Toulouse, soon to be the French padel capital? This racket sport, halfway between tennis and squash, is a hit in France and particularly in Occitania, a real French lung. It is here that we have the most practitioners, licensees but also fields and tournaments. That’s why Tony Parker is interested in the pink city and wants to promote and develop the practice of this sport in Occitania and France.
A stage of the Padel World Championship in Toulouse
His company T&T Padel, founded with judoka Teddy Riner, and Robin Haziza, seven-time French padel champion, is organizing from June 13 to 19, the only French stage of the padel world championship. The World Padel Tour (WPT) will set down in Toulouse, at the Palais des Sports André-Brouat. Enough to attract a large audience, in an Occitanie region, the cradle of the discipline. Geographical proximity to Spain probably explains the phenomenon. Padel, a sport that came straight from Mexico, was exported to Argentina, and especially to Spain. In the Iberian country, padel is a hit so well that it is the second most popular sport after football. Before France?
A mini-tennis between four walls
More than 200,000 French people practice padel. A sport that is played in doubles, two against two, with windows around, between four glass walls precisely, with a racket with holes, without strings, and yellow balls softer than in tennis. It is a sport accessible to all. In our region, there are about fifty structures to practice this sport, especially clubs. Among these structures, there are also complexes of the same type as those used to play 5-a-side football. 4Padel in Colomiers, west of Toulouse. One of the biggest centers where you can play padel.
Grounds always full at the end of the day
As soon as you push the door of the complex, you understand the phenomenon. The exchanges of yellow balls fuse, the sound of the short racket hitting the ball is muffled between the four glass walls of the eleven pitches of the 4Padel and it’s going all over the place. The grounds are all full at the end of the day. it is absolutely necessary to reserve up to two weeks in advance to play in the evening. Corentin, 27, comes once a week with friends, “as we come in the evening it’s often full, it attracts a lot of people, you have to anticipate” says the one who plays padel with a Stade Toulousain jersey on his back.
A sport that everyone loves
On the ground, Monique is there, with 3 other women. They have been playing padel since September and have “on average” all 57 years old. “It’s a very fun and friendly sport and it’s great to play four” says Monique, who has a few years of experience in squash. His evening buddy Katie, 30 years of tennis in the legs, finds the happiness of hitting the yellow ballshe became addicted to Padel. “It’s a mix between tennis and squash, we play with the windows, four, the court is smaller, the racket is shorter, more forgiving, and anyone can play right away, even without have played a racquet sport before” explains Katie, enthusiastic.
It’s a mix between tennis and squash. We play with the windows, four, the field is smaller, and anyone can play right away, even without having played racket sports before – Katie, padel player, 57 years old.
There are the regulars, but there are obviously also the novices, like Marine, out of breath but visibly delighted, after 1h30 of discussions. This is the first time she plays padel, “I really enjoyed it, it was really not bad, it won’t be my last” confides the young woman.
The room is always full
One of the complex’s padel referents, Renan, talks aboutan easily accessible sport for as many people as possible. “We exchange two, three balls, and it’s good, let’s go!”. He insists on this discipline which knows no crisis. “With us, the further we go, the more the pitches are filled from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Even at noon, local workers come to play during their lunch break here, it doesn’t stop” explains Renan.
Now the development and communication of padel is done almost on its own, rejoices the referent of the complex, in particular thanks to word of mouth. A nice ad then, since the 4Padel center in Toulouse-Colomiers welcomes between 100 and 150 players every day.