in terms of both players and infrastructure.

The Forest Hill Aquaboulevard, one of the major sports complexes in the capital, thus confirms its role as a meeting point between sport, business and personalities.

Tony Parker, for his part, seems to have definitively embraced the little yellow ball and the glass walls. A sporting career change that, without fanfare, fits perfectly into the current dynamics of French 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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