Sport’s Growth: Social & Dynamic Future

Pep Canyadell (Lleida, 1999) has become an important figure at a national and international level in the modern racket discipline Pickleball. The young Catalan, one of the most prominent players in this sport today, reviews his personal history and the keys to a sport that continues to grow in our country in Mundo Deportivo.

His beginnings in tennis, his time in the United States and his successes in Pickleball. Canyadell It is a benchmark in Catalonia for a sport that “will continue to grow, due to the characteristics it has and how it is designed.”

He has become one of the best Pickleball players in the entire state, but his beginnings are in tennis.

I started playing tennis when I was 4 years old, until I was 18. Then I went to the United States with a scholarship to study there at the university and it was yesterday when I discovered Pickleball.

How and when did you discover Pickleball?

Exactly in my second year of the master’s degree. My coach played a lot and recommended that I try it, that I would be good at it. From the first time I played I fell in love with it and have continued playing since then.

“It was a curious sport and since I tried it for the first time I was hooked”

Pep CanyadellPickleball player

What was your first impression of the new sport and how did you get hooked on it?

I have always liked all racket sports. I have always played tennis, paddle tennis, ping-pong… It was a curious sport and since I tried it for the first time I was hooked.

Was the decision difficult to take the step of leaving tennis and focusing on Pickleball?

At first it was more social, like a hobby. But no, I liked it from the beginning and I moved forward. Yes, it is true that at first they are very different sports and you have to adapt, but I liked it from the beginning.

Over time, the decision seems to have been the right one, with all the successes it is accumulating. It is not only a reference here in Spain, but also internationally.

Yes, it is true that it does. I have been playing for two years and especially this last year we have obtained very good results, both on a personal level and with the Spanish team. The truth is that I am very happy.

How has your evolution been, since you started competing until today?

At first, when you start in the United States it seems more social, but it becomes more and more professional, you train much more and there is more of a physical part. As the sport evolves and new people come out, you have to professionalize and constantly improve.

How much time do you spend practicing it?

I normally go to the gym three times a week, in terms of the physical part. At the court level I try to do as much as possible, there are more weeks, others less, depending on whether we have tournaments or not, but we try to play as much as possible.

“Every time it becomes more professional, we train much more and there is more of a physical part”

Pep CanyadellPickleball player

He has been competing at the highest level for some time. What have been your most memorable moments?

I would tell you in September of this year, when we became European champions with the Spanish team. It was a very rewarding moment because you are not only playing for yourself, but you are playing for a country. It was a very good experience.

When you started with Pickleball, did you imagine achieving everything you are achieving?

No, no, not at all. At first it starts as just another hobby and, as you play, you see that you do it well, that it is fun and there is the possibility of playing many tournaments. In the end, things are happening and I am very happy and grateful for how everything is going.

Where do you place your roof?

I try not to put a ceiling on myself, play as much as possible, without any expectations and enjoy the moment.

Pickleball was born in the United States in the 1960s, and is currently successful with more than 50 million practitioners around the world. What does the success of this modality depend on?

As you said, it started in the 60s, but it was especially between 2017 and 2020 when it boomed in the United States. It is a very social and very dynamic sport. People of different levels can play it and this makes it very attractive. There are now more than 40 million people playing it in the United States.

For those who do not know this modality, what does it consist of?

It is a paddle sport that is played with a plastic ball and with the measurements of a badminton court. The most important rule is that there is a line between the net and the back court, which is called the kitchen, and in that area you cannot bowl or step inside. If you step, it’s a foul and you lose the point. This is what makes it more different than other racket sports.

Can anyone practice it? What is needed?

Correct. The good thing about Pickleball is that it can be played by both young people and people who are 80 or 90 years old, as is the case in the United States. They play and there is no problem. There are specialized Pickleball shoes, but you can also play with tennis or paddle tennis shoes.

You who have experienced the fever of this sport in the United States, can you explain to us the dimension of this modality there?

I lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a small city of about 150,000 inhabitants. There were 17 courts for the public and in the afternoon they were all full, with people even waiting to play.

In Catalonia, almost two years ago, the Catalan Tennis Federation officially incorporated it into its structure. A decision that has consolidated the commitment to give a boost to the sport.

Yes, it was a very good decision. When the Catalan Tennis Federation gets involved, only good things can come out. Everything we can do to promote the sport, making it known both in schools and by holding events or tournaments, is all positive.

With the commitment that the FCT is making to this modality, there is an increasingly larger network of tournaments.

Even this year I think there will be more circuits, more tournaments. Every time people will get to know it more and more people will play.

Catalan Pickleball already has names that are successful both at the national and international level, like yourself, but also others like Ignasi de Rueda or Clàudia Caymel.

In the end, I am very grateful to be able to be a reference or is at the top. Both Ignasi and Claudia, and many more in Catalonia, are having good results and we are very happy with how things are going.

Do you think Pickleball is here to stay?

Yes, I think so. Completely. I think the sport will continue to grow, because of the characteristics it has and how it is designed. I hope it continues to grow and establish itself.

What message would you give to someone who has never tried Pickleball to encourage them to do so?

Let them try it. If anyone needs anything they can contact me without any problem. More and more clubs are opening in Barcelona. Let them try it, because once they try it they will surely like it.