South African Padel continues to grow in a healthy fashion, and the Padel4Good competition is a shining example of the sport's upward trajectory.
On Friday, at the Virgin Active Padel Centre in Paarden Eiland, Padel4Good transcended the boundaries of showcasing only local talent as the Men’s tournament hosted its first international player when Spaniard David Huertas Rami hit the Paarden Eiland courts in his debut for the brand.
Rami moved to South Africa three years ago after meeting his now-South African wife in Barcelona, where they were both based.
Rami aims to build a life in the Mother City after securing work in Mzansi, as he manages two Padel clubs, one in Johannesburg and the other in Stellenbosch.
Despite being on the management side of the sport, Rami is a true student of the game and thoroughly enjoys the fastest-growing racquet sport in the world.
“I was playing Padel in Spain, I started at University. It is a good sport, and I am keen on developing my skills as a player,” said Rami, who was knocked out of the semi-final of last night’s event, which catered for players rated between 2-3 on the PlayTomic App.
Speaking on the differences in the Padel culture in South Africa and Spain, Rami highlighted that Spain’s scene is more developed, and rightfully so, considering the sport was introduced sooner that side.
“There you have a culture whereby people have been playing for more than 10 to 20 years, there are also Padel academies on that side, so that makes a difference,” said Rami.
It is true that while Padel is still a very fast-growing sport in South Africa with lots of room for growth, most of the country’s most established players currently are former professional tennis players who latched onto the sport.
However, slowly but surely the sport is being introduced to many first-time racquet sport players who have never played tennis in their life, however, taking a deep interest in Padel, which bodes well for the future of South African Padel as brands, clubs, and the administration side grows.
Another observation Rami noted when it came to differences between Spanish and South African Padel sports was the approach to the sport.
“You can see people love the sport here, and there is also a big party culture and fun vibe around it, the difference in Spain is that people like the silence when they’re on the court as they don’t want any distractions when playing while here in South Africa, there is music playing and partying going on around you while games are played.”
The verdict is still out on whether Rami enjoyed the music while he was on the court.
One thing is for sure, even if the music was a distraction for the man, he delivered a pretty decent showing considering that he finished in the top four of the Cup section.
“I think Padel4Good is doing a good job in helping the sport grow and giving athletes a platform. You can see the great growth for the sport in the last two years as more courts are being made available, too.
“I can see it becoming a big sport in South Africa, with the right community support and coaching,” added Rami.