Accueil - Sport - Padel tennis, left-handed advantage?
Date : 06 Jul 2024Categories : Sport
‘Left-handed advantage, left-handed advantage’ is what it’s all about! Maybe you’re like me, and until recently you thought that padel was a sport played by your sister-in-law during summer, consisting of trying to stay upright on a board, on a more or less rough stretch of water with the help of an oar, sometimes accompanied by your dog, or even doing some yoga… Well, not at all!
And, of course, when we say racket, we mean left-handed advantage. The padel court is reminiscent of an MMA ring, with its cages and glass. All this arsenal is not there to prevent the right-handed padel player from escaping, but rather to use the ball’s bounces to prevent it from escaping. Invented by a wealthy Mexican in the 1960s and imported to Spain 50 years ago, it is still played in doubles.
Unlike tennis, where right-handed players play on the right and left-handed players on the left, in padel you also play with the windows (yes, that’s what they’re for!). As the left-handed padel player positions himself on the right, he has every chance of being able to smash more naturally on the opponent’s lobs and thus score points on his strong side. Are you still following?
Playing with or against a left-hander can’t be improvised. If you’re lucky enough to have recruited a left-handed partner, you’re going to have to learn to share.
The middle becomes the playground for both of you. One of my sources (yes, I ask the pros before writing an article!) tells me that this dividing line is aptly called the ‘divorce zone’ because it’s where you argue, either because you let the ball go by, or because there are two of you rushing at it, with each partner’s forehand being central.
Once again, left-handed players stand out in this sport! In the world’s top 100 padel players, there are 9 left-handed women players and 17 left-handed men players…
Yes, left-handed players often have a natural aptitude for the sport (geniuses, I tell you!), particularly when it comes to rackets, but left-handers are often sought after to create a great pairing with a right-hander. The greatest player of the moment is obviously left-handed, Arturo Coello, also known as ‘King Arturo’.
With this sport becoming more and more widespread, it would not be surprising to come across notices looking for a left-handed partner, dating sites for left-handed/right-handed padelists, but I digress! Paddleboarding, with its board and optional dog, is not yet a lateral sport. If someone had told me that one day I’d be writing articles about the sport… Left-handed advantage!