“You can play cool rallies much faster,” padel coach Robin van der Heiden. Image: picture alliance / DeFodi Images
Padel is a mix of tennis and squash. And it’s really fun. If you’re one of those ball-loving people, give it a try! These are the things that matter.
I remember a vacation in Tuscany where I took a tennis course with my father. The sun beat down on the ash field, which was surrounded by bushes and orange trees. The trainer, Urs, was Spanish, a short, wiry guy who had a little too much energy. He shouted: “Stefanie, run, run, run.” I can still hear his words. Urs had recognized that this was my only strength. Once I reached the ball, it flew out of the field again.
So I ran through the bushes looking for the ball, my legs were scratched, I could watch my father play through the chain link fence. So I remember my first tennis lessons as an outside observer. After the vacation, I preferred to devote myself to other sports again. But now I heard that padel – played with a holey plastic racket on a court that is partially surrounded by glass walls – is said to be much easier than tennis. By the way, the rules are very similar to the tennis rules. What makes the sport so great?
