THEPadel is the sport of the moment: it has registered a + 8% of courses in Italy in 2021. Not only that: it is also much loved by women. Social media, in particular, confirm this Instagramthat every day counts numerous posts with the hashtag #padel. Celebrities and influencers such as Viky Varga, Melissa Satta and Miriam Leone are not immune to this craze.
The numbers of the padel
Only in Italy I’m over 5 thousand fields dedicated to this discipline and are increasingly frequented by women. To confirm it is El Paìs. According to the Spanish newspaper, the female presence is around 32% of the entire panorama of athletes of the Iberian Federation. In France, at the end of 2021, they counted almost 2 thousand players classified in the national ranking and many tournaments “totally female“. For the British newspaper The Guardian like it both girls and women over 60. According to the latest data from FIT – Italian Tennis Federation regarding padelto at the end of December 2021 there were almost 10 thousand women registered. But what is the secret of the success of this sport? We asked Sara Celata, from FITCoordinator and Head of Padel Training in Italy.
The secret of success
«It is a sport for everyone, but above all it greatly facilitates socialization and aggregation. Almost in all circles, as in rugby, there is the third time: After the game the players stay together to drink and chat. Moreover, both padel and tennis were among the very few sports that did not suffer closures during the lockdown due to Covid 19. Indeed, the closures have meant that those who frequented gyms, swimming pools, as well as soccer players, poured into this discipline. But the good news is that they didn’t quit the sport even after the restrictions ended: by now they had been conquered»Explains Celata.
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Padel VS tennis
«Initially it is simpler than tennis. Four people inside a padel court will certainly be able to play a match. So it is not for tennis which, especially at the beginning, is more complex. The difficulty level increases when the level of play is raised. It is therefore suitable for newbies, but also for those who want to get serious. The racket looks heavy but it is only appearance. It is actually composed carbon fiber and glass that make it light. The padel one weighs about 20% more than the tennis racket », continues the expert.
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