Human Padel Open: “Padel is really the sport of tomorrow!” Toulouse is preparing to welcome the world’s elite in the discipline
Stronghold of padel in France, Toulouse will host from June 13 to 19, the Human Padel Open, a stage of the World Padel Tour, the world elite of the discipline. In Colomiers, in the premises of 4Padel, we are delighted with the arrival of this major event.
“It’s a fun sport, accessible to everyone. Unlike squash or tennis, which requires a little practice to be able to start having fun. With padel, you can come here without ever having touched a racket and have fun immediately. The physical requirement is lower and the average age is much higher than the other sports that we can have so it is really, I think, the sport of tomorrow”, underlines Jonathan de Almeida, one of the three managers of 4Padel in Colomiers.
Padel is a real mix between all racket sports and Basque pelota. It was created by chance, in Mexico, when Enrique Corcuera decided to close his tennis court staff so that he no longer had to go pick up the balls.
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The Mexican changes a few rules and uses a wooden racket. His friend, Alfonso de Hohenlohe, a Spanish Prince, then visited him and discovered this practice. On his return to Spain, he had similar courts built in Marbella. From there, padel set out to conquer Latin countries, becoming one of the major sports on the other side of the Pyrenees. Toulouse, taking advantage of its proximity to Spain, becomes the gateway to padel in France.
For many of its followers, padel quickly becomes a drug, the fun and friendly aspect allowing everyone, even the uninitiated, to have fun: “We started out of curiosity with friends, we saw videos on social networks. We try to improve by playing against the best players and it’s a bit of an endless chain. It’s a fun sport, you don’t need to have a big base to gain pleasure”, says Alban, 2,500th Frenchman and customer of 4Padel.
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The Human Padel Open: a great first in France
In the columérine complex, we understand that the discipline is no longer in its infancy. The eight indoor courts are taken, we hear everywhere the balls slamming on the glass walls or the wooden rackets. The exchanges are punctuated by the announcement of points, always with smiles on their faces.
The profiles are very different, from the quartet of visibly sporty players, football shirts screwed on their backs, or the dozen or so uninitiated who embark on a “rising”, supervised by one of the coaches. The room is full at the end of the afternoon, a habit for the complex of Jonathan de Almeida. “There are many personalities who play padel, especially former athletes. Zidane, for example, opened a room. Here, there is also the Stade Toulousain, the two best French players are licensed in the tennis section of the Stade, Bastien Blanqué for men and Charlotte Soubrié for women”, underlines the manager.
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Having become a stronghold of padel in France, the Pink City was chosen to host the Human Padel Open from June 13 to 19, one of the stages of the World Padel Tour, the world elite of the discipline.
The 4Padel complex will host part of the women’s draw, a source of pride for Jonathan: “I really thank Robin Haziza, T & T global management for trusting us to host the qualifying phases of the HPO with us, it’s a great showcase for this sport, to show that here in Toulouse and in France we can host world events. I am already sure that it will be a success for this sport. We have part of the women’s draw which is done in our complex. We can install 400 people in the stands here. From Thursday to Sunday, access to the club will be completely free, so anyone who wants to discover padel can come here to see top athletes, including the world number 2.”
Padel: instructions for use
Played in doubles, men, women or mixed. The racket is full and thick. The ball is a tennis ball with a slightly lower pressure. Points are counted as in tennis and the match is played in two winning sets, consisting of six games. In the event of a tie, a ten-point tie-break is played. The service is done with a spoon. The point is lost if the ball bounces twice in his court. All surfaces are playable. The ball can be played out of court if it has only bounced once. Once the ball is in play, all balls that pass the net must first bounce on the ground of the opponent’s court before hitting a wall.
Human Padel Open: practical information
Men’s and women’s international tournament of the Circuit World Padel Tour.
APPOINTMENT :
June 13 and 14: qualifying phases at 4Padel Toulouse-Colomiers
June 15 to 19: main draw at the Palais des Sports André Brouat
Matches from 9:30 a.m. until night (10 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.)
KEY FIGURES :
- 120 World Elite players
- The Top 10 men and women of the World Padel Tour ranking
SPECTATORS and TICKETS :
- 3,000 spectators expected each day
- Tickets on sale at www.humanpadelopen.fr
- VIP hospitality offer available