Le Padel is developing and attracting more and more young players. On the professional circuit, it is not uncommon to see young Spanish 17/18 years old part of the previas. What is more surprising is to see the longevity that athletes can have in the Padel.

Indeed, the example of the Portuguese Catarina Nogueira is striking. See you soon 41 years, she has just achieved the best performance of her career at the WPT Marbella by reaching the semifinals of a Master. 

In men, we can mention Miguel Lamperti (41 years), Fernando Balesteguin (41 years), Christian Gutierrez (42 years) ...

The parallel with tennis is interesting. We all remember, Jimmy Connors who managed to play at a good level beyond 40 years but this type of example is rare. There is of course Roger Federer and his soon 38 years but these players are exceptions. 

Having regular players around 40 years old Padel can be explained by several reasons. 

The first is the format difference in tournaments. Indeed, a Top 10 player wishing to make a WPT will play all of his matches over 3/4 days, whereas a tournament in the grand chelem will be played over 15 days. 

Prize Money is not the same either. Some tennis players have a very intensive career with a hundred games played during the season. After 4 or 5 years of career, their retirement is assured. This is less the case in the Padel. Indeed, even if the top players manage to have comfortable incomes, we are far from the world of tennis.

The match format is also different. Win a grand chelem in tennis, this requires winning matches in 3, 4 or 5 sets, whereas the classic format in Padel, even in the finals is 2 winning rounds. A match, even hooked up, will therefore last a maximum of 2 hours / 2:30 and not 4 or 5 hours like some tennis matches. 

Also note that there are fewer tournaments on the Padel and that the accumulation of matches in some tennis players generates both physical and mental fatigue. 

The location of the tournament is also mainly in Spain. The first Master of the season has just taken place in Marbella. The next Open will take place in Logroño, the next in Alicante… We are therefore far from the constraints of the tennis player who will have to move from Dubai to Melbourne, then play the American tournament, before returning to Europe… As many time differences as must not suffer the player from Padel high level. 

Finally, the game conditions are not the same. The matches in the tables of the WPT are generally played in rooms. This avoids playing in hot weather as may be the case at the Australian Open or other major tournaments. It also helps greatly to protect the physical integrity of high level players. 

Jonathan Uzan

Specialist World Padel Tour, Jonathan manages the WPT Facebook page PADEL.
Its mission: To make you vibrate with the news of the extraterrestrials of the professional circuit!

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