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«The secrets of padel (on and off the field)», numbers of an unprecedented boom

A little tennis, a little rackets. With the charm of banks on the glass. And the constant search – together with his partner – for the best solutionand to close the point. The padelin Italy, has long been experiencing a sensational explosion of popularity: a boom that – translated into data – means + 1650% of new fields in six years (from 291 in 2016 to 5094 from 2022, increasing daily) e + 1900% of practitioners in the last three years (from 50 thousand ad over a million). «I don’t think any sport, in our country, is never grew at such a speed», Says the former footballer Demetrio Albertini, one of the first to believe in the potential of this business.

«I discovered it in 2003, when I was ending my career in Spain (there it is now the second national sport after football, ed). I bet on it when still in Italy nobody knew him: he is able to unite competitive and fun»Adds Albertini. What with his agency sport marketing supported the entry into this universe of Banca Generali Private with the project It’s Padel Timewhich provides a national tour with nine stages already confirmed and six new branded plants. With two exceptional ambassadors: Emily Stellatobronze medal at the 2021 World Cup, e Lorenzo Di Giovannisilver at the European Championships 2021 and at the top of the FIT ranking.

Michele Seghizzi, Lorenzo Di Giovanni and Demetrio Albertini

«To think that I started playing padel only four years ago», Reveals the Italian number one, who as a boy he dreamed of becoming a big tennis player. “A friend of mine, who used to train with me in the morning, already in 2008 in the afternoon he went to play padel: he invited me, but I always told him no. And now he’s making fun of me, he tells me “who knows where you would be today if you had started at the time” ». Di Giovanni followed his wayhas coached great tennis players like Francesca Schiavone And Roberta Vinci. And thanks to the latter, now at the end of his career, he played one match between friends and fell in love with the “shovel”. Love at first sight.

“How it is happening to many in this period », he laughs. «The secret ingredient of padel? It is lived like a gamethe fun is immediate: unlike tennis, the racket is shortthe distance between the hand and the point where you hit the ball is short, so you hit it from the first exchanges, seems easy. The risk of getting bored, if you don’t raise your level, exists. But just take it some lessons to improve, and at that point quitting becomes really difficult: the longer you stay on the pitch, the more you want to be there. The exchanges are long and the thing that involves you a lot is to search every time The right way to be able to close the point “.

Lorenzo Di Giovanni and Michele Seghizzi

The harmony of the team, therefore, mixing defense and attacklike a game of chess, where intelligence often wins over strength. But why, despite a Rome – as in other areas of the world – the padel was already very popular it has expanded in the rest of Italy only in recent years? “The reasons are manifoldSays Di Giovanni. “First of all they arrived players from abroad that they brought knowledgewe could say the know-how of this sport. Then we add investments of great players, the media push of many stars and – paradoxically – as well the pandemicwith the newfound desire to do outdoor activities ».

So the major platforms – for example SkySport – have started broadcasting tournaments. Important companies – see Banca Generali Private, in fact – they have begun to build ad hoc projects. Shops, magazines and podcasts have sprung up specializedhow I’ll give you the padel, a series with Claudio Galuppini – alias Mr Padel – and Raffaele Tovazzi, creative director of Dr Podcast. Everyone to speak of lobsvolleyball and the famous bandsjatypical technical gesture of the padel. But what’s the hardest hit: “Playing with glass”, concludes Di Giovanni. «Understanding the trajectories, the rebounds. If you learn a use it to your advantageit’s done “.

The aspiring padel players I am warned.

Other stories of Vanity Fair that may interest you

Four former players with rackets: “It’s padel-derby”
Padel, how to avoid injuries during practice
The VIPs on the pitch at Poltu Quatu for a padel tournament (charity)
Padel tested for you: a mix between tennis and rackets

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Source: Vanity Fair

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