Is it possible for an ambidextrous player, i.e. a person who is both left-handed and right-handed, to play with both hands at the padel ? Right away, we would tend to answer that everyone does what they want and that it is an advantage which we would be foolish not to take advantage of.

Especially since, in other sports such as football, basketball or handball, it can be an undeniable quality; be able to shoot from any side, either for the feet or the hands. Ousmane Dembélé, Pavel Nedved or Wesley Snijder are examples of football champions with this particularity.

However, for racquet sports, it is much less commonplace. The problem for an ambidextrous player in a sport like tennis is the amount of time it takes to change hands with the correct grip. At the professional level, very few athletes have evolved at the top level using this feature on the field.

For example, tennis is the only activity that Rafael Nadal practices with the left hand, he who is originally right-handed. He therefore has ambidextrous abilities, but he does not use them to play with both hands. In other sports, on the other hand, like Basque pelota, players are used to changing hands and prefer that to backhands.

The point of settlement that makes everyone agree

And so, regarding the padel ? We immediately see the advantage that this could have, especially on lobs that an ambidextrous player could therefore always play in smash, whatever the side and his position on the ground. Ditto for the service, for the bajadaS, etc.

In the end, it is the regulations that provide the answer. Here are the FFT regulations, in the chapter on the racket:

The wearing of the strap being compulsory in competition, it is difficult to see how it would be possible to change hands during the point. And we take this opportunity to remind you that, for your safety, that of your partner and your opponents, it is essential to put on the strap, even in training!

Finally, ambidextrous players can still shine on one aspect: nothing prevents them from changing hands before starting a new point by putting on the strap on the other side. They can therefore decide to play such a point with such a hand and such a point with the other. You just have to make your decision before the service!

Martin Schmuda

A competitive tennis player, Martin discovered the padel in 2015 in Alsace and appeared in a few tournaments in Paris. Today a journalist, he deals with current affairs padel while continuing its rise in the world of the little yellow ball!

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