Il fell it’s definitely a good idea for i children e Boysfirst of all because playing padel is a lot fun e facile to learn, then because, if a boy has talent, head and ambitionat this moment it can to emerge at a high level.
From sport to adults who want to try something different than tennis, padel in Italy is also expanding to younger groups, experiencing a growing passion (and the multiplication of playgrounds).
What is the right age to start with padel?
The right age to start playing paddle tennis is also valid for other sports, i.e after 7-8 years, when you can hold the racket in your hand and start to understand the dynamics of the bounces on the walls.
We talk about it with Noah Bonnefoy, who started at 10 years old and last October, after 4 years of passion and assiduous practice, he managed to win third place at the European junior championships with the Italian national team in 2022 and is considered among the best junior players in the world: in 2023 he won the Italian under 18 championships and was at the top of the under 18 world ranking.
We asked him a few questions to find out what’s behind this passion, how sport and school are reconciled, and why children and guys it is really advisable to play paddle tennis (here is our guide on how to start with padel).
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Who is Noa Bonnefoy, padel player for the Italian national team
Noa Bonnefoy was born in Lodi on December 20th 2005 and lives in Paullo (Milan). His nickname is El Rubio, due to his blonde hair.
Italian mother and French father, Noa has been playing padel regularly since he was 10 years old and like all the ‘under’ of Italian paddle tennis, he is included in the ranking adulti and participates in open or category tournaments, always competing with adults.
He currently trains with the Milano Padel team.
In 2019 he won the under 16 tournaments in Padua, under 14 in Milan, came second in the under 16 tournament in Milan and in December he won the first place in the adult category 3 tournament.
After taking part in all the Under rallies held in the last 2 years by the Italian Federation, ad October 2019 he was called up to the Italian national team Menores Padel World Championships in Castellon, Spain for the under 14 category. The blue team ranked eighth out of the 16 participating teams.
In 2022 he won the bronze medal at the European Under Championships and ranked no. 5 in the world ranking of junior players.
>> READ ALSO: How to attack in paddle tennis, advice from the Italian champion
Noa, what’s so great about padel?
All. It’s great fun. You learn quickly and can start playing games right away.
How did you start?
Almost by chance. My Argentine tennis teacher, Gustavo Spector, current coach of the Italian national padel team, had put padel courts in the club where I trained and every time there were no tennis courts available or usable he made us train in the cage. Then once a week we didn’t play tennis but padel. In those years, Mauricio Lopez Algarra, current coach of Giulia Sussarello, the n. 1 Italian.
Did you play other sports before?
Yes, in addition to tennis I also played football for 4 years. Then I abandoned football and now I play both padel and tennis, as well as doing athletic training.
How and how much do you train?
I have always worked very hard, because I immediately liked this sport so much. Now I train twice a week in padel and 3 times in tennis, plus athletic training every day and tournaments and matches on weekends.
Are you also going to do internships abroad?
Yes, every summer I have been going to Spain, to Malaga, for 4 years now, to do improvement training. This year during the Easter holidays I will go to Motril, to Miguel Yanguas’ academy.
Do you find it challenging to combine sport and school?
Yes, but I couldn’t do without it! All my holidays become training courses. As soon as possible I try to organize myself to play as much as possible. This is what I want to do, so I have learned to organize myself well even with school. As soon as I get home in the early afternoon I do all my homework straight away, so that I have time to train until 8pm.
>> READ ALSO: How to defend yourself in padel
Do you think/hope to make padel your profession?
I would really like it, I will definitely stay in the sports field and I would like to become a padel and also tennis teacher.
Would you recommend padel to someone your age? And for what reasons?
Absolutely yes. Playing padel is:
1 Funny
2 Facile
3 Engaging
4 And padel makes you make friends, even with your opponents. At the end of the match, we are together and share, like in the third half of rugby.
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